In fact, you arrived only yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness." In fact, you arrived only yesterday;Ittai the Gittite had only recently come to David, apparently leaving Philistine Gath with his household and followers. Though a foreigner from a city long associated with Israel’s enemies, he had attached himself to the Lord’s anointed king. His presence among David’s servants displays the far-reaching influence of David’s reign and anticipates God’s purpose to draw people from the nations to Himself. Job 8:9 For we were born yesterday and know nothing;…
Psa 39:12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry for help;…
1Ch 29:15 For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence,…
should I make you wander around with us today David’s flight from Jerusalem had no settled destination. Absalom’s rebellion had turned the king into a fugitive, and those who remained with him accepted hardship, danger, and an uncertain future. David would not presume upon Ittai’s loyalty by requiring him to share that burden. Gen 20:13 So when God had me journey from my father’s house…
Deu 26:5 My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down…
Psa 119:19 I am a stranger on the earth; do not hide…
while I do not know where I am going? David honestly acknowledges his lack of control over immediate circumstances. He knew that the Lord remained his shepherd and judge, yet he did not know where the path of escape would lead. Such faith does not deny uncertainty; it entrusts the unknown road to God. Gen 16:8 “Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from,…
Pro 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not…
Psa 25:4-5 Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.…
Go back and take your brothers with you. David gives Ittai freedom to return with the men who had come from Gath. His concern for their welfare reveals the humility of a king who would rather release willing helpers than use them for his own security. Ittai’s later refusal to leave would therefore be a voluntary act of steadfast devotion. Gen 43:13 Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once.
Exo 4:18 Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro…
Gen 31:3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land…
May the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness.” David places Ittai under the care of the covenant God of Israel. The Lord’s loving devotion and faithfulness sustain those who identify with His kingdom, even when obedience leads away from safety and into suffering. Exo 34:6 Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out:…
Gen 24:27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham…
Psa 25:10 All the LORD’s ways are loving and faithful…
Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe King of Israel, who is fleeing from his son Absalom's rebellion. In this verse, he is speaking to Ittai the Gittite. 2. Ittai the GittiteA foreigner and leader of a group of men who have recently joined David. Despite being new to David's service, he shows loyalty and commitment. 3. AbsalomDavid's son, who has initiated a rebellion against his father, causing David to flee Jerusalem. 4. JerusalemThe city from which David is fleeing due to Absalom's uprising. 5. The WildernessRepresents the uncertain and challenging journey David and his followers are about to undertake. Teaching Points Loyalty in UncertaintyIttai's decision to stay with David despite the uncertainty of the journey highlights the importance of loyalty and faithfulness, even when the future is unclear. The Role of OutsidersIttai, a foreigner, plays a crucial role in David's account, reminding us that God often uses unexpected people to fulfill His purposes. Blessing OthersDavid's blessing of kindness and faithfulness upon Ittai serves as a model for how we should speak blessings over others, encouraging them in their journey. Trusting God's PlanDavid's acknowledgment of not knowing where he is going reflects a trust in God's sovereignty, encouraging us to rely on God when our path is uncertain. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Ittai's loyalty to David challenge our understanding of commitment in relationships today? 2. In what ways can we be like Ittai, showing faithfulness to those God has placed in our lives, even when it is inconvenient or risky? 3. How does the blessing of "kindness and faithfulness" in this passage relate to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23? 4. What can we learn from David's leadership in this passage, especially in how he interacts with those who are new to his community? 5. How does the theme of being a sojourner in this passage connect with the New Testament teachings on Christians being pilgrims on earth? Connections to Other Scriptures Ruth 1:16-17Ittai's loyalty to David mirrors Ruth's loyalty to Naomi, showcasing a commitment that transcends cultural and familial ties. Proverbs 3:3The blessing of "kindness and faithfulness" that David gives to Ittai is echoed in the wisdom literature, emphasizing the importance of these virtues. Hebrews 13:14The idea of being a sojourner and not having a permanent city connects with David's temporary displacement and the Christian's journey on earth. People Abiathar, Absalom, Ahimaaz, Ahithophel, Aram, Arkite, Cherethites, David, Gittites, Hushai, Israelites, Ittai, Jonathan, Kerethites, Levites, Pelethites, ZadokPlaces Aram, Gath, Geshur, Giloh, Hebron, Jerusalem, Kidron, Mount of OlivesTopics Brethren, Brothers, Camest, Countrymen, Faith, Faithfulness, Kindness, Lord's, Love, Mercy, Move, Return, Seeing, Steadfast, To-day, Truth, Turn, Wander, Whereas, Whither, YesterdayDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Samuel 15:19-21 5691 friends, good Library A Loyal Vow
'And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.'--2 SAMUEL xv. 15. We stand here at the darkest hour of King David's life. Bowed down by the consciousness of his past sin, and recognising in the rebellion of his favourite son the divine chastisement, his early courage and buoyant daring seem to have ebbed from him wholly. He is forsaken by the mass of his subjects, he is preparing to abandon Jerusalem, and to flee as an …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureIttai of Gath
'And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.'--2 SAMUEL xv. 21. It was the darkest hour in David's life. No more pathetic page is found in the Old Testament than that which tells the story of his flight before Absalom. He is crushed by the consciousness that his punishment is deserved--the bitter fruit of the sin that filled all his later life …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Pardoned Sin Punished
'And It came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2. And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. 3. And Absalom said unto him. See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Loyal to the Core
On the other hand, look at Ittai, perfectly free to go, but in order to end the controversy once for all, and to make David know that he does not mean to leave him, he takes a solemn oath before Jehovah his God, and he doubles it by swearing by the life of David that he will never leave him; in life, in death, he will be with him. He has cast in his lot with him for better and for worse, and he means to be faithful to the end. Old Master Trapp says, "All faithful friends went on a pilgrimage years …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 26: 1880 Following Christ
"And Ittai answered the king, and said, as the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be."--2 Samuel 15:21. SOME men have a very remarkable power of creating and sustaining friendship in others. David was a man brimming over with affection--a man, notwithstanding all his rough soldier-life, of an exceedingly tender heart--a man, I was about to say--the word was on my tongue--a man of vast …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916 The Will of God
"Here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him."--2 Sam. xv. 26. G. Ter Steegen. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Thou sweet beloved Will of God, My anchor ground, my fortress hill, The Spirit's silent fair abode, In Thee I hide me and am still. O Will, that willest good alone, Lead Thou the way, Thou guidest best; A silent child, I follow on, And trusting, lean upon Thy Breast. God's Will doth make the bitter sweet, And all is well when it is done; Unless His Will doth hallow it, The glory …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series) A Light to Lighten the Gentiles
P. G. 2 Sam. xv. 19-22; John xii. 26 "Wherefore goest thou with me?" Said the king disowned-- Said the king despised, rejected, Disenthroned. "Go, return unto thy place, To thy king of yore-- Here a pilgrim and a stranger, Nothing more. "Not for thee the cities fair, Hills of corn and wine-- All was portioned ere thou camest, Nought is thine. "Wandering forth where'er I may, Exiled from mine own, Shame, rejection I can grant thee; That alone. "Turn and take thy brethren back, With thy people …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others The Daily Walk with Others (iii. ).
Thrice happy they who at Thy side, Thou Child of Nazareth, Have learnt to give their struggling pride Into Thy hands to death: If thus indeed we lay us low, Thou wilt exalt us o'er the foe; And let the exaltation be That we are lost in Thee. Let me say a little on a subject which, like the last, is one of some delicacy and difficulty, though its problems are of a very different kind. It is, the relation between the Curate and his Incumbent; or more particularly, the Curate's position and conduct …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren And V the Kingdom Undivided and the Kingdom Divided
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS: I and II Samuel. I and II Kings. I and II Chronicles. NOTE.--As these three pairs of books are so closely related in their historical contents, it is deemed best to study them together, though they overlap the two divisions of IV and V. I. CHARTS Chart A. General Contents +--+ " I AND II SAMUEL " +-------------+-----+------+ "Samuel "Saul "David " +-------------+-----+------+----------+ " " " " I AND II KINGS "NOTE.--Biblical …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Samuel 15:20 NIV2 Samuel 15:20 NLT2 Samuel 15:20 ESV2 Samuel 15:20 NASB2 Samuel 15:20 KJV
2 Samuel 15:20 Commentaries
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