Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland. Then the king said to Ittai the GittiteDavid, the king, is addressing Ittai, a leader from Gath, a Philistine city. This highlights David's diverse following, including foreigners, which reflects his leadership and the fulfillment of God's promise to make Israel a light to the nations. Ittai's loyalty to David, despite being a Philistine, prefigures the inclusion of Gentiles in God's plan, as seen in the New Testament. “Why should you also go with us?
David questions Ittai's decision to join him during Absalom's rebellion. This reflects David's humility and concern for the well-being of his followers. It also shows David's awareness of the risks involved in his flight from Jerusalem. This moment parallels Jesus' invitation to count the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:28). Go back and stay with the new king,
David refers to Absalom, who has declared himself king. This phrase underscores the political turmoil and the reality of Absalom's temporary power. It also highlights David's willingness to release his followers from loyalty, a contrast to Absalom's ambition. This can be seen as a type of Christ's kingdom, where true allegiance is voluntary and not coerced. since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland.
Ittai is identified as a foreigner and exile, emphasizing his outsider status. This reflects the broader biblical theme of God's care for the foreigner and the marginalized (Deuteronomy 10:18-19). It also foreshadows the New Testament teaching that believers are "foreigners and exiles" in the world (1 Peter 2:11), living in anticipation of their heavenly home. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe King of Israel, who is fleeing Jerusalem due to Absalom's rebellion. He is a central figure in this account, demonstrating leadership and humility. 2. Ittai the GittiteA foreigner and a loyal follower of David. Despite being a recent addition to David's followers, he shows remarkable loyalty and commitment. 3. AbsalomDavid's son, who has declared himself king and is the reason for David's flight from Jerusalem. His rebellion is a significant event in David's life and reign. 4. JerusalemThe capital city of Israel, from which David is fleeing. It represents the center of political and spiritual life for Israel. 5. ExileThe state of being barred from one's native country, which is relevant to Ittai's situation as a foreigner and to David's temporary departure from Jerusalem. Teaching Points Loyalty Beyond BordersIttai's commitment to David, despite being a foreigner, teaches us about the power of loyalty and faithfulness that transcends national and cultural boundaries. Leadership in CrisisDavid's interaction with Ittai shows his ability to inspire loyalty and his humility in allowing others to choose their path, a model for leadership during challenging times. The Cost of DiscipleshipJust as Ittai chose to follow David at great personal risk, we are called to follow Christ, understanding that true discipleship may require sacrifice and courage. Welcoming the OutsiderDavid's acceptance of Ittai, a foreigner, reflects the biblical principle of welcoming and valuing those who are different from us, aligning with the broader scriptural call to love the stranger. Bible Study Questions 1. What does Ittai's loyalty to David teach us about the nature of true commitment and friendship? 2. How can David's leadership during his flight from Jerusalem inform our understanding of leading with humility and grace in times of crisis? 3. In what ways does the account of Ittai challenge us to consider our own willingness to follow Christ, even when it involves personal risk or sacrifice? 4. How does the inclusion of Ittai, a foreigner, in David's company reflect the biblical theme of God's inclusive love and the call to welcome outsiders? 5. Can you identify a situation in your life where you are called to show loyalty or leadership in a challenging context, and how might this passage guide your response? Connections to Other Scriptures Ruth 1:16-17Ittai's loyalty to David mirrors Ruth's loyalty to Naomi, showcasing the theme of steadfast devotion despite cultural and national differences. 1 Samuel 22:2David's earlier gathering of followers who were in distress, debt, or discontented, highlighting how David often attracted those who were outsiders or marginalized. Matthew 8:20Jesus' statement about having no place to lay His head connects to David's experience of being on the run and without a home. 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 Abide, Absalom, Along, Besides, Birth, Dwellest, Emigrated, Exile, Foreigner, Gittite, Goest, Hast, Home, Homeland, Ittai, It'tai, Return, Stay, Stranger, Turn, WhereforeDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Samuel 15:19-21 5691 friends, good
7212 exile 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 15:19 NIV2 Samuel 15:19 NLT2 Samuel 15:19 ESV2 Samuel 15:19 NASB2 Samuel 15:19 KJV
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