Samuel, Saul and David
Davids Finest Years
2 Sam 1-10
The greatest Briton? You may remember back in 2002 the BBC ran a nationwide poll to name the greatest Briton of all time, and Sir Winston Churchill was named the winner, with over 447,000 votes
If there were to be such a competition in Israel, historically speaking the most likely winner would have been David. King David.
We are in a series that is taking a quick tour through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. We have already looked at Samuel, the last of the judges, and the rise and fall of Saul, the first king of Israel. We are now looking at David, and this is the second of the four part series on David.
Last week, John took us through David’s early years – the unassuming shepherd boy who was anointed to be king, who defeated Goliath, who served Saul in his court and in his armies, and ultimately was hunted by Saul who jealously wanted to kill him. Yet in all that, David would not turn his hand against Saul who was the Lords anointed.
Then tragedy strikes the line of Saul. Both Saul and Jonathan die in battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 31). David mourns their loss, and takes up the mantle of king. He is probably about 30 years old at this time. It marks the start of an unparalleled time of success for the kingdom of Israel, under king David, the man after Gods own heart.
For many centuries the people of Israel would look back to David, their greatest king... and look forward to the coming of the Messiah, of the line of David, who would restore the glory to their nation. We, too, have a reason to look back at David and a reason to look forward towards a new kingdom – something that we’ll look at in detail shortly.
But first – David. His finest years. And the high point of the kingdom that was.
David – the high point of the kingdom that was
God’s King is a conquering king
After the death of Saul there is a division between the northern tribes of Israel, over whom Ish-Bosheth of the house of Saul has been anointed king, and the house of Judah in the south which followed David. An interesting foreshadowing of the division which would split Israel in two after the death of Solomon in years to come, no?
This internal warfare goes on for many years, David’s side growing stronger and stronger, the house of Saul growing weaker and weaker. Sadly in chapters 3 and 4 we read of treachery after treachery, leading to the murder of Abner the general and Ish-Bosheth of the house of Saul who is murdered in his bed.
David had kept himself apart from this internecine warfare, and he is as disgusted at the murder of Ish-Bosheth as he was at the killing of the mortally wounded Saul, calling for summary justice for the murderers. The way was now clear for David to be king over all of Israel now, and he takes up the mantle of king over all the tribes of Israel.
David then starts his military campaigns in earnest. He captures Jerusalem and makes it his city and he defeats the Philistines (ch 5). David brings the ark of the covenant to the City of David, dancing and leaping with unbridled joy before the Lord – truly he delighted in God with his whole heart. Then in ch8 we have a brief recap of David’s victories – defeating Philistines, Moabites, Zobah, Arameans, Edom, Ammonites, Amalek...
Look at the map to see the extent of the kingdom of Israel under David. It is the greatest it had ever been. Then read Genesis 15v18-19, at the end of the covenant which God makes with Abraham. God defines there the boundaries of the land which will be given to Abraham’s descendents... and it is the boundaries of the lands that David has conquered.
In David, the king after Gods own heart, we see some of the promises to Abraham being fulfilled.
No wonder there was such excitement whenever people looked back at David and remembered the promise God made in ch7. Remembered that God would raise up another king, a son of David, born of David’s line, who would be the Messiah.
God’s king is a conquering king. But that isn’t all – in David was also a compassionate king.
Gods King is a compassionate king
How would we characterise Saul? A coward, a madman, someone who had no respect for God or Gods word, who trafficked with witches, attempted to murder the innocent David; a selfish fool who had neither respect for nor relationship with God.
What did David think of him? Look at his heart for Saul. When he hears of the death of Saul and Jonathan he tears his clothes and mourns and weeps and fasts until evening (2v11-12). He writes a lament for them in which both Saul and Jonathan are highly honoured.
Chapter 9 has an even more fascinating turn – David asks “is there anyone still left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness?” And there is. The boy who was crippled as a five year old (mentioned back in 4v4) is now grown and has a son of his own (v12). Mephibosheth.
In 1994 I was invited to spend some time with friends who were missionaries in Colombia, and I went to spend three weeks with them. One day the ‘young people’ of the church and I went out for a walk in the mountains – a nine hour tour through the Andean jungles as it turned out! But one thing stood out for me that day. We stopped and had lunch near a small finca, a jungle farmhouse. We could see the mum, a baby, a girl with a pet animal on a rope leash and a 9 year old boy who was the ‘man of the house’ while his father was away – strutting around proudly with his big hat and his machete strapped to his waist.
Then while we ate lunch, someone else crawled out of the hut. He must have been about 12 or 13, but he was crippled in both his feet so that he couldn’t walk, only crawl. The rest of the family were obviously fairly kind to him, but he didn’t really have the place that a boy his age should have. I can tell you in all honesty that I’ve never wanted to have the gift of healing more than that day.
In v8, Mephibosheth bows down and says “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me”. Like that poor Colombian farm boy he was crippled in the feet, had no chance of taking an expected role in society; helpless and unable to help himself, he relied upon the charity of others.
And God’s compassionate king looked at him and loved him. As v7 says, David promises to show him kindness, to restore to him all the land that belonged to Saul, and to give him the honour of raising him up to sit at the kings table and eat with him.
Grace is sometimes characterised as unearned favour. What amazing grace is extended to Mephibosheth! Look how the heart of David mirrors the heart of the God whom he loves and serves!
Now, there are parallel passages about David coming into his kingship in 2 Sam 1-10 and 1 Chron 1-10. The book of Samuel was probably written shortly after Solomon’s death, and it focuses very much on the character of the kings involved. Chronicles, on the other hand, was written after the return from exile and is at pains to present David in a positive light, glossing over his problems and failures in order to highlight both his standing as King after Gods own heart and the fact that God had promised that David’s kingdom would endure forever before him, and his throne would be established for ever.
Hang on a minute. David’s kingdom didn’t last forever – it pretty much started falling apart as soon as his son Solomon died, and come the exile it was shattered forever. Did God get it wrong? Was God lying to him?
Of course not! After the exile ended and the tribe of Judah was able to return to Jerusalem they knew that Gods promises were worth holding onto. They wrote a new account (the Chronicles) to help them remember Gods promises and the highlights of God working amongst them. And they were looking for a descendent of David to arise as the promised king who would set up the kingdom that would endure for ever. They were looking for the Messiah.
Then he came.
Jesus – the high point of the kingdom to come
All that was promised to the line of David finds its fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. King David, at the height of his greatness, was just a foreshadowing of Jesus. I’d like to take those two great aspects of David’s kingship from today’s passage, and show how they are fulfilled to an even greater extent in Jesus:
Jesus is a conquering king
Jesus commanded no armies, he took no territories, and yet he achieved the greatest cosmic victory the universe has ever seen – he broke the power of sin, broke the power of death
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, his friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat.
When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Yet I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
David extended the boundaries of Israel to the full extent of the land promised to Abraham in Gen 15. Jesus fulfils the first and greatest promise that God made to Abraham in Gen 12 “all peoples on earth will be blessed”.
What is the extent of Jesus’ kingdom? Even now it is growing, the invisible kingdom of heaven which he inaugurated here on earth, which swells every time someone becomes a believer in Christ –
<pause a moment>. Put your hand on your heart. Count those heartbeats. <pause> According to statistics from Operation World, Jesus’ kingdom is growing by one person each heartbeat.
Jesus is no weak, frail figure, calling for our sympathy as we see him on the cross – he is the triumphant victor, the boundaries of his kingdom are growing minute by minute! And he hasn’t even come back yet! Jesus promises that he will return one day and then his kingdom will be inaugurated for all to see; as Philippians puts it ‘every knee will bow and call him Lord’.
Death, sin, guilt – we need fear none of these ever again – because our king has beaten them! He has defeated these enemies! He has won!
Hallelujah!
Jesus is a compassionate king
Habakkuk says “O Lord, your eyes are too pure to look upon evil”. 2 Peter 2v7 tells us that Lot’s righteous soul was tormented by the lawlessness he saw around him – and if it seems a stretch to call Lot righteous, how much more must the reality of sinful behaviour look utterly appalling to God, to Jesus.
Yet looking at us, Jesus doesn’t despise us for our weakness and failings. He loves us.
In his mercy, he died for us on the cross to rescue us from hell, to pay the penalty that by law should have been ours. In his grace he has done even more than that though. As David elevated Mephibosheth to the kings table, to dine in the royal palace, so Jesus has lifted us up to be “co-heirs with him” as Romans 8v17 tells us. We are not saved for some ho-hum existence, alive but shut away in a home like an embarrassing old relative who we’d rather not have around... we are to share in his glory, stand by his side, delight in him as he delights in us!
This is God’s true king. David in his finest years demonstrated the ability to conquer the enemy and be compassionate towards the helpless – and he points us towards ‘Great David’s greater son’, Jesus, in whom we find the fulfilment of the old testament promises and foreshadowing. Jesus the conquering king. Jesus the compassionate king.
Jesus has WON. And you are seated at the kings table. His trusted friends and servants. Is that not worth singing His praises?
Alex White
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