Life of David (2): David's reign as king

Scripture reading: 2 Samuel 2:1-4

2 Samuel 2:1–4 (ESV)

After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,”

Introduction

We’re now at the second and final part of this short series on David’s life. He’s been on the run for the past ten years, and now his enemy’s dead. God has now made straight the path to the throne. He becomes king at Hebron, and there he’s anointed for a second time. Hebron comes from the word habar, which means ‘to join together,’ ‘to unite.’ And when you’re anointing someone, you’re symbolizing the Holy Spirit coming upon that person. So when you’re anointed, you’re united with God’s Spirit.

For the next seven and a half years David reigns at Hebron. There’s a power struggle between house David and house Saul, and in the end Saul’s heir is wiped out.

And then all the people come to David to make him king, and he’s anointed for the third time.

2 Samuel 5:3 ESV

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

David then conquers the city of Jerusalem, otherwise known as Zion. And it becomes known as the city of David. And his first order of business is to bring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. Why? Because David’s acknowledged his role as a puppet king. He knows he’s not the one calling the shorts. He’s a co-regent, someone running things on behalf of the true king. And so he brings the ark into Jerusalem because it symbolizes God’s Word and God’s presence.

David then seeks to build a house for the ark of the covenant. But what happens is instead of David building the Lord’s house, the Lord builds David’s house.

2 Samuel 7:12–13 ESV

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 ESV

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

This is the Davidic covenant. And what we see here is a man who says to God, ‘Let me establish Your throne on this earth.’ And God says back to him, ‘Let Me establish your throne forever.’

And what’s interesting is that David, in his psalms, goes into more prophetic detail about the cross of Jesus than any other Old Testament writer. So not only does David have this idea that the throne of his son will endure forever. He even has divine revelations about this son. And so it’s probably of no surprise to him that the opening passage of the New Testament reads like this.

Matthew 1:1 ESV

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Now after David receives this covenant from God, the next couple of chapters read very smoothly. From 2 Sam. 8-10, it’s like a fairytale come true. David’s winning all his battles. He subdues all the surrounding nations brings peace to the land. Everybody’s happy. David’s really starting to look like the prince charming of the Bible.

David and Bathsheba

But you know what’s coming. He makes a mistake. He stays behind when his army goes to war. That’s red flag number 1. He takes a nap and wakes up in the late afternoon and he sees a lady taking a bath. That’s an accident, so no demerits. But then he asks about the lady. Her name’s Bathsheba, and she’s married. Doesn’t matter. He invites her over, and he gets her pregnant. He tries to cover it up. He can’t. And so he orchestrates the death of her husband.

2 Samuel 11:14–15 ESV

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”

So what’s the difference between David and Saul? Both of them start off well as kings. Both of them make mistakes and sin against God. But only one of them repents. And this shows us the power of repentance. The problem of sin is resolved by repentance. If we but repent, then God offers us forgiveness, healing, and restoration. Look at what David says to Nathan, and look at what Nathan says in reply.

2 Samuel 12:13 ESV

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

That word there. ‘Put away’. That’s the word abar, which means to cross over. It’s where we get the name Eber, the father of Peleg. It’s where we get the word Hebrew, ‘One who crossed over.’ So what does that mean? That means that David’s sin isn’t vaporized like mist. It means that his sin has crossed over from him and onto somebody else. And that somebody is Jesus Christ.

Micah 7:18 (ESV)

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Notice that David sends Uriah to deliver the letter containing the plan for Uriah’s death. Uriah goes willingly because he doesn’t know what’s in the letter. And through his death, David’s sin is covered up. Jesus isn’t like Uriah. Jesus knew the plan, and yet He came willingly to die so that our sins can be covered. That’s how much He loves us. Wouldn’t He forgive us if we repent?

Conflict within the family

So David repents, and God forgives him. But if we know anything about sin, it’s that there it affects all who are involved, and even those who aren’t involved. What happens when adultery comes into a family? The spouse is traumatized. Sometimes they take it out on the children. The children are affected. No intimacy between the parents, the children grow up with bitterness in their heart or being needy for attention or always looking for isolation.

What happens with David’s children? His eldest son Amnon starts having fantasies about his half-sister Tamar. Tamar is David’s only daughter on record. Amnon forces himself upon her. And Tamar’s older brother, Absalom, murders him for revenge. That’s all in 2 Sam. 13.

2 Samuel 13:10–11 ESV

Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”

I’m not saying that David’s sins caused all this to happen. I’m merely observing that the children of an adulterer and murderer were also inclined toward sins of sexual immorality and murder.

When Absalom returns after 3 years, he spends 4 years stealing the heart of the Israelites and turns them against David.

2 Samuel 15:2–6 (ESV)

And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”

Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

And so David, for the second time in his life, is forced into a life of refuge. Not from Saul, but from his son.

2 Samuel 15:30 ESV

But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.

Absalom even sleeps with David’s concubines on the palace roof for all to see. But in the end he fails his coup and is killed in battle. They say one of the most terrible feelings in life is for a parent to outlive their children. David had to mourn the death of not one, but two of his sons. And even though Absalom sought to kill him, David still grieved and grieved upon his death. That’s the heart of a father. That’s the heart of our heavenly Father toward us, is it not? Can’t you imagine how quickly David would have forgiven Absalom, if only he repented? And what about us? Isn’t God also so eagerly awaiting our repentance so that He can forgive us of our sins? I pray that we can come to the Lord, knowing how much He loves us. I pray that our sins will not cause us to distance ourselves from Him, and that we will approach Him in repentance without any hesitation. Amen?

Conclusion: The power of repentance

What we see in the latter half of David’s life is a sinful man led by the Spirit of God. He was anointed three times. He received the Davidic covenant. He experienced great military victories. But he also committed horrible sins, and his family fell apart.

So David’s life shows us the power of repentance. It is the power to come before God, knowing His heart toward us, that He loves us, that He wants us back. It doesn’t matter how deep or ugly our sins may be. God wants us to repent.

1 John 1:8–9 ESV

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You wouldn’t expect it to say ‘He is faithful and just to forgive us.’ Why? Because it doesn’t make any sense. If someone commits a crime, the judge isn’t going to say ‘It is just that I forgive you.’ We’d expect forgiveness to come from mercy, not justice. But the Apostle John says ‘He is faithful and just to forgive us.’ He’s saying that when we repent, the Holy Spirit builds a bridge between us and the cross where Jesus died, and our sins cross over from us and onto the cross. And the scales of justice are balanced. How? Because the righteousness of Jesus outweighs the heaviest sin. The righteousness of Jesus outshines the blackest sin. When David repented, his sin went forward into the future onto Jesus. So when we repent, our sins go backward into the past, onto Jesus, and we are set free. So let us come before God this morning with confidence, knowing that even though we sin and fall short, He is faithful and just to forgive us.