Naboth’s Vineyard

128 – Naboth’s Vineyard

I Kings 21:1-29

In the town of Jezreel, a man named Naboth owned a vineyard next to the palace of King Ahab. The king told Naboth he wanted to buy the vineyard and make it into a vegetable garden. He said, “I’ll pay you full value in silver or, if you prefer, I’ll give you a better vineyard someplace else.

Naboth said, “No. I couldn’t sell this vineyard. It has been owned by our family for several hundred years.”

At first, this made the king angry. He went home and refused to eat anything. Finally, he became depressed and went and lay in his bed facing the wall.

Jezebel, the king’s wife, asked him what was wrong. He said, “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard and he told me no! I even offered him a better vineyard in exchange for his.”

Jezebel said, “Oh, is that all? Well, come have something to eat, and don’t worry about Naboth’s vineyard. I’ll get it for you.”

She wrote a letter to the town officials. It said, “Go get Naboth and have him stand before you. Bring in two liars that will swear he cursed God and the king. Then take him out and stone him until he’s dead.” She signed Ahab’s name to the letter and sealed it with the official seal.

The city leaders did exactly as they were told. They got Naboth and condemned him to death. After the stoning, they sent a message back to Jezebel saying, “Naboth is dead.”

She went to her husband and said, “You now own the vineyard you wanted. Go and enjoy it because Naboth is dead.” When the king heard this good news, he went to see his vineyard.

At that same moment, the Lord said to Elijah, “King Ahab just stole Naboth’s vineyard. Go tell him this. ‘You murdered Naboth and the dogs licked his blood from the ground. Dogs will lick your blood at that exact spot.’”

Elijah went and found Ahab at Naboth’s vineyard. When the king saw the prophet coming, he said, “Well, look at this. My enemy has found me.”

“Yes, I found you. And you have found every way possible to do the things God hates. Now it’s time for judgment. Your punishment will be just like King Jeroboam. You’ll have no descendants. First, dogs will eat the body of your wife Jezebel. After that, your entire family will be eliminated from the earth. Dogs will eat all your relatives that die in the city. Birds will eat those who die in the country.”

This struck Ahab in the heart. He ripped his clothes in sorrow. He fasted and wore sackcloth day and night. Finally, the Lord said to Elijah, “Ahab is truly sorry for what he did. Therefore, I won’t destroy his family until after he’s dead. All that I said will happen when his son is king.”

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Panorama of the Jezreel Valley from Tel Jezreel, from March 2019 BibleTelling Seminar in Israel

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Aerial view of Tel Jezreel from the South, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Aerial view of Tel Jezreel from the East, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Abijah & Asa

123 – Abijah & Asa

I Kings 15:1-34 II Chronicles 13:1 – 16:14

Jeroboam was still king of Israel when Rehoboam died. After his death, Abijah became king of Judah. Soon afterward, Jeroboam and the army of Israel invaded Judah.

When the two armies faced one another, Israel’s army was twice as big. Still, Abijah stood on a hill and yelled over at the army of Israel. He said, “Men of Israel, you have left the family of David to serve a servant of Solomon. On top of that, you have left the God of Israel to worship Jeroboam’s two golden calves. And your priests are not from the tribe of Levi.”

He went on and on, preaching to the men. He didn’t realize that while he was doing this, Jeroboam was sending half of his men around to the back of Abijah’s army. Suddenly the army of Judah realized they were surrounded. They cried out to the Lord and the priests blew the trumpets. God fought against Israel and they ran from the battlefield. Many of their soldiers died that day.

Jeroboam never recovered from this massive defeat, and he died soon afterwards. Abijah became stronger because he trusted the Lord.

After Abijah died, his son Asa became king of Judah. He ruled for 41 years. The Lord gave him 10 years of peace because he returned the nation to the ways of David. He destroyed the idols Solomon had set up. He told the people of Judah to seek the Lord God.

Suddenly a vast army from Ethiopia invaded from the south. The army of Judah was greatly outnumbered. Asa prayed, “Oh Lord, only you can help us now!”

So the Lord helped him defeat the Ethiopian army. Many of them were killed as they tried to run away. When it was all done, their army was crushed before the Lord. The men of Judah collected all the possessions from the bodies that were lying on the battlefield. They also got all of their sheep and camels.

As Asa and his men went back to Jerusalem, a prophet met him and challenged him to continue his walk with God. So the king decided to start destroying the idols from all the other cities of Judah. He even removed his grandmother from being Queen Mother because of her loyalty to an idol.

People from the northern kingdom of Israel moved to Judah in large numbers because they worshiped the Lord. On a certain day, everyone met together and vowed to always serve God. Asa then took silver and gold and put it in the Temple treasury. So the Lord gave Judah peace from all their enemies.

Unfortunately, Asa came to a turning point in his life. The new king of Israel declared war on Judah and invaded the land. He took control of a key city.

Instead of trusting the Lord, Asa thought of another way he could get the advantage over Israel. He took the gold and silver out of the Temple and sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Syria that was north of Israel. He sent a message saying, “I’m sending you gold and silver so you will break your treaty with Israel, and establish a treaty between our two nations.”

Ben-hadad took the gold and silver and made a treaty with Asa. He then invaded Israel and captured several of their cities. Quickly the army of Israel left Judah so they could defend themselves against Syria.

It seemed like Asa’s plan had worked. But then, a prophet went to king Asa and said, “You should have asked the Lord to fight for you— not Syria! Don’t you remember what God did with the massive army of Ethiopia? The Lord is looking for those who will trust Him. You were foolish in doing this. Therefore, you will be at war until you die.”

Asa was angry with the prophet and called for a guard. “Put this man in prison!” After that, he became cruel toward his own people. Suddenly he developed a disease in his feet, which got worse and worse. Still, he didn’t seek the Lord’s help, even when the disease became life threatening. Instead, he trusted the doctors to help him. Finally, he died after two years of great pain.

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Jeroboam’s Sin

120 Jeroboam’s Sin

I Kings 12:25 – 13:8 13:33-34

Jeroboam chose the city of Shechem to be the capital of Israel. He built it up and put his palace there.

He realized his people had a natural tendency to be loyal to the family of David. He said to his advisors, “The people keep going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. Eventually, they’ll decide their true loyalty is to the king from the line of David. They’ll kill me and reunite with Judah.”

To solve this problem, he made two golden calves. He put one in the south at Bethel and the other in the north at Dan. He said to the people, “It’s too hard to travel to Jerusalem several times a year. Here’s your god who brought you out of Egypt.”

Jeroboam built shrines to these idols and appointed priests for them. The priests weren’t from the tribe of Levi but were just anyone who wanted to be a priest. He then made annual celebrations that were similar to the ones in Jerusalem.

When he took the golden calf to Dan, people lined up behind it as it went along. Once they got there, Jeroboam made sacrifices to this new idol. He then went south to Bethel to sacrifice on the altar he had built there.

A young man of God from Judah walked up to Jeroboam as he was standing by the altar. The prophet yelled, “Altar, altar! Hear what the Lord God says to you. ‘A king will be born in Judah named Josiah. On this altar he’ll sacrifice the priests who burn incense on it.’”
The young prophet then turned to the people,

“The Lord gave me a sign that these things will happen. This altar will rip apart and the ashes will spill to the ground.”

King Jeroboam got angry and pointed at the prophet. “Grab that man!” As soon as he said those words, the hand he had stretched out froze in position and he couldn’t pull it back. Suddenly the altar ripped apart and the ashes spilled to the ground.

Seeing this, the king begged the man of God. “Please pray to the Lord and ask him to restore my hand back to me.”

So the man of God prayed and Jeroboam’s hand returned to the way it was before. The king said, “Come with me to the palace and eat something. Then I’ll give you a gift.”

The young prophet said, “I wouldn’t go with you even if you gave me half of everything you own. The Lord said that I’m not to eat or drink anything while I’m here. And I’m to go back to Judah a different way from how I came.” With that, he walked away.

Even with this warning, Jeroboam didn’t repent of what he was doing. He continued to promote the worship of the two calves and appoint priests for them. Because of this sin, his kingdom didn’t continue after his death, and he had no descendants.

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The ruins of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

The location of the altar of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Death of David & Joab

115 – Death of David & Joab

I Kings 2:1-46

Before David died, he gave Solomon instructions on how he should rule as king. He said, “To be successful, you must be strong and brave, and always walk in the ways of God’s commandments.

“Kill Joab when the time is right. He murdered two commanders of Israel—Abner, Saul’s commander, and Amasa, his cousin. He didn’t kill them on the battlefield. Both of these men trusted him because it was a time of peace. Don’t let him grow old peacefully.

“Remember that Shimei cursed me when I was running from Absalom. He begged for mercy and I said he could live. It’s up to you to punish him. Deal with him according to your wisdom.”

Soon after that, David died and they buried him in Jerusalem. He had been king for forty years.

Later, Adonijah went to Bathsheba and said, “You know that all of Israel expected me to become king. I accept Solomon as king, because it’s God’s will for Israel. I just have one request.”

“What is it?”

“The king won’t refuse anything if you ask for it. So please, go and ask if I can have David’s nurse as my wife.”

So Bathsheba went to Solomon. He stood and greeted her and called for a throne to be set at his right hand.

She sat down and said, “I have one little request. Please don’t turn me down.”

“Mother, ask and I’ll give it to you.”

She said, “Please let Adonijah have David’s nurse as a wife.”

Solomon was shocked. He said, “This is the same as asking if he could be made king. This request will cost Adonijah his life. He’ll be dead before this day ends.” Solomon then gave the order, and Adonijah was killed.

The high priest had supported Adonijah, so the king took his job away from him. He was the last priest from the line of Eli. This fulfilled the prophecy given about him.

Joab knew that his time had come, so he went to the Tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar. Solomon heard about this and told a guard, “Go kill him.”

The guard went and told Joab, “Come out here.”

He said, “No, I’ll die here.”

The guard went back and told the king. Solomon said, “Do as he asked. Kill him there! He deserves to die for murdering two good men who were better than himself.” So Joab was killed at the altar and buried near his home.

Solomon then called for Shimei. The king said, “Build a house in Jerusalem and live there. You’re not to leave this city for the rest of your life. If you leave, you’ll die. So, your life is in your hands.”

Shimei said, “This is fair. I’ll do as you have said.”

He lived in Jerusalem for three years. One day, two of his slaves ran away, so Shimei went after them and brought them back.

Solomon had him brought in. “You ignored the command I gave you. Now you’ll pay for what you did to my father. You cursed him, yet his kingdom will last forever.” With that, Shimei was killed.

So Solomon established himself as King of Israel.

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David’s Tomb building from north, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

David’s Tomb cenotaph, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Ethnic Cleansing

112 – Ethnic Cleansing

II Samuel 21:1-22

A famine hit the land of Israel. At first, David thought it was a natural event until it lasted for three years. He then realized the famine was from God. So he asked the Lord about it. God said, “It is because of what Saul did to the Gibeonites.”

The Tabernacle of God was at Gibeon. The Ark of God was in Jerusalem, but the Tabernacle was set up in Gibeon. So there were two places of worship.

The Gibeonites made an agreement with Israel in the days of Joshua. Saul decided to ignore those agreements and eliminate the Gibeonite population. He tried to totally annihilate their existence.

David went to them and said, “Our people have wronged you. How can we once again be reconciled with you?”

They said, “Money can’t pay for killing our brothers and sisters. And we don’t have the power to strike back at Israel. Still, our complaint isn’t toward Israel. It’s only toward the man who tried to exterminate us from the earth.”

David said, “So, what can we do for you?”

They said, “Give us seven of Saul’s descendants. We will hang them in his hometown, near where the people worship the Lord.”

David agreed. He selected two of Saul’s sons and five of his grandsons. He spared Mephibosheth because of his promise to Jonathan.

The Gibeonites killed the seven men and hung their bodies on a hill near where people went to worship. They were to hang there from April, which was the beginning of harvest, until October, which was the beginning of the rainy season.

Saul’s wife went to the site where her sons and grandsons were hanging. She stayed there day and night to protect the bodies from the birds during the day and the wild animals during the night.

When the allotted time was over, David went to the city where Saul and Jonathan were buried and got their bones. He then buried them in their family tomb, along with the seven men. After all of this was done, God once again heard David’s prayers concerning the land.

Years later, the Philistines once again declared war on Israel. David went with his men to fight a battle. He suddenly became exhausted during the fight. A relative of Goliath saw this as his opportunity to kill David. The Philistine was a huge man of great strength. He moved in to make the kill. One of David’s men stopped the giant and killed him.

David was taken off the battlefield, and his men took an oath. They said, “You are never to fight with us again. You’re the Lamp of Israel, and you’re not to put it out on the battlefield.” So David never went out to war again.

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Wise Woman of Abel

111 – Wise Woman of Abel

II Samuel 19:13 20:1-26 I Chronicles 2:16-17

David removed Joab from his command of the army. He replaced him with Amasa, who was also his nephew. He said to Amasa, “Gather my troops in three days so you can hunt down Sheba.”

Amasa started gathering an army, but it took him too long. He wasn’t back in three days. David said to Joab’s brother, “We must act fast if we’re to defeat Sheba. If we give him time, he’ll be a bigger danger then Absalom ever was. Go after him immediately.”

Joab joined his brother, and together they quickly organized an army. They then left Jerusalem to capture Sheba.

Along the way, Amasa finally caught up with them. Joab walked over to him, “Amasa, my cousin. How are you?” He then reached up with his right hand as if to draw Amasa closer and greet him with a kiss. Amasa didn’t see the knife in Joab’s left hand.

Joab stabbed Amasa in the stomach. He fell to the ground, dying but not yet dead. Joab turned and left to continue his search for Sheba. A soldier stood next to Amasa and shouted, “Follow Joab if you’re loyal to king David.”

As the army followed Joab, they kept slowing down as they passed Amasa, who was groaning in extreme pain. Some even stopped to look at him. Finally, a soldier pulled Amasa off to the side of the road and threw a blanket over him. Then the army moved along quickly.

They chased Sheba all around the country. He finally took his men to a city called Abel. Joab’s troops lay siege on the city and built a ramp against its walls. The purpose was to tear down the walls and destroy the city.

As they were working, a woman yelled out to them. She was known around that area as woman of wisdom. She said, “Go get Joab so I can talk to him.”

Joab came to that part of the wall and yelled, “What do you want?”

She yelled back, “Are you Joab?”

“Yes, what do you want?”

She said, “People say, ‘Go to Abel to get the best advice.’ That’s because we know how to solve problems. So why would you want to destroy a valuable resource like Abel? Our city is like a mother to Israel.”

He said, “We’re not here to destroy your city. We’re chasing Sheba, who has rebelled against David, our king. If you give us this man, we’ll leave your city alone.”

The woman said, “I’ll hold you to that. We’ll throw Sheba’s head out to you.”

The woman went and talked to the city officials. They trusted her wisdom, so they caught Sheba, cut off his head, and threw it out to Joab.

Once Joab saw it, he blew the ram’s horn, and his army went home. Joab went back to Jerusalem, where he was once again made commander of David’s army.

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Absalom’s Return

107 – Absalom’s Return

2 Samuel 14:1-33

After three years, David finally stopped mourning for Amnon. Then he started to miss his son Absalom. Still, he wouldn’t ask him to return from hiding.

Joab noticed this, so he hired a woman who was good at acting. He told her to go to the king, and he gave her the words she should say. She went before David dressed in clothes of mourning. She bowed before him and said, “Help me, my king.”

David said, “Tell me your problem.”

“I only had two sons after my husband died. Recently they got into a fight and no one stopped them. Soon, one killed the other one. Now my family says I’m to give them the only son I have left. They say he must die because he’s a murderer. My king, this would remove my husband’s name from the earth.”

David said, “You can go home. I’ll take care of this for you. If anyone says this isn’t right, bring them to me.”

She said, “Oh, please swear by God that my son won’t be killed for what he did.”

David said, “I swear it by the Lord who lives. Your son won’t die for this.”

She said, “May I ask you one more question?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I knew you’d give me a right judgment because the wisdom of God is in you. You clearly see what is good and what is evil. That’s why this judgment was good.

“So, why don’t you follow your own judgments? You’re wronging the nation of God by not bringing back your son. We’re all going to die someday, but God is the God of life. He wants us to be reconciled to one another.”

David said, “You asked me a question, now I have one for you. Listen to me carefully. You must tell me the truth. Did Joab send you here to talk to me?”

She said, “My lord the king has the wisdom of an angel of the Lord. No one can get anything around him. Yes, your servant Joab told me what to say, but it’s only because he loves you and wants what’s best for you.”

The king called for Joab and said, “Go and bring Absalom back in peace, but I don’t want to see him.” So Joab went and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. He was allowed to live in his own house.

Two years went by and he still wasn’t allowed to see the king. Finally, he decided to ask Joab to arrange a meeting between him and his father. He sent for Joab, but he didn’t come. He sent for him a second time, but he still didn’t come. Finally, Absalom sent his servants to set a fire to Joab’s barley field.

Joab went and yelled at Absalom. “Why did you set fire to my field?”

“I had to get your attention. Now tell me. Why did you bring me back to Jerusalem? I was better off where I was. Go to the king and arrange a meeting between the two of us. I want to see him even if he kills me.”

So Joab arranged a time when the king and his son could meet. Absalom went before his father and bowed down with his face to the ground. David got up and went and kissed his son.

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Tamar

106 – Tamar

2 Samuel 13:1-39

Amnon was David’s oldest son—and his favorite. Amnon had everything he wanted, except one thing. He wanted his half-sister Tamar. She was beautiful and a virgin. He thought about her all the time. He literally got sick wishing he could go to bed with her.

He had a cousin who was known to be crafty. Once he heard how Amnon felt, he came up with a plan. He said, “Lay in your bed as if you’re sick. When the king asks about you, tell him you want Tamar to come make some bread in your room. Tell him you want her to feed it to you.”

Amnon followed this plan, so the king asked Tamar to go help her brother with some food. While she was there, Amnon sent all the servants out of the room. As she handed him some food, he grabbed her and said, “Get in bed with me!”

She begged him, “No, please. Stop this. This is a horrible sin. You’re putting me to shame. Ask the king and he’ll give me to you. He’ll give you anything.”

But Amnon wouldn’t listen. He pulled her into bed and raped her. As soon as he was done, he no longer wanted her. In fact, he hated her. He said, “Get out of here!”

She yelled, “No! Don’t throw me away. What you’ve done is wrong, but sending me away is worse.”

He shouted for his servant. “Take this woman out of here and lock the door behind her.”

After Tamar was put out, she tore her clothes, the ones that showed she was a virgin. She put ashes on her head and cried as she walked along.

Her brother was Absalom. As soon as he heard what happened, he vowed to kill Amnon. But he knew it had to be planned out carefully. So, he had his sister move into his house. He told her, “For now, try to put it out of your mind. Don’t say anything about it.”

From that day on, Tamar was sad and moody, and Absalom totally stopped speaking to Amnon. The king was furious when he heard about the rape. Still he didn’t do anything about it.

Two years later, Absalom held a sheep shearing party and invited all of David’s sons. He made sure Amnon would be there. Absalom provided a large banquet for the occasion. Everyone had plenty to eat and drink.

Absalom told the servants to watch Amnon carefully. He said, “Wait until he’s had plenty to drink, then kill him. Don’t be afraid. You won’t get into trouble. You’re simply following my orders.”

They did exactly as they were told. When the time was right, they killed Amnon. The other sons ran for their lives.

News of this quickly got back to the king. He was told Absalom had killed all of the king’s sons. David ripped his clothes and fell to the ground. Finally, someone told him that it wasn’t true. Only Amnon had died. They said, “Absalom has been planning this since his sister was raped.”

Finally, the other sons of David came down the road and went before the king. Everyone cried together.

Absalom ran to a neighboring country to hide from his father. David grieved for Amnon for three years.

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David’s Mighty Men

100 – David’s Mighty Men

2 Samuel 5:1-25 23:13-23 I Chronicles 11:1-23

David had developed a group of 30 men that were the core of his fighting force. Joab’s brother, Abishai, led the group because of his bravery.

All 30 of these fighting men were proven warriors with skill and courage. But the mightiest of them were an inspiration to the entire army—they were called “the Three.” One of the Three personally killed 800 soldiers in a battle. Another stood firm when the rest of the army retreated. While they fell back, he turned and attacked the Philistines by himself. He fought so hard and so long that his hand stuck to his sword. The others finally came back, but only to plunder the dead bodies around him.

Before David became king, there was a time when he and his men were in hiding. He became thirsty and said, “Oh, I long for the water from the well in Bethlehem!” At that time, Bethlehem was in the hands of the Philistines.

The Three heard David longing for that water. They slipped out of the camp and went to Bethlehem. They crept into the city and got water from the well. They were then able to get safely back out of the Philistine area.

When they brought the water to David, he was shocked at what they had done. He said, “I won’t drink this water! This is precious like the blood of the men who risked their lives to get it.” He stood before the Lord and poured it out as an offering to God.

All of David’s men remained loyal to him after he became king. God was with him and established his kingdom over Israel.

Jerusalem was a walled city on Mount Zion controlled by the Jebusites. David said to his men, “Whoever is able to conquer this city will become the commander of my army.” Joab conquered it by getting inside the walls through the water tunnels. So he became the commander of the army.

David renamed the town, “The City of David,” and from that time on it was the center of his government.

When the Philistines heard about him becoming king of Israel, they decided to fight against him. David asked the Lord, “Should I go fight them?”

The Lord said, “Go. I will give them to you.” So David went and defeated them.

Later, they invaded Israel again. So he asked the Lord, “Should I go fight them?”

The Lord said, “Go, but this time circle around behind them. Put your camp in a grove of trees. Wait until you hear the sound of marching in the top of the trees. Then you’ll know that I have marched ahead of you.

David did exactly what the Lord told him to do. He defeated the Philistines and totally ran them out of the land.

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The Rephaim Valley connects Jerusalem to the Sorek Valley

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Rephaim Valley aerial, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Joab & Abner

98 – Joab & Abner

2 Samuel 2:1-32 I Chronicles 2:16 12:22

While David lived in the Philistine town of Ziklag, men from all the tribes of Israel kept coming to join his forces. They came day after day until he had a great army. After Saul’s death, David asked the Lord if he should go back to a town in Judah. The Lord said, “Go to Hebron.”

So David and his men took their families and moved to all the towns around Hebron. The men of Judah went to David and made him king of their tribe.

All the other tribes followed the leadership of Abner, the commander of Saul’s army. He took Ish-bosheth, a son of King Saul, and made him king over all of Israel except Judah.

This caused a war between these two sides. Abner led his men out to face David’s army led by Joab, the son of David’s sister. The two armies met on opposite sides of a pool. Abner yelled over to Joab. “Let’s each send out 12 men to fight for us.” So each side sent 12 men out to battle. All 24 men were skilled at battle, so each man killed his opponent. All 24 men died.

With that, both sides went into battle and Joab was victorious. After the fierce fighting, Abner and his men ran away. One of the brothers of Joab ran after Abner. The young man was an extremely fast runner, but he wasn’t as skilled in fighting as Abner.

Abner saw Joab’s brother gaining on him. He yelled back, “Go after one of my solders who is more like you. Fight it out and see what happens.”

But the young man didn’t listen to this advice. He kept gaining on Abner. Again he warned him. “Don’t make me do this. After killing you, I’d never be able to face your brother again.”

Still, the young man refused to listen and continued on. When he was right behind Abner, the skilled warrior turned and thrust his spear through the stomach of the young man. He fell to the ground and died.

The army of Joab continued to chase after the men of Abner. By sunset, reinforcements came and joined Abner’s men. He yelled to Joab. “Let’s end this battle. If we keep fighting, it’ll only increase the bitterness. Tell your men to stop running after their brothers.”

Joab yelled back, “You’re right! We would have fought all night if you hadn’t said something. So he blew the ram’s horn and his men stopped. Both armies marched back to their cities, and Joab buried his brother in their family tomb in Bethlehem.

The war continued between Judah and Israel. The people of Judah followed David as their king, and Ish-bosheth was king over all the other tribes. It was a long, bitter struggle. David’s rule became stronger and stronger, and the rule of Ish-bosheth became weaker.