And that's what the Bible's teaching us, but let's look at chapter 4 verse number 1.
It says, And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble,
and all the Israelites were troubled.
Now remember, this is Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, who has been ruling and reigning,
quote unquote, but it was Abner who was the real leader who was pulling the strings.
Well now that Abner's been killed and he's out of the way, Ish-bosheth can't lead
on his own.
He doesn't really have the power to do what it takes to keep the kingdom together.
And Israel pretty much knows the same thing.
They're all troubled too.
They realize that it was Abner that had the power.
It says, And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands.
So these are officers in Ish-bosheth's army.
The name of the one was Bayanah, and the name of the other, Rekab.
The sons of Reman, a Bearethite of the children of Benjamin, for Beareth also was
reckoned of Benjamin.
And the Bearethites fled to Getaeim, and were sojourners there until this day.
So those couple of verses are just explaining to us that even though these guys are quote
unquote Bearethites, ethnically they're actually Benjamites.
So these are actually relatives of Ish-bosheth and of Saul himself.
So these are his own family and his own kin.
It says in verse 4, Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet.
He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel,
and his nurse took him up and fled, and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee,
that he fell and became lame, and his name was Mephibosheth.
So this verse doesn't really have anything to do with the story that we're reading right
now, but he's just explaining something about another descendant of Saul that exists.
Because now that Ish-bosheth is the one son of Saul that's left, they're just letting
us know that there is a grandson of Saul that also exists.
Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, but he's lame of his feet.
He can't walk because of the fact that when Saul and Jonathan were killed, and they
were afraid of the Philistines who were coming in and invading, that basically the
nurse grabbed this kid and fled, and she basically dropped him or tripped and fell
and hurt him to where his feet were permanently injured, and his name is Mephibosheth.
He's going to come into play later in the story.
Says in verse 5, the sons of Rimmon, the Berethite, Rekab and Baanah, these are these
two officers in Ish-bosheth's army that are also related to him, Rekab and Baanah went
and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at
noon.
Now I don't know why this guy's laying in bed at noon.
Maybe that has something to do with why he failed as a leader, and why Abner was
the one who had all the real power, because this guy's laying in bed sleeping at noon
for some reason, but it says that he's laying in bed at noon and they came thither
into the midst of the house as though they would have fetched wheat, and they smote
him under the fifth rib, and Rekab and Baanah, his brother, escaped.
For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote
him and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gapped them away through
the plain all night.
And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David the Hebron, and said to the king,
Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life,
and the Lord hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and of his seed.
And David answered Rekab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rim and the Bearethite, and said
unto them, As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, when
one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings,
I took hold of him, and slew him in ziklag, who thought that I would have given him
a reward for his tidings.
How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon
his bed?
Shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the
earth?
Now, what he's referring to is what we saw in chapter 1, where that Amalekite had
come and claimed to have killed Saul, and he thought that that was going to get him
promotion and advancement.
Of course, David still loved Saul, and David was upset that he died, and wasn't going
to reward the guy who was claiming to be his murderer, and so he has that guy killed.
Of course, we proved from the Bible that the Amalekite was not really the killer of
King Saul, but that King Saul had killed himself, and we proved that he was lying
by comparing scripture with scripture.
When you read this story, it goes to show you that even David at this point doesn't
believe the story that Saul was killed by that guy, because probably when he ordered
the guy to be executed, the guy probably recanted his confession, it was a false
confession, and said, Wait, wait, wait, I didn't really kill him, I'm sorry, I lied,
I just said that.
David here doesn't say, When a guy came and told me I killed Saul, you notice that?
He just says, The guy came and told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to
have brought good tidings.
I took hold of him and slew him in ziklag, who thought that I would have given him
a reward for his tidings.
Now, why is that?
Well, flip over to Proverbs chapter number 24.
Proverbs chapter number 24 is one example of why David reacts this way when he gets
the news that his enemy, Ish-bosheth, has been assassinated in his bed.
He's been murdered in cold blood while he lays in bed asleep.
Look what the Bible says in Proverbs 24 verse 17.
The Bible reads, Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart
be glad when he stumbleth, lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn
away his wrath from him.
So this is telling us that when our enemies fall or are destroyed or killed, we're not
supposed to sit back, you know, like the grumpy cat and say, you know, good.
Oh, you died?
Good.
You know, you got hurt?
Good.
You know, we're not supposed to glory in and take joy in our opponents, our adversaries,
our enemies dying or bad things happening unto them.