Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: David is anointed king, the mighty men of valor in Israel who helped him are recorded, Issachar has understanding of the times, and there is joy in Israel.
All the tribes of Israel come to David at Hebron and speak, and they acknowledge how the Lord has chosen him as king, and all the elders make a covenant with him before the Lord, and they anoint him as king over Israel. He is 30 years old and reigns over Israel 40 years. David and his men go to Jerusalem against the Jebusites. They tell him he cannot come in, but he takes the stronghold of Zion, the city of David. He says whoever climbs up by the watershaft and defeats the Jebusites, the lame and blind that are "hated by [David's] soul" (???) will be made chief and captain. This is why they say the blind and the lame should not come into the house. And David dwells in the stronghold and calls it the city of David. He builds all around, and he becomes great, and "the Lord God of hosts [is] with him." The king of Tyre sends messengers and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons, and they build him a house, and it says that by this he knows the Lord has established him as king over Israel and has exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people. David takes more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he comes from Hebron, and he has more sons and daughters. When the Philistines hear he has been anointed king, they go to search for him, and David goes to the stronghold, and so do they. He asks the Lord if he should fight them, and the Lord tells him He will deliver them into his hands, so he defeats them. He declares that the Lord has given him breakthrough, "like the breakthrough of water." And the Philistines leave their images, and David and his men carry them away (although I'm not sure why). Then, the Philistines encamp again, and David inquires of the Lord a second time, and He gives him a battle strategy and says that He Himself will go out before them and strike their camp, and David obeys.
This story is repeated in both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. A man named Joab becomes chief and makes ready the rest of the city of David for King David.
The mighty men of David are listed. The Philistines are gathered for battle, and there is a ground full of barley where Israel stations themselves in the field, and they and kill many Philistines, and the Lord gives them a great victory. Three of the 30 of David's chief men go down to the rock to David to the cave of Adullam, and the Philistine army is camping in a valley nearby. David is in a stronghold, and the Philistine garrison is in Bethlehem. David declares how he wishes for some water from the well of Bethlehem, so his three men break through the camp of the Philistines and draw water from the well by the gate and bring it to him, but he refuses to drink it and pours it out on the ground to the Lord. He says he will not drink the blood of the men who risked their lives to get it for him. The exploits of David's mighty men are given. These were the men who came to David at Ziklag when he was still a fugitive on the run from Saul. They were armed with bows and arrows and were also ambidextrous and Benjamites. Some Gadites join David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor trained for battle "whose faces [are] like the faces of lions" and whose feet are like gazelles. Some of the Benjamites and Judamites go to David at the stronghold, and he asks them if they are for or against him. The Spirit comes on the chief of the captains, and says he is on David's side; he speaks a word of peace to him and acknowledges that the Lord helps him, so David makes them captains of the troop. It says that some of Manasseh had defected to David, although David was not able to help the Philistines during that battle because the lords did not want him there. It says that many men came to David "day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God." The numbers of valiant men from the tribes who helped David are recorded.
An interesting line is recorded about Issachar. It says that they had "understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do." It says that these mighty men of valor were loyal to Israel and that all Israel was "of one mind to make David king." And the people bring food and provisions to David, and there is "joy in Israel."
Thoughts/discussion questions:
It is very important to have an understanding of the times, as the tribe of Issachar did.
Israel had joy because a godly man was finally reigning over them.