2 Samuel 20–24
Wrapping up 2 Samuel: broken treaties, divine compassion, and whether God can change His mind.
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Key Topics & Theological Discussions
• Did David approve of Joab killing Amasa, or was Joab acting on his own ambition?
• Sheba's revolt and the wise woman who ended a civil war with one decisive act
• The Gibeonite treaty from Joshua 9 and its long-delayed consequences under Saul
• Does God hold all nations accountable for broken covenants, or only Israel?
• What does it mean that "God was moved by prayer"? Exploring divine impassibility, compassion, and whether philosophy has overridden Scripture
• Is compassion a divine attribute or merely a human one? Responding to theologians who say otherwise
• Did Elhanan kill Goliath? Addressing a popular alleged Bible contradiction
• How to read David's psalm in 2 Samuel 22: literal, literary, or prophetic?
• Genre, hermeneutics, and the groundwork for future interpretive disagreements
• David's last words and his confidence as a prophet-king
• The mighty men of David, the water from Bethlehem, and Uriah's place on the list
• God's anger, David's census, and the question of free will and divine incitement
• Were David's three options genuine choices? The "multiple pathway" view of God's sovereignty
• "I will not offer to the Lord what costs me nothing" and the nature of true sacrifice