Chapter 2

David asks God whether he should return to Judah, and God says yes.  David asks where he should go, and God says Hebron. David and his men go, and he is anointed king there.  This verse:

4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. Then they told David, "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul," [2Sa 2:4 ESV]

So it says David was anointed king only over Judah - his own tribe - at this time.  They weren't really making him king of all Israel, only of their tribe and the land that belonged to Judah.  How many times does Jabesh-Gilead show up in the Bible?  That town is so prominent.  It is a place I would want to go if I ever go to Israel.  David sends them a message thanking them for recovering Saul's body, and tells them he is now anointed King of Judah and intends only good for Jabesh-Gilead.

However, Abner, Saul's bodyguard that David had publicly shamed when he took Saul's water pot from the camp, makes Ish-bosheth King over some of the southern territory and over all of Israel in the north. 

2021 - Did anyone ask how Abner survived when the King and his three sons and so many others were killed?  Where was Abner at that time?  Also, I don't remember Ish-bosheth being mentioned before.   Saul had three sons earlier, but Ishbosheth was not named as the fourth.  So where did he come from?   Checked this.  The first mention of Ish-bosheth is in 2Sam 2:8.  No idea of his origins.  But we do know he is 40 years old.  If I am not mistaken, Saul reigned for about 40 years.  So Ish-bosheth would have been very early.  But he is not mentioned with Jonathan and the other two sons at any point.

This lasts two years.  (Doesn't say what happens after that yet...).  David rules Judah from Hebron for 7 1/2 years.

Abner comes to fight at Gibeon.  The battle is fierce, but David's army, under Joab, wins.  This is worded strangely.  It is almost like they each chose 12 men to fight each other, and it seems to be that all 24 died, because of simultaneous sword thrusts.  Indeed, MSB says the contest was proposed to avoid the battle, but instead, since they all were killed in even matches, it just excited the blood lust of those on both sides, and a fierce battle ensued.

Joab is commander of David's army.  He has two brothers, Abishai and Asahel.  All three are at this battle.  Asahel is a fast runner, and sets his sights on killing Abner and taking his stuff.  Abner tells him twice to go away, but Asahel refuses.  So Abner hits Asahel in the stomach with the butt of his spear, and it goes all the way through Asahel, and he dies.  I thought maybe dying this way was a disgrace, and since Abner did it, maybe that was why Joab comes to hate him so much, as we will see later.  But MSB says nothing like that.  In those days, killing the one who killed  your brother might well have been almost a requirement.