2 Samuel 4:8
“They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king today of Saul, and of his offspring.””
What does 2 Samuel 4:8 mean?
Two military commanders have just killed Saul's son Ishbosheth, thinking David will reward them for removing a rival to the throne. They present his head as a trophy and claim God has done this "for" David, essentially asking him to thank them for eliminating his enemy. What makes this moment painful is that David will reject them completely. He doesn't want the kingship won through assassination, and he certainly doesn't want to accept credit for a murder committed in his name. Sometimes people do terrible things while believing they're helping us, or they do harm and expect our gratitude in return. This verse reminds us that good intentions don't make wrong actions right, and that accepting the "benefits" of someone else's sin makes us complicit in it.