Rise to the Throne

1 It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.”

Second Anointing by the tribe of Judah (.4)

David is now king over the tribe of Judah in Hebron

Abner raises the son of Saul Ishbosheth to be king in place of Saul

2 Samuel 2:8–9 NKJV

8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

Civil war between the house of David and Saul

Abner - commander of the army for Saul/Ishbosheth

Joab - close servant of David (Abishai - spared Saul a second time & Asahel)

Abner kills Asahel in battle

Abner and Joab call a truce because the battle is bloody and they are fighting fellow country men

2 Samuel 2:26–28 NKJV

26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore.

David, Abner and Joab

2 Samuel 3:1 NKJV

1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

This is a recurring theme in the life of David.

David is a patient man and waits for God to change the tides in life

Even though he know God has chosen something for him, he waits for God to deliver.

acted with integrity while Saul was out to get him…grew in favor of the people

David started with 400 men on the run and grew to thousands

David was anointed only over Judah, though rightfully over all, while Ishbosheth was put in power by the commander over all Israel…But God will bring the kingdom to David

Patience is not passive

Patience is persistence but not aggressive

Patience and trust in the Sovereignty of God guided David to the throne God’s way

psalm 119:137

Psalm 119:137 NRSV

137 You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right.

Abner and Ishbosheth divide

Ishbosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with Saul’s concubine

Abner defects to David to help him gain the God ordained throne

2 Samuel 3:8-11

2 Samuel 3:8–11 NKJV

8 Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? 9 May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the Lord has sworn to him—10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

In the absence of God’s presence and support those in opposition to God’s Will will continue to weaken

In the process of Abner joining forces with David, Joab catches wind early on and murders him to avenge his brother Asahel’s death

Burial of Abner (2 Samuel 3:31-39)

Interestingly, David is extremely sorrowful over Abner, even though they were enemies while on the run from Saul.

David prohibits anyone from celebrating his death, and calls his murders ‘wicked’ and exults Abner as a ‘prince and a great man’

David, fasts till sunset

David’s actions were noticed and appreciated by those from Abner’s company and Israel

2 Samuel 3:36-37

2 Samuel 3:36–37 NKJV

36 Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. 37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner.

At the end David criticizes Joab saying he is too harsh.

These verse show David’s humanity in struggling with the tensions of life. He is sincere yet dramatic, strategic and political.

Ishbosheth is murdered

Two brothers plan the murder of Ishbosheth and brought his head to David as proof, no doubt thinking that this would be found favorable in David’s eyes

2 Samuel 4:9–10 NKJV

9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, 10 when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.

David Anointed Over Israel

All of Isreal gathered to anoint David over all

2 Samuel 5:1–5 NKJV

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” 3 Therefore 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. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

David Chooses Jerusalem to be the ‘city of David’ / capital of Israel and defeats the Jebusites, who were the current inhabitants.

David brings the Ark to Jerusalem

David, may have established Jerusalem as his residence but without God’s presence, it is just a city.

The ark had been sitting in the house of Abinidab

David prepares a great procession to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem. choice men, long procession, new cart to carry the ark. He gave honor to Ussah and Ahio, the sons of abinidab to drive the cart.

2 Samuel 6:6–9 NKJV

6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day. 9 David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”

Tough lesson....What type of God do we serve?

Uzzah had the best intentions but should never have been in that situation to begin with.

God was clear with how the most holy things should be handled.

Numbers 4:15 NKJV

15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. “These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Salvian the Presbyter (5th century)

Old Testament IV: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel The Greatness of a Little Fault

This is that we might understand that nothing which pertains to God must be considered lightly, because even what seems to be very little in fault is made great by the injury to God.

This concept applied forward is seen in the NT in Galatians…&...Defending the faith with our lives

This mindset is becoming more foreign to upcoming generations where authority is decentralized and code of conduct is forgotten at the expense of relativism which is jeopardizing our understanding of truth.

When David stopped seeing this from his perspective and did things according to God’s instructions, everything went smoothly.

2 Samuel 6:13 NKJV

13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep.

When we ask and invite God into our lives...it is never under our terms…God will not be bound by our preferences....He is God and if we desire His blessings we must learn to value what He values…to live by His commands.

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