Let the Prophets Speak

The prophet Nathan conveys God's message to David regarding the awful deed David has committed. Emphasizing the abuse of power that David had committed and his attempts at keeping it secret, God will punish David by exposing his sins in public.

How can a leader as great as David be guilty of such a grave and serious act? We discuss some of the most important factors that bring about the downfall of once great leaders.

As David desperately tries to cover-up his transgression, he arranges for the death of Uriah in battle. He then takes Bat Sheba as a wife.

We read of David's adultery with Bat-Sheba and his attempts to cover it up.

David sends a peaceful delegation to Ammon, but they get rebuffed. This eventually leads to all out war.

David keeps his promise to Saul and Jonathan to support the remnants of the previous royal family.

David conquers and subdues the border regions, and receives tribute from the conquered lands.

David humbly accepts God's promise, and the House of David is established forever.

David wants to build a house for God, but God tells him, "not so fast!"

David and Michal have a disagreement about the nature of the King's honor before the people and before God.

David retrieves the Ark from where it had been stored for the last 20 years, but the first attempt ends in tragedy.

David begins to develop international alliances, he builds the royal family. and crushes the Philistines.

With his contender now removed from the scene, all of the tribes accept David as King. David moves his capital to the City of David just outside the city itself, and positions himself to eventually capture the city to establish his capital.

After the death of Avner. the reign of Ish Boshet deteriorates into chaos. His two top military leaders assassinate him and take their trophy to David.

Vengeance and distrust derails the peace process.

Having been spurned by Ish-Boshet, Avner gets the people of Israel to agree to unite under David. Avner travels to present his peace plan to David.

David is accepted as king over Judah, as the people of Israel choose a son of Saul to lead them. A battle ensues as the potential for all out civil war looms in the horizon.

How the mighty have fallen! In one of the most famous funeral dirges in history, David laments the death of Saul and his dear friend Jonathan.

The news of Saul's death arrives in Ziklag via a strange messenger.

We read of the demise of King Saul in battle, the Philistine's abuse of his remains, and the honor accorded to him by the people he saved many years ago.

As a result of acting kindly to a dying Egyptian slave, David is led to the encampment of the Amalekites. He rescues the captives and scores a major victory against the bandits. David teaches the people how to fairly distribute the spoils of war.

David and his men return to Ziklag to find their hometown ravaged and destroyed by the Amalekites. David faces one of the most difficult tests of his leadership.

David gets saved from a very sticky situation at the last minute.

The Ralbag offers an incredibly sophisticated and natural explanation for the strange events of our chapter. Using his approach, we uncover even deeper layers of meaing in this fascinating chapter.

We explore a completely different understanding of this chapter according to the approach of Rabbi Chafni Gaon. This very rationalist understanding leads us to some profound insights into the failure of Saul to lead the people and why he was unworthy as a King.