The Promise and the King
Notes
Transcript
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ” 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 was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
Review
Things have impeded David’s path to the throne of Israel
Bad decisions:
Israel to make Ish-bosheth king
Abner to follow Ish-bosheth
Ish-bosheth to rebuke Abner, Abner’s turning on Ish-bosheth, and Joab’s killing of Abner
Last week, we saw the murder of Ish-bosheth
Now, after a few chapters full of stabbings and bad decisions, we get to the fulfillment of God’s promise. That He made back in 1 Samuel 16. 19 chapters ago.
So the first thing I want us to realize is that our God is a God Who keeps His promises. It may not always seem like it to us. It often takes more time than we want and we may get impatient. We may think He has forgotten.
Or, we may misunderstand what He has really promised and look for the wrong things.
But God always keeps His promises.
Think about David’s road here. God promised him the kingdom of Israel. And it took years before it actually happened. And David - while he’s waited…let’s see, has anything bad happened to him?
It’s been almost nothing but bad! He has been close being killed, he’s had no peace as he’s been on the run for his life, and has lost everything he had in this world, and has lived apart from his family - often living in caves. David has suffered greatly as he has awaited this promise to be fulfilled.
But go back and listen to the last 23 sermons in this series since we preached about David’s anointing. Not one sermon was about God forgetting His promise. Not one was about God forgetting about David. Not one sermon was about how we need to do better if we want God to give us what He’s promised.
They have all been about how God works for the good of those He has chosen, even while we wait for Him to fulfill His promises. Even while we get impatient. Even when we fail. Even when we doubt.
I thank God He fulfills His promises in spite of us. Because no matter what, God fulfills His promises.
Well, that’s what He does here for David. The waiting is over. Ish-bosheth is dead, and the whole nation of Israel is given to David.
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
But here’s the thing. If I were David, I think I would ask them: “Really??? All of a sudden we’re family? Where was this over the last few years that we’ve been at war?”
And they continue:
2 Samuel 5:2 (ESV)
In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel.
If I were David, I might be tempted to ask them not only why they made Ish-bosheth king, then, but why did they continue to follow Saul if if they knew it was David that was doing the job of the king? Especially considering Saul was trying to kill the guy who was doing all the leading!
And he was. We saw that throughout the book of 1 Samuel. Saul was focused on keeping his power, so he tried to kill David.
David, on the other hand, was focused on obeying God. He was focused on serving the people of God. Also remember that the very reason Israel asked Samuel for a king was because they wanted someone who would go out and come in before them. Who would be a mighty military leader for them against the enemies of God. That’s David.
And now, after all David has been through, after they’ve followed other men instead of him, the people tell him: “oh we knew that was you all along, David!”
Really?
But wait, it gets worse.
2 Samuel 5:2 (ESV)
And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ”
If I was David, I’d probably say: “Hold up! You mean, you all knew God had chosen me to be king, and yet you not only continued to follow Saul - who was hunting me down like game, by the way - but then you followed his weak and cowardly son after him rather than follow me?”
Now, we have seen what David has done to those who claimed to have wronged Saul. When that Amalekite took credit for killing Saul, what did David do? He killed him on the spot.
Then, we have Baanah and Rechab, who killed Ish-bosheth, and marched 50 miles to let David know his “enemy” was dead. And what did David do? He killed them on the spot.
Those men mistreated the kings - Saul and Ish-bosheth - men who considered David an enemy, and David killed them for how they treated the king. Now, these men are coming to David and admitting that they have knowingly mistreated him for more than a decade even though they knew he was the rightful king.
What will David do?
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
David makes a covenant with them.
They say, in essence: “David, we have purposefully mistreated you for all these years, and now that we’re out of options, we are coming to you to help us and to take responsibility for us as our king.”
And David says, “Okay.”
Wow. David, who had every right to be angry. Who had every right to rebuke them for all they had done. Who had every right to say “no” by any earthly standard. He let’s bygones be bygones, and he promises them that he will be their king. That he will take responsibility for them.
And from the outside, 3,000 years after the fact, we can look at this and say “of course He said yes, God told him he would be king. You can’t just turn your back on God’s calling.”
But do we realize how often we are in a very similar spot to David? Not that any of us are royalty - at least I don’t think so - if anyone here is a prince or something come see me I want to talk about your offering really quick...
None of us here are called by God to be a king. But we do all have a calling on our lives. Maybe our particular call to service is as an elder. Maybe as an usher. Maybe as a youth leader or a worship leader or a ministry leader. And I can promise you, if you are obedient to that call, you are going to have to let some bygones be bygones with the people you deal with in your ministry. It’s inevitable.
But even more, we all have a calling on our lives as God’s people. We are to live a certain way and to love a certain way. And for those that are committed members of this church, you either know or are eventually going to find out that because of that calling on your life, you have to let a great many bygones be bygones.
Because the calling on our lives is to love each other no matter what. If David and Israel need to love each other because they are of the same bone and flesh, how much more those of us who have the same Spirit of God living in us.
We need to love. Whether someone has kept you from your rightful throne for years and years even though they knew it belonged to you. Or they talked about you behind your back. Or they have a tendency to point out everything everyone else does is wrong. Or the two of you just don’t see eye to eye on most things.
None of that changes our calling.
Even when you have been wronged over and over again, like David. The calling doesn’t change.
When our brother or sister has wronged us, and then needs us, we are to say: “Okay.” What they do doesn’t change the call. What they do doesn’t change the fact that we have a mutual responsibility to each other. That is the calling on our lives.
And if we believe God, we will do just that. Like David does here.
David believed God’s promises, so David obeyed the calling God put on his life.
David trusted God to work things out all these years, and he believed that God would work it all out, every step of the way, so David had no reason not to be reconciled to his brothers and sisters.
He trusted God, and he believed God’s promises. That’s what we call faith. So because David was a man of faith, he could let bygones be bygones and be united with his brothers and sisters no matter what they had done.
This is a matter of faith.
And listen, our road may be very bumpy. David’s was. It may get rough in spots. David’s did.
It may go right through the lowest valley. David’s did - go read his Psalms. But if we believe God, and trust Him that all His promises are sure, then why would we hold on to wrongs done to us? Why would we insist on our own way?
After all, we have the promise of salvation. And when God completes it, we know that:
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
God will fix our road at the end no matter what it is here.
The questions is: do we believe it? Do we trust God enough to live as if this is our reality instead of the rough patches here in this life?
Do we trust God enough to turn to a brother or sister who has wronged us and be what they need us to be regardless?
David did. Because David believed that God’s promise was sure.
And David was not disappointed.
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.
God anointed David 19 chapters ago. The road here was not easy. But God fulfilled His promise and David is king over Israel.
All of God’s promises are just as sure. No matter how it may seem. No matter how rough the road gets.
What will dictate how we live? The promise, or the road? God, or someone else?
David chose the promise. Because David chose God.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
Now this includes the time David has already reigned in Judah, but I want to remind us all that Saul also reigned for forty years. Like Solomon after David will reign for forty years. God is giving us this detail so we can compare and contrast the reigns of these kings.
Because one of them is different than the others. That’s David. But he’s not different because he didn’t sin. We will see that he does, just like Saul did. He isn’t different because of his worldly success, because Solomon actually has more of that. He isn’t different because God made his road easy. Nobody’s is, and David’s was harder than most.
He is different because he is chosen by God. And so, he believed God. God’s promise was enough for him, and he lived like it.
That is how he got on the throne of Israel. God chose him, promised him he would be king, and David - through all of the problems and trials of this life - through betrayals and outright hatred towards him - he believed God.
The difference between David and Saul, is faith. And we’ll have to keep that in mind as we see how his reign has both highs and lows.
But let’s see how this affects David now that this promise has been fulfilled.
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
There are a few things to notice here. David comes to Jerusalem, which is in the tribe of Benjamin.
And this city was still inhabited by the Jebusites. These are one of the peoples whose land that God told Abraham his offspring would inherit. It is one of the people that God told Moses the nation would disinherit. It is one of the people that God told Joshua to drive out.
But here they are. Still in the land.
Now, we saw that David was doing what God commanded and was still destroying the inhabitants of the land while on the run from Saul and staying with the Philistines. But he was on the fringe of the land. He was in the south of Israel doing what he could with the small band of men he had.
In other words, David took what God gave him - 600 men, not an army - he took what God have him and he used it to obey God. Small band of men, small raids on the land. David had only what God gave him, and because David used it to obey, God gave him success.
And that’s what he continues to do.
Jerusalem is pretty much right smack dab in the middle of Israel. And here are the Jebusites, still living there, in the Promised Land. Does anyone remember where Saul reigned from? It wasn’t Jerusalem, obviously.
It was from Gibeah. Do you know where that is? About five miles north of Jerusalem. Remember, Saul was a Benjamite, so he naturally ruled from the land of Benjamin.
But think about this. Saul, who spent so many years trying to hold on to his power. Who spent so many years trying to destroy David. Right outside his front door were the very people God told Israel to drive out of the land.
And what’s more, Saul would have passed right by Jerusalem - and the Jebusites - when he was coming out against David. And yet, here they still were in Jerusalem.
And what did God give Saul? The kingdom. The entire army of Israel. Hundreds of thousands of men.
And how did Saul use what God gave him? To obey God? No. To love his fellow Israelite? No.
To hunt down the man Saul himself said he knew God anointed as the true king. To try and keep what he had rather than to obey God. He took what God gave him and completely ignored God’s calling.
Saul used what God gave him not for God, but for Saul. And rather than giving him success like He gave David, God gave Saul utter failure. In other words, Saul wasted what God gave him, and it lost him everything.
How do we use what God has given us? Whether a little, like He gave David, or a whole lot, like He gave Saul? Do we use it for the benefit of God’s people, like David did, or for the benefit of ourselves, like Saul did? Do we use it to obey like David did, or to go our own way like Saul did?
Do we use it in faith, like David did? Or do we use it in utter mistrust of God and His purposes like Saul did?
Because, again, the difference between them is faith. And David put that faith put into action.
The second thing I want us to notice is that David is crowned king, and he does what kings are supposed to do before they take the throne. He goes into battle for his people, and he brings them victory. We saw this with Saul, remember. When he was crowned king, he goes home and keeps working on his father’s land. It wasn’t until he led Israel in victory against the Ammonites that he took the throne.
We then saw that Saul stopped leading his people in victory - for so many reasons - and that after David was anointed king by Samuel he led Israel in victory against the Philistines when he defeated Goliath.
Now, David is anointed king by all of Israel, and he goes to battle against Jerusalem. And based on the description here and in 1 Chronicles, this was no easy task. It was a very well fortified city. That’s why the Jebusites taunted him for even trying. But David took the city. How?
And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
We know from 1 Chronicles that it is Joab that takes the opportunity and is the first one up the water shaft, which solidifies his position as commander of the army of Israel. And that leads to the victory and this sarcastic refrain. The Jebusites were so sure David couldn’t take Jerusalem that they taunted him by saying their blind and lame would be able to fight David off.
So now that David takes Jerusalem, the taunt is that all of the Jebusites are as good as blind and lame when they come up against the army of Israel.
But the thing to notice is that this was not an easy task - impossible by worldly standards. But because David had faith, obeyed God, and used what God gave him - and who God gave him to do it with - God gave him success.
And I add in that “who God gave him,” because don’t forget what just happened with the whole Joab killing Abner incident. Remember that curse David pronounced on Joab because he was so angered by him and what he did. Joab acted contrary to David. He did his own thing. They didn’t see eye to eye at all on that one.
And that delayed God’s promise being realized for David. Joab killed Abner and so David had to wait for the kingdom.
And yet David says, “this is who God gave me to work with, so I’ll obey.” Just like regardless of Israel’s betrayals of him, when they were ready to go with God’s plan and make David king, David obeyed.
Like he here obeys and works with the guy that not only literally stabbed Abner but who metaphorically stabbed David in the back. The guy who David initially curses because he’s so angry with him.
God gave that man to David to work with to fulfill His purposes, so David obeyed.
And God gave David success.
One more thing to notice here. Let’s back up to verse 7 again.
Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
If you’ll remember back to our Easter series when I preached about the ongoing mission of the church after the resurrection, I pointed out how the place of God’s presence - where heaven meets earth - has moved throughout the history of redemption.
It was once in Eden, then Mount Moriah, then Sinai, the Tabernacle, the Temple, in the Person of Christ, and since Pentecost, in His church.
If you were part of the Revelation study, you may remember the idea of Zion moving locations because it is wherever God’s presence dwelt. This is why the book of Revelation presents the church as Zion between Christ’s two comings, and the writer of Hebrews calls heaven Mount Zion where our spiritual worship takes place.
Here, we have the very first mention of Zion in the Bible. And this is one of those cases where the name is put back on a person or a place by the writer after the fact. Because this Jerusalem that David takes is what will later become known as “old Jerusalem,” because the city of Jerusalem in Solomon’s day becomes so huge that this is just a small part of the city - literally just a tiny corner.
And this little city is called the city of David, because this is where David lives as king. And it is called Zion, because this is where the Ark of the Covenant will reside even though the Tabernacle wasn’t there. We’ll see, David makes a new tent and places the Ark in it. And the Ark represented the presence of God.
And when Solomon builds the Temple on the opposite side of the Jerusalem David and he build up, the Temple Mount then becomes known as Mount Zion, and eventually all of Jerusalem is eventually referred to as Zion. Because that is where YHWH’s presence dwelt.
Now, why is this important? Well, it will becomes extremely important as the history of redemption rolls along, but for today, I want us to notice that this is the fulfillment of another promise of God.
Way back in Deuteronomy, Moses recounts all that God commanded to Israel, and he says this. I apologize for the lengthy passage here:
Deuteronomy 12:1–14 (ESV)
“These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there…
You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you…
Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, but at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.
This is exactly what God has done through David here when he takes Jerusalem. This is a promise hundreds of years old, and God fulfilled it.
And if you know the Old Testament, you know that from Deuteronomy 12 to 2 Samuel 5 was no joy ride for God’s people. And yet, God kept that promise.
In fact, if we go back to the promise of God in Genesis 15 that Abraham’s offspring would inherit this land, it is even more amazing that God kept this promise, and it was an even tougher road that God’s people traveled to get here.
And yet, like He always does, God kept His promise. He kept it through David, who obeyed God in faith, used what God had given him - and who God had given him to do it with.
God worked through David’s faith.
And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
David didn’t become greater because of what he did. He became greater because of what God did through Him. And God worked through Him because of his faith. Because he acted on his faith and lived by faith. Because he took what God gave him - whether only 600 men or the man that just seriously wronged him - and he used what God gave him to obey.
And what’s more, because David did this, God gave David favor with not just the people of Israel, but with the kingdoms around Israel.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
And again, this is not because of David. This is because of God. David recognized that:
And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
David knew that all God was still giving him, was because God chose him, and was using him for the benefit of God’s people.
This is why David used what God gave him and obeyed God in faith. Because God put a calling on his life and gave him a responsibility for God’s people.
That’s no different than what God has done for us.
We have been chosen. We have a calling. And God has given us what we need to carry that out, no matter what He has given us.
Because our God is a giving God. Our God is a God that keeps His promises. Our God is a God that works for the good of His people.
He is a God that provided a King for His people. To destroy the enemies of His people. To take responsibility for God’s people even though they had wronged him over and over again.
And I am not talking about David. I am talking about Jesus!
I am talking about the King of kings.
God provided Him to us - to His people - the elect of God. He did it to keep a promise that He first made right after we rebelled against Him and sinned. God promised He would overcome our enemies - sin, death, and the powers of darkness.
He sent His Son to literally take responsibility for our sin, and to take the punishment of death for that sin.
Even though we had wronged God over and over again, God did this for us.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is Who David points us forward to. This is Who God is going to tell David all about when He again makes a promise to save His people in a couple of chapters.
God kept His promise - and will yet keep every promise - in Christ.
And we get a foretaste of that here at the end of this chapter if we pay careful attention:
And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
This is important, because when we get to the genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament, we see the names of two sons of David that lead directly to Christ - Solomon and Nathan.
This is pointing us forward. Because the fact that Jesus can be traced back to David shows not just the unbroken chain of lineage that fulfills the covenant, it shows us that the promise was never broken.
No matter what happened in this world - and it got bad for God’s people. But no matter how it may have seemed that the promise couldn’t possibly be achieved through the earthly circumstances, God never wavered in His commitment to His people.
And He kept His promise.
Like He did for David.
(Doctrine of the Holy Spirit book by Graham Cole):
…like David we live in between the divine promise and its ultimate fulfillment. The basis of salvation is the same whether in view is… David, or the contemporary Christian: the cross of Christ
That is where God fulfilled His promise to Abraham, to Israel, to David, and to us.
And here’s the thing. We read here about David’s willingness to answer the call on his life no matter what it meant. No matter what God gave him. No matter who God gave him to work with.
And the promise for David was yet to be fulfilled. David didn’t have the fulfillment of the promise - the cross - to look back on.
We do. On this side of the cross - with the promise of salvation already begun - how can we not believe God’s promises? How can we not live according to His promises? How can we not take what God has given us and obey the calling on our lives?
Here is what it came down to for David:
God keeps His promises
David believed God keeps His promises - David had faith
David lived according to the promise, not his circumstances - David lived by faith. Even when it came to how he lived and served alongside others, it was God and His character that dictated how David lived, not others.
God blessed David
This is exactly what it comes down to for us.
God keeps His promises - and we know this because He has already kept that great promise of salvation in Christ
We need to believe that God will keep every promise - we need to have faith
We need to live according to those promises we believe - not according to our circumstances. No matter what we have, we can’t say God has not given us enough to obey. We can’t say God has given us the wrong people to obey with. We can’t say our circumstances aren’t right for us to live according to faith. All we can say to God - Who has done it all - is, “okay. I believe You, God”
If we do this, we can expect God’s blessing on our lives.
And this doesn’t mean blessings by the standards of the world. It means blessing by the standard of God and His Word. Blessedness - happiness. Contentment. Peace that surpasses understanding.
And the blessing of God working through us for His purposes.
Cue Mark
So, I ask you: first, do you believe? Do you believe in the God that keeps His promises and has already kept them in Christ?
Do you believe in the God that sent His Son to take responsibility for those who would believe - for all who believe? That He sent His Son to take your sin, and your punishment for sin - no matter what you’ve done - on Himself so that you could believe?
Because, don’t be fooled, faith in Christ isn’t just about some day. Believing in Him isn’t just about getting to heaven someday as if that’s the promise.
No! The promise is Himself. It’s Christ! And He wants to give Himself to those who believe. He wants to give salvation, and He wants to give a calling, and He wants to give power to carry it out, and He wants to grant the faith we need to do it.
God loves to keep His promises. He wants to provide us with everything we need to be part of that promise, and He has.
Now He wants to bless us. With faith, and with salvation.
And that includes how we live out our faith. God has given us so much. Just look around this room. Look at what God has given us!
This is a fulfillment of His promise. He has supplied with the calling on our lives and what and who we need to live it out.
And what’s more, God has given us Himself. We can answer the call and we can become greater and greater by the obedience of faith, for the Lord, the God of hosts, is with us!
If you have not repented and placed your faith in Christ, He is here. He is with us. Regardless of what you’ve done. Regardless of what has been done to you. I implore you: take your eyes off the road you’re on and look to Jesus.
If you know Him, if your faith is in Him - He is here. And He is ready to keep His promise of salvation. He is ready to grant you a greater faith and sanctification in the Spirit. I ask you, will you take your eyes off of the roughness of this world, the valleys of this world, the distractions of the enemy, and look more fully to Him?