The Story: Week 7

Recap:

God has created the heavens and the Earth, and all that inhabit them.

Humanity fell by by listening to the serpent (The Devil) in the garden and breaking Gods 1 command.

Humanity gets worse and YHWH divorces the nations at Babylon.

YHWH selects Abraham and brings forth the nation of Israel from Abrahams descendents.

The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt, but YHWH liberates them.

In the desert YHWH makes a promise to the Israelites. “Be loyal and obedient to Me, and I will be your God. I will protect, guide, and provide for you if you stay loyal to Me, and obey My commands.”

The Israelites break these commands over and over again.

Eventually becoming just as bad as the pagan child murderers they were supposed to defeat.

All in all, the Israelites reject YHWH as their God, and as their King.

They demand that YHWH raise up for them a human king to lead them.

God does this by bringing the young man Saul to be their king.

Saul does well at first, but ultimately defies YHWH and tries to rule as he sees fit.

Because of this God removes the royal line from Saul and seeks someone else, someone loyal and obedient to Him to act as the king of His people.

And so our story continues...

David is Anointed

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 16

16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.”

2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’

3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

4 Samuel did what the LORD told him. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”

5 He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, “Surely, here before the LORD stands his chosen king.”

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one, either.”

9 Then Jesse presented Shammah. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”

10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.”

11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Is that all the young men?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”

12 So Jesse had him brought in. Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The LORD said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one.”

13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

Now, David is a young man, about your age, and he works as a shepherd for his father Jesse.

Saul actually invites David into his household, not knowing that David has been chosen as the new king.

Saul does this because David would play his harp and ease the headaches that Saul would get.

David grows up going back and forth between the royal palace and his fathers flock.

Over this time, David becomes really good friends with Saul's son Johnathon.

But in Saul's eyes, David is nothing more than a little shepherd boy.

Until, one fateful day, on the edge of a battlefield David does something that makes a name for himself.

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 17

17:1 The Philistines gathered their troops for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.

2 Saul and the Israelite army assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against the Philistines.

3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites on another hill, with the valley between them.

4 Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.

5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was 5,000 shekels.

6 He had bronze shin guards on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over his shoulders.

7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels. His shield bearer was walking before him.

8 Goliath stood and called to Israel’s troops, “Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man so he may come down to me!

9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us.”

10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy Israel’s troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight each other!”

11 When Saul and all the Israelites heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years.

13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest; and Shammah, the third oldest.

14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul,

15 David was going back and forth from Saul in order to care for his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position.

17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly to the camp to your brothers.

18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring back their pledge that they received the goods.

19 They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

20 So David got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else who would watch over it. After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp as the army was going out to the battle lines shouting its battle cry.

21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another.

22 After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer, he ran to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.

23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did, and David heard it.

David gets permission to fight Goliath, and he does just that.

Using a sling and stone, David drops Goliath, takes Goliath's sword, and beheads him with it.

The Philistines try to run, but the Israelite army overwhelms them.

Israel is victorious, and everyone knows that the victory didn't come from Saul, but instead from a young shepherd boy that was loyal to YHWH and slaughtered a giant.

Saul takes David in and makes him a commander in the Israelite army.

Every mission David is sent on, turns up successful, and the people notice.

They begin saying “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

And Saul begins to resent David.

Saul V.S. David

The Israelite people liked David more than Saul.

So Saul couldn't just have David executed.

So Saul came up with a plan, let the Philistines kill David.

Saul promised David his daughter in marriage if David would go out and kill 100 Philistines.

David went out and killed 200.

Saul was enraged and terrified by this.

He gave his daughter to David for marriage, but then confided with His son Johnathon to go and kill David.

But remember, Johnathon and David were friends.

Johnathon told David about the plot, and helped David to go into hiding.

Over time, David gathers a following.

The Israelite people like him and want to follow him, and so David is supported throughout the land.

And David gets several chances to kill Saul.

But he refuses to do it every time.

You see, David respected Saul because, even though Saul fell from grace, originally he was the YHWH chosen king.

David refused to attack someone chosen by God, even when he himself was chosen by God.

Eventually, both Saul and his son Johnathon die in battle with the Philistines.

David is crowned as king, but his heart is broken.

He doesn't rejoice that day because both Gods anointed and his best friend died.

But he also doesn't neglect the duty God has appointed him to.

David takes the throne, not because he wants it, but because God has called him to it.

David takes the responsibility given to him with a humble and solemn heart.

Shortly after taking the throne, David sends men to gather the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to where it belongs, Jerusalem.

When the Ark comes into the city, David is so excited that he dances like a madman in the streets.

And this gives us a glimpse into Davids heart.

A heart, we are told, that is after Gods own heart.

Davids wife ridicules him for his display in front of all the people, telling him that he is a king and shouldn't act in such an embarrassing way.

And David tells her “For the sake of my God, I will become even more undignified than this.”

David truly is loyal to YHWH and loves him with a passion that burns like the sun.

David starts planning to build a temple for YHWH in Jerusalem.

A permanent dwelling for YHWH in the capitol city.

But God does not permit David to do this.

So YHWH sends the prophet Nathan (Samuel had died) to speak to David and deliver a message with several meanings.

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 7

5 “Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the LORD has said: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in?

6 I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent.

7 Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say to any of their leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?” ’

8 “So now, say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had said: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd to make you leader of my people Israel.

9 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.

10 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will live there and not be disturbed anymore. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning

11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that he himself will build a dynastic house for you.

12 When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.

This is prophetic. In several ways.

David will not be permitted to build the temple.

He has followed YHWH, but his hands have killed too many people.

Gods House will not be built by the same hands used to render judgement, but will be built by a descendent from Davids line.

A dynastic house will be established from Davids line.

A royal lineage that will pass down to Davids descendants.

I think I have spoken to you about how prophecy usually has an “already but not yet” flavor to it.

Often we see glimpses of fulfillment in it through history, up to its total fulfilment.

This is one of those cases.

One of Davids sons rules very well, and builds a temple for YHWH.

Thats a wonderful partial fulfilment. But that son eventually dies.

Which means, at this time, everyone is waiting for a King.

Someone descended from David.

That will establish a permanent house. A permanent kingdom.

Someone who will rule forever.

Its another mark in this picture of the coming Champion everyone is waiting for.

Whoever this coming champion is, who will crush the serpent, save humanity, and reconcile our relationship with God by restoring the original Edenic vision.

Whoever he is.

He will be like Moses, He will be like Joshua, He will be descended from Davids lineage, and establish a permanent kingdom in the heavens and on earth.

The picture is starting to get clearer.

Closing

David will be the greatest Human king Israel has ever had.

He follows YHWH consistently.

Fighting for his people, and establishing a solid and strong kingdom.

But David is not perfect, and neither are his sons.

We will continue with The Story next week.