Worthiness
A few years ago, I was taking an
adult class to learn the Hebrew language to
hopefully understand the Hebrew scriptures better.
The class was primarily composed of Jewish men and
women who wanted to be more proficient in using
the Jewish prayerbook in the synagogue services.
During one of the sessions, we read several Hebrew
sentences dealing with David, the king of Israel.
I remember being shocked when the gentleman
sitting next to me made a snide remark about
David's quest for kingly power being so strong
that he would even be willing to sell his mother
for more power. I was stunned. Here was a person,
even one of supposedly the same Jewish ethnic
nationality and religion, who looked upon David as
a regular power-thirsty king of the world. In all
my years in the church, I had always had the
utmost respect for David and had heard nothing but
positive comments made about him.
Since that time, I've often
thought about that ideological confrontation.
Could that gentleman have been right? Was David
just like any other worldly king? Have we just
supposed that David was righteous because that's
what we've been told or is it because we have
proven it for ourselves? Let's look at the life of
David as related to us in the Bible but let's
first look at it from the academic's point of
view.
We pronounce the name as "David"
but the Hebrew pronunciation is "Dah-veed" and
it is spelled with the two Hebrew consonants
Dahlet and Veht arranged in the form "D-V-D." It
is Strong's number 1732, "daw-veed"; and it
means loving or the beloved one. Its
root is from Strong's number 1730, "dowd"; and
it means to love, or by implication a
love-token, a lover or friend.
Young David
Let's look at the qualifications
of David to be king over Israel. Was he the son
of a great line of kings? Was he educated at the
great institutions of higher learning? Had he
been groomed by his family for a life of
legislative service?
Our first exposure to David in
scripture is recorded in 1 Samuel 16:10. This is
the instance of Samuel visiting (at God's
instruction) the town of Bethlehem and the
family of Jesse to anoint the new king of Israel
to replace Saul.
(1 Sam 16:10-13 NASB) Thus
Jesse made seven of his sons pass before
Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD
has not chosen these." {11} And Samuel said to
Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he
said, "There remains yet the youngest, and
behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel
said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we
will not sit down until he comes here." {12}
So he sent and brought him in. Now he was
ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome
appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint
him; for this is he." {13} Then Samuel took
the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst
of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD
came mightily upon David from that day
forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
We can see that David did not
come from a great line of kings and queens. He
was not educated at the greatest institutions of
higher learning. He was not groomed by his
family for a life of legislative service. He was
a shepherd, and a teenager, at that. He did not
have any great experience or education in
governmental affairs, nor was he planning for
such a career. The first step in David's kingly
pursuits comes in the very next verse when he is
first called into service for the current King
Saul.
(1 Sam 16:14-23 NASB) Now the
Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an
evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. {15}
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now,
an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.
{16} "Let our lord now command your servants
who are before you. Let them seek a man who is
a skillful player on the harp; and it shall
come about when the evil spirit from God is on
you, that he shall play the harp with his
hand, and you will be well." {17} So Saul said
to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who
can play well, and bring him to me." {18} Then
one of the young men answered and said,
"Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the
Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a
mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in
speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is
with him." {19} So Saul sent messengers to
Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David who
is with the flock." {20} And Jesse took a
donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and
a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David
his son. {21} Then David came to Saul and
attended him, and Saul loved him greatly; and
he became his armor bearer. {22} And Saul sent
to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before
me; for he has found favor in my sight." {23}
So it came about whenever the evil spirit from
God came to Saul, David would take the harp
and play it with his hand; and Saul would be
refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit
would depart from him.
So, we see that while David had
spent all those hours in the field tending his
father's flocks of sheep, he had developed
skills at playing the lyre, or harp.
Furthermore, those skills were recognized by
others as we saw in the statement of one of
Saul's servants who said, "Behold, I have seen a
son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful
musician."
David, the Warrior
The next incident involving
David is in the next verse, beginning in 1
Samuel 17:1. This account tells of Israel's
threats from the Philistines and their chief
warrior, Goliath of Gath.
(1 Sam 17:1-54 NASB) Now the
Philistines gathered their armies for battle;
and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs
to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and
Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. {2} And Saul and the
men of Israel were gathered, and camped in the
valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to
encounter the Philistines. {3} And the
Philistines stood on the mountain on one side
while Israel stood on the mountain on the
other side, with the valley between them. {4}
Then a champion came out from the armies of
the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath,
whose height was six cubits and a span. {5}
And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he
was clothed with scale-armor which weighed
five thousand shekels of bronze. {6} He also
had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze
javelin slung between his shoulders. {7} And
the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's
beam, and the head of his spear weighed six
hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier
also walked before him. {8} And he stood and
shouted to the ranks of Israel, and said to
them, "Why do you come out to draw up in
battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you
servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves
and let him come down to me. {9} "If he is
able to fight with me and kill me, then we
will become your servants; but if I prevail
against him and kill him, then you shall
become our servants and serve us." {10} Again
the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of
Israel this day; give me a man that we may
fight together." {11} When Saul and all Israel
heard these words of the Philistine, they were
dismayed and greatly afraid. {12} Now David
was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in
Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight
sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul,
advanced in years among men. {13} And the
three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul
to the battle. And the names of his three sons
who went to the battle were Eliab the
first-born, and the second to him Abinadab,
and the third Shammah. {14} And David was the
youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,
{15} but David went back and forth from Saul
to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem. {16}
And the Philistine came forward morning and
evening for forty days, and took his stand.
{17} Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take
now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted
grain and these ten loaves, and run to the
camp to your brothers. {18} "Bring also these
ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their
thousand, and look into the welfare of your
brothers, and bring back news of them. {19}
"For Saul and they and all the men of Israel
are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the
Philistines." {20} So David arose early in the
morning and left the flock with a keeper and
took the supplies and went as Jesse had
commanded him. And he came to the circle of
the camp while the army was going out in
battle array shouting the war cry. {21} And
Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle
array, army against army. {22} Then David left
his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper,
and ran to the battle line and entered in
order to greet his brothers. {23} As he was
talking with them, behold, the champion, the
Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming
up from the army of the Philistines, and he
spoke these same words; and David heard them.
{24} When all the men of Israel saw the man,
they fled from him and were greatly afraid.
{25} And the men of Israel said, "Have you
seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is
coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that
the king will enrich the man who kills him
with great riches and will give him his
daughter and make his father's house free in
Israel." {26} Then David spoke to the men who
were standing by him, saying, "What will be
done for the man who kills this Philistine,
and takes away the reproach from Israel? For
who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he
should taunt the armies of the living God?"
{27} And the people answered him in accord
with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done
for the man who kills him." {28} Now Eliab his
oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men;
and Eliab's anger burned against David and he
said, "Why have you come down? And with whom
have you left those few sheep in the
wilderness? I know your insolence and the
wickedness of your heart; for you have come
down in order to see the battle." {29} But
David said, "What have I done now? Was it not
just a question?" {30} Then he turned away
from him to another and said the same thing;
and the people answered the same thing as
before. {31} When the words which David spoke
were heard, they told them to Saul, and he
sent for him. {32} And David said to Saul,
"Let no man's heart fail on account of him;
your servant will go and fight with this
Philistine." {33} Then Saul said to David,
"You are not able to go against this
Philistine to fight with him; for you are but
a youth while he has been a warrior from his
youth." {34} But David said to Saul, "Your
servant was tending his father's sheep. When a
lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the
flock, {35} I went out after him and attacked
him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when
he rose up against me, I seized him by his
beard and struck him and killed him. {36}
"Your servant has killed both the lion and the
bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will
be like one of them, since he has taunted the
armies of the living God." {37} And David
said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw
of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He
will deliver me from the hand of this
Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and
may the LORD be with you." {38} Then Saul
clothed David with his garments and put a
bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him
with armor. {39} And David girded his sword
over his armor and tried to walk, for he had
not tested them. So David said to Saul, "I
cannot go with these, for I have not tested
them." And David took them off. {40} And he
took his stick in his hand and chose for
himself five smooth stones from the brook, and
put them in the shepherd's bag which he had,
even in his pouch, and his sling was in his
hand; and he approached the Philistine. {41}
Then the Philistine came on and approached
David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.
{42} When the Philistine looked and saw David,
he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and
ruddy, with a handsome appearance. {43} And
the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog,
that you come to me with sticks?" And the
Philistine cursed David by his gods. {44} The
Philistine also said to David, "Come to me,
and I will give your flesh to the birds of the
sky and the beasts of the field." {45} Then
David said to the Philistine, "You come to me
with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I
come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have
taunted. {46} "This day the LORD will deliver
you up into my hands, and I will strike you
down and remove your head from you. And I will
give the dead bodies of the army of the
Philistines this day to the birds of the sky
and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the
earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
{47} and that all this assembly may know that
the LORD does not deliver by sword or by
spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He
will give you into our hands." {48} Then it
happened when the Philistine rose and came and
drew near to meet David, that David ran
quickly toward the battle line to meet the
Philistine. {49} And David put his hand into
his bag and took from it a stone and slung it,
and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And
the stone sank into his forehead, so that he
fell on his face to the ground. {50} Thus
David prevailed over the Philistine with a
sling and a stone, and he struck the
Philistine and killed him; but there was no
sword in David's hand. {51} Then David ran and
stood over the Philistine and took his sword
and drew it out of its sheath and killed him,
and cut off his head with it. When the
Philistines saw that their champion was dead,
they fled. {52} And the men of Israel and
Judah arose and shouted and pursued the
Philistines as far as the valley, and to the
gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay
along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and
Ekron. {53} And the sons of Israel returned
from chasing the Philistines and plundered
their camps. {54} Then David took the
Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem,
but he put his weapons in his tent.
What were David's qualifications
to be a man of battle? By his own admission, we
see that David had no formal training for war.
David cited as his only previous experience the
defense of his father's sheep in the field. Look
at verses 34 and 35 again. "But David said to
Saul, ‘Your servant was tending his father's
sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a
lamb from the flock, I went out after him and
attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and
when he rose up against me, I seized him by his
beard and struck him and killed him.’"
We'll continue in the next
chapter where David is soon pressed into daily
service to the king.
(1 Sam 18:1-5 NASB) Now it
came about when he had finished speaking to
Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to
the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as
himself. {2} And Saul took him that day and
did not let him return to his father's house.
{3} Then Jonathan made a covenant with David
because he loved him as himself. {4} And
Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was
on him and gave it to David, with his armor,
including his sword and his bow and his belt.
{5} So David went out wherever Saul sent him,
and prospered; and Saul set him over the men
of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of
all the people and also in the sight of Saul's
servants.
King Saul's favorable nature
toward David soon dramatically changed, due to
jealousy as we see in verse six.
(1 Sam 18:6-16 NASB) And it
happened as they were coming, when David
returned from killing the Philistine, that the
women came out of all the cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with
tambourines, with joy and with musical
instruments. {7} And the women sang as they
played, and said, "Saul has slain his
thousands, And David his ten thousands." {8}
Then Saul became very angry, for this saying
displeased him; and he said, "They have
ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me
they have ascribed thousands. Now what more
can he have but the kingdom?" {9} And Saul
looked at David with suspicion from that day
on. {10} Now it came about on the next day
that an evil spirit from God came mightily
upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the
house, while David was playing the harp with
his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul's
hand. {11} And Saul hurled the spear for he
thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But
David escaped from his presence twice. {12}
Now Saul was afraid of David, for the LORD was
with him but had departed from Saul. {13}
Therefore Saul removed him from his presence,
and appointed him as his commander of a
thousand; and he went out and came in before
the people. {14} And David was prospering in
all his ways for the LORD was with him. {15}
When Saul saw that he was prospering greatly,
he dreaded him. {16} But all Israel and Judah
loved David, and he went out and came in
before them.
David, the Fugitive
King Saul's main objective then
became to destroy David, since he realized David
could soon replace him on the throne. We’ll
continue in verse twenty.
(1 Sam 18:20-29 NASB) Now
Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. When
they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to
him. {21} And Saul thought, "I will give her
to him that she may become a snare to him, and
that the hand of the Philistines may be
against him." Therefore Saul said to David,
"For a second time you may be my son-in-law
today." {22} Then Saul commanded his servants,
"Speak to David secretly, saying, 'Behold, the
king delights in you, and all his servants
love you; now therefore, become the king's
son-in-law.'" {23} So Saul's servants spoke
these words to David. But David said, "Is it
trivial in your sight to become the king's
son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly
esteemed?" {24} And the servants of Saul
reported to him according to these words which
David spoke. {25} Saul then said, "Thus you
shall say to David, 'The king does not desire
any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the
Philistines, to take vengeance on the king's
enemies.'" Now Saul planned to make David fall
by the hand of the Philistines. {26} When his
servants told David these words, it pleased
David to become the king's son-in-law. Before
the days had expired {27} David rose up and
went, he and his men, and struck down two
hundred men among the Philistines. Then David
brought their foreskins, and they gave them in
full number to the king, that he might become
the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal
his daughter for a wife. {28} When Saul saw
and knew that the LORD was with David, and
that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, {29}
then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus
Saul was David's enemy continually.
So, we see that David's first
wife was Michal, the younger daughter of Saul.
Through the whole process, though, we see that
King Saul's main objective was to destroy
David. Over the next few chapters, we can read
of David's evasion of Saul for several years.
We’ll pick up the story of David's years of
wandering in 1 Samuel 22:1. We can surmise
that all must not have been well in Israel
under the rule of King Saul because David
amassed a force of four hundred men who were
discontented with service to the king.
Furthermore, we can see from the following
scripture that Saul was probably not enforcing
God's laws regarding the forgiveness of debt
in the seventh year.
(1 Sam 22:1-4 NASB) So David
departed from there and escaped to the cave
of Adullam; and when his brothers and all
his father's household heard of it, they
went down there to him. {2} And everyone who
was in distress, and everyone who was in
debt, and everyone who was discontented,
gathered to him; and he became captain over
them. Now there were about four hundred men
with him. {3} And David went from there to
Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of
Moab, "Please let my father and my mother
come and stay with you until I know what God
will do for me." {4} Then he left them with
the king of Moab; and they stayed with him
all the time that David was in the
stronghold.
After David saw to the
safety of his father's household by placing
them with the king of Moab, he and his men
returned to Israel. As David continued to
flee from Saul, notice how he must have
grown in popularity with many people because
1 Samuel 23:13 says that the size of the
fighting force accompanying him grew.
(1 Sam 23:13 NASB) Then
David and his men, about six hundred,
arose and departed from Keilah, and they
went wherever they could go. When it was
told Saul that David had escaped from
Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.
It was during the years of
fleeing from Saul that David took other
wives. We know of the story of Abigail and
her belligerent husband, Nabal, who refused
to give David and his men any sort of thanks
for their protection of his fields and
animals. After Nabal had died of an apparent
stroke or heart attack, in 1 Samuel 25:39,
David sent a proposal to Nabal's widow,
Abigail.
(1 Sam 25:39-44 NASB) When
David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,
"Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the
cause of my reproach from the hand of
Nabal, and has kept back His servant from
evil. The LORD has also returned the
evildoing of Nabal on his own head." Then
David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take
her as his wife. {40} When the servants of
David came to Abigail at Carmel, they
spoke to her, saying, "David has sent us
to you, to take you as his wife." {41} And
she arose and bowed with her face to the
ground and said, "Behold, your maidservant
is a maid to wash the feet of my lord's
servants." {42} Then Abigail quickly
arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five
maidens who attended her; and she followed
the messengers of David, and became his
wife. {43} David had also taken Ahinoam of
Jezreel, and they both became his wives.
{44} Now Saul had given Michal his
daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son
of Laish, who was from Gallim.
So we can see during this
time, David gained two more wives, Abigail
the widow of Nabal and Ahinoam of Jezreel.
In David’s absence, his first wife,
Michal, was taken away by her father Saul
and given to another man.
David Begins to Reign
2 Samuel 2:1 tells us
that, after the death of Saul and Jonathan
at the hands of the Philistines on Mount
Gilboa, David moved back to Hebron to
settle with his family.
(2 Sam 2:1-11 NASB) Then
it came about afterwards that David
inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I
go up to one of the cities of Judah?"
And the LORD said to him, "Go up." So
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 his men who were with
him, each with his household; and they
lived in the cities of Hebron. {4} Then
the men of Judah came and there anointed
David king over the house of Judah. And
they told David, saying, "It was the men
of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul." {5}
And David sent messengers to the men of
Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May
you be blessed of the LORD because you
have shown this kindness to Saul your
lord, and have buried him. {6} "And now
may the LORD show lovingkindness and
truth to you; and I also will show this
goodness to you, because you have done
this thing. {7} "Now therefore, let your
hands be strong, and be valiant; for
Saul your lord is dead, and also the
house of Judah has anointed me king over
them." {8} But Abner the son of Ner,
commander of Saul's army, had taken
Ish-bosheth 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,
and over Benjamin, even over all Israel.
{10} Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty
years old when he became king over
Israel, and he was king for two years.
The house of Judah, however, followed
David. {11} And the time that David was
king in Hebron over the house of Judah
was seven years and six months.
In 2 Samuel 3:1, we find
that while he was king over Judah in
Hebron, David took several other wives
who bore him several sons.
(2 Sam 3:1-5 NASB)
Now there was a long war between the
house of Saul and the house of David;
and David grew steadily stronger, but
the house of Saul grew weaker
continually. {2} Sons were born to
David at Hebron: his first-born was
Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
{3} and his second, Chileab, by
Abigail the widow of Nabal the
Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the
son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai,
king of Geshur; {4} and the fourth,
Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the
fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
{5} and the sixth, Ithream, by David's
wife Eglah. These were born to David
at Hebron.
After the
assassination of the king of Israel,
Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, we read,
in 2 Samuel 5:1, of the re-unification
of Judah with the rest of the tribes
of Israel under the leadership of King
David.
(2
Sam 5:1-5 NASB) Then all the tribes
of Israel came to David at Hebron
and said, "Behold, we are your bone
and your flesh. {2} "Previously,
when Saul was king over us, you were
the one who led Israel out and in.
And the LORD said to you, 'You will
shepherd My people Israel, and you
will be a ruler over Israel.'" {3}
So all the elders of Israel came to
the king at Hebron, and King David
made a covenant with them before the
LORD at Hebron; then they anointed
David king over Israel. {4} David
was thirty years old when he became
king, and he reigned forty years.
{5} At Hebron he reigned over Judah
seven years and six months, and in
Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three
years over all Israel and Judah.
David then
conquered the city of the Jebusites,
which was Jerusalem. He built a new
palace there for himself and moved his
residence from Hebron to Jerusalem
where he took more wives and
concubines as stated a few verses
later in 2 Samuel 5:11.
(2
Sam 5:11-16 NASB) Then Hiram king of
Tyre sent messengers to David with
cedar trees and carpenters and
stonemasons; and they built a house
for David. {12} And David realized
that the LORD had established him as
king over Israel, and that He had
exalted his kingdom for the sake of
His people Israel. {13} Meanwhile
David took more concubines and wives
from Jerusalem, after he came from
Hebron; and more sons and daughters
were born to David. {14} Now these
are the names of those who were born
to him in Jerusalem: Shammua,
Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, {15} Ibhar,
Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, {16}
Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.
David’s
Curse
Wait a minute. With
David’s future sons, we're getting a
little bit ahead of the story. When
David had become secure in his rule
over the kingdom of Israel, he did
something with far-reaching impact on
the rest of his life. We'll pick up
that part of the story in 2 Samuel
11:1.
(2
Sam 11:1 NASB) Then it happened in
the spring, at the time when kings
go out to battle, that David sent
Joab and his servants with him and
all Israel, and they destroyed the
sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah.
But David stayed at Jerusalem. {2}
Now when evening came David arose
from his bed and walked around on
the roof of the king's house, and
from the roof he saw a woman
bathing; and the woman was very
beautiful in appearance. {3} So
David sent and inquired about the
woman. And one said, "Is this not
Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam,
the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" {4}
And David sent messengers and took
her, and when she came to him, he
lay with her; and when she had
purified herself from her
uncleanness, she returned to her
house. {5} And the woman conceived;
and she sent and told David, and
said, "I am pregnant." {6} Then
David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me
Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent
Uriah to David. {7} When Uriah came
to him, David asked concerning the
welfare of Joab and the people and
the state of the war. {8} Then David
said to Uriah, "Go down to your
house, and wash your feet." And
Uriah went out of the king's house,
and a present from the king was sent
out after him. {9} But Uriah slept
at the door of the king's house with
all the servants of his lord, and
did not go down to his house. {10}
Now when they told David, saying,
"Uriah did not go down to his
house," David said to Uriah, "Have
you not come from a journey? Why did
you not go down to your house?" {11}
And Uriah said to David, "The ark
and Israel and Judah are staying in
temporary shelters, and my lord Joab
and the servants of my lord are
camping in the open field. Shall I
then go to my house to eat and to
drink and to lie with my wife? By
your life and the life of your soul,
I will not do this thing." {12} Then
David said to Uriah, "Stay here
today also, and tomorrow I will let
you go." So Uriah remained in
Jerusalem that day and the next.
{13} Now David called him, and he
ate and drank before him, and he
made him drunk; and in the evening
he went out to lie on his bed with
his lord's servants, but he did not
go down to his house. {14} Now it
came about in the morning that David
wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it
by the hand of Uriah. {15} And he
had written in the letter, saying,
"Place Uriah in the front line of
the fiercest battle and withdraw
from him, so that he may be struck
down and die."
After
the messenger brought word to David
that Uriah was dead, in verse 25,
David gave his response for the
messenger to take back to his
commander, Joab.
(2
Sam 11:25 NASB) Then David said to
the messenger, "Thus you shall say
to Joab, 'Do not let this thing
displease you, for the sword
devours one as well as another;
make your battle against the city
stronger and overthrow it'; and so
encourage him." {26} Now when the
wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her
husband was dead, she mourned for
her husband. {27} When the time of
mourning was over, David sent and
brought her to his house and she
became his wife; then she bore him
a son. But the thing that
David had done was evil in the
sight of the LORD.
Note
the last sentence: "the thing that
David had done was EVIL in the
sight of the Lord." It was not
just the incident of adultery but
the cover-up, which included the
conspiracy to assassinate an
innocent man. God deemed it all as
EVIL in his sight. That sequence
of sin and the penalties that
would ensue would bring troubles
to David for the rest of his life.
We can read about the first of
those penalties as stated by the
prophet Nathan in the next verse,
beginning in 2 Samuel 12:1.
(2 Sam 12:1-12
NASB) Then the LORD sent Nathan
to David. And he came to him,
and said, "There were two men in
one city, the one rich and the
other poor. {2} "The rich man
had a great many flocks and
herds. {3} "But the poor man had
nothing except one little ewe
lamb Which he bought and
nourished; And it grew up
together with him and his
children. It would eat of his
bread and drink of his cup and
lie in his bosom, And was like a
daughter to him. {4} "Now a
traveler came to the rich man,
And he was unwilling to take
from his own flock or his own
herd, To prepare for the
wayfarer who had come to him;
Rather he took the poor man's
ewe lamb and prepared it for the
man who had come to him." {5}
Then David's anger burned
greatly against the man, and he
said to Nathan, "As the LORD
lives, surely the man who has
done this deserves to die. {6}
"And he must make restitution
for the lamb fourfold, because
he did this thing and had no
compassion." {7} Nathan then
said to David, "You are the man!
Thus says the LORD God of
Israel, 'It is I who anointed
you king over Israel and it is I
who delivered you from the hand
of Saul. {8} 'I also gave you
your master's house and your
master's wives into your care,
and I gave you the house of
Israel and Judah; and if that
had been too little, I would
have added to you many more
things like these! {9} 'Why have
you despised the word of the
LORD by doing evil in His sight?
You have struck down Uriah the
Hittite with the sword, have
taken his wife to be your wife,
and have killed him with the
sword of the sons of Ammon. {10}
'Now therefore, the sword shall
never depart from your house,
because you have despised Me and
have taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be your wife.' {11}
"Thus says the LORD, 'Behold,
I will raise up evil against
you from your own household;
I will even take your wives
before your eyes, and give them
to your companion, and he shall
lie with your wives in broad
daylight. {12} 'Indeed you did
it secretly, but I will do this
thing before all Israel, and
under the sun.'"
Look again at
verse eight: God said, 'I also
gave you your master's house and
your master's wives into your
care, and I gave you the house
of Israel and Judah; and if that
had been too little, I would
have added to you many more
things like these!" So, God even
admitted that he had given David
multiple wives. Having multiple
wives was clearly not against
God's will, as he even stated to
David that if that had not been
enough, he would have given him
more. The crux of the matter was
stated in verse 10: 'Now
therefore, the sword shall never
depart from your house, because
you have despised Me and have
taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be your wife.' By
sinning against God, David was
showing God that he despised him
and his laws. Not only was it a
direct affront to God, it was
witnessing to all the people in
Israel how David was
hypocritical in not practicing
what he preached to others.
In the rest of
chapter twelve we find that the
first of the penalties was the
immediate death of Bathsheba's
child but that was only the
first of many penalties to come.
Remember what God said in verse
eleven, "I will raise up evil
against you from your own
household." We'll see how the
stage begins to be set for that
in chapter thirteen with the
first murder in David's family.
Amnon was the
son of David's second wife,
Ahinoam of Jezreel, but was
actually David's firstborn son
and was, technically, the next
in line to be king of Israel
after David. Tamar was David's
daughter through his fourth
wife, Maacah of Geshur, who was
also the mother of Absalom, the
third son of David. Amnon was
murdered by Absalom in revenge
for the rape of Absolom’s
sister, Tamar. After the murder
of Amnon, Absalom fled to his
mother's home town of Geshur
where he lived in exile for
three years. The conspiracy of
the murder of Amnon was just the
beginning of Absalom's
conspiracy against David, which
becomes more apparent in chapter
fifteen.
(2 Sam 15:1-16
NASB) Now it came about after
this that Absalom provided for
himself a chariot and horses,
and fifty men as runners
before him. {2} And Absalom
used to rise early and stand
beside the way to the gate;
and it happened that when any
man had a suit to come to the
king for judgment, Absalom
would call to him and say,
"From what city are you?" And
he would say, "Your servant is
from one of the tribes of
Israel." {3} Then Absalom
would say to him, "See, your
claims are good and right, but
no man listens to you on the
part of the king." {4}
Moreover, Absalom would say,
"Oh that one would appoint me
judge in the land, then every
man who has any suit or cause
could come to me, and I would
give him justice." {5} And it
happened that when a man came
near to prostrate himself
before him, he would put out
his hand and take hold of him
and kiss him. {6} And in this
manner Absalom dealt with all
Israel who came to the king
for judgment; so Absalom stole
away the hearts of the men of
Israel. {7} Now it came about
at the end of forty years that
Absalom said to the king,
"Please let me go and pay my
vow which I have vowed to the
LORD, in Hebron. {8} "For your
servant vowed a vow while I
was living at Geshur in Aram,
saying, 'If the LORD shall
indeed bring me back to
Jerusalem, then I will serve
the LORD.'" {9} And the king
said to him, "Go in peace." So
he arose and went to Hebron.
{10} But Absalom sent spies
throughout all the tribes of
Israel, saying, "As soon as
you hear the sound of the
trumpet, then you shall say,
'Absalom is king in Hebron.'"
{11} Then two hundred men went
with Absalom from Jerusalem,
who were invited and went
innocently, and they did not
know anything. {12} And
Absalom sent for Ahithophel
the Gilonite, David's
counselor, from his city
Giloh, while he was offering
the sacrifices. And the
conspiracy was strong, for the
people increased continually
with Absalom. {13} Then a
messenger came to David,
saying, "The hearts of the men
of Israel are with Absalom."
{14} And David said to all his
servants who were with him at
Jerusalem, "Arise and let us
flee, for otherwise none of us
shall escape from Absalom. Go
in haste, lest he overtake us
quickly and bring down
calamity on us and strike the
city with the edge of the
sword." {15} Then the king's
servants said to the king,
"Behold, your servants are
ready to do whatever my lord
the king chooses." {16} So the
king went out and all his
household with him. But the
king left ten concubines to
keep the house.
In 2 Samuel
16:15, we can see another of
David's punishments that were
pronounced by God through
Nathan, the prophet.
(2 Sam
16:15-23 NASB) Then Absalom
and all the people, the men
of Israel, entered
Jerusalem, and Ahithophel
with him. {16} Now it came
about when Hushai the
Archite, David's friend,
came to Absalom, that Hushai
said to Absalom, "Long live
the king! Long live the
king!" {17} And Absalom said
to Hushai, "Is this your
loyalty to your friend? Why
did you not go with your
friend?" {18} Then Hushai
said to Absalom, "No! For
whom the LORD, this people,
and all the men of Israel
have chosen, his will I be,
and with him I will remain.
{19} "And besides, whom
should I serve? Should I not
serve in the presence of his
son? As I have served in
your father's presence, so I
will be in your presence."
{20} Then Absalom said to
Ahithophel, "Give your
advice. What shall we do?"
{21} And Ahithophel said to
Absalom, "Go in to your
father's concubines, whom he
has left to keep the house;
then all Israel will hear
that you have made yourself
odious to your father. The
hands of all who are with
you will also be
strengthened." {22} So they
pitched a tent for Absalom
on the roof, and Absalom
went in to his father's
concubines in the sight of
all Israel. {23} And the
advice of Ahithophel, which
he gave in those days, was
as if one inquired of the
word of God; so was all the
advice of Ahithophel
regarded by both David and
Absalom.
Evil From
Within
Remember
what we read in 2 Samuel
12:10, "Thus says the LORD,
'Behold, I will raise up
evil against you from your
own household; I will even
take your wives before your
eyes, and give them to your
companion, and he shall lie
with your wives in broad
daylight." It was through
the advice of Ahithophel
that David's own son,
Absalom, was the instrument
of the defiling of David's
wives.
Who was
David's former counselor,
Ahithophel, and why did he
turn against David to give
aid and comfort in the form
of wise counsel to the one
who stole the throne from
David? Let's see what we can
discover about Ahithophel.
The first mention of
Ahithophel is in 2 Samuel
15:12 where Ahithophel the
Gilonite is spoken of as
David's counselor. Is there
more? What of his ancestry
or who was his son? In 2
Samuel 23 in the listing of
David's mighty men, we find
the son of Ahithophel
mentioned.
(2 Sam
23:34 NASB) Eliphelet the
son of Ahasbai, the son of
the Maacathite, Eliam
the son of Ahithophel
the Gilonite,
Wait a
minute. Haven't we heard the
name Eliam before? Turn back
to 2 Samuel 11:3.
(2 Sam
11:3 NASB) So David sent
and inquired about the
woman. And one said, "Is
this not Bathsheba, the
daughter of Eliam, the
wife of Uriah the
Hittite?"
So,
Bathsheba was the grandaughter
of Ahithophel. Well, we’ve
now come full-circle back
to the sin for which God
pronounced ongoing
punishments for David. Now
we have motive for
Ahithophel's rebellion
against David. As we saw
earlier that Absalom never
forgave Amnon for raping
his sister, Tamar, so we
see that Ahithophel never
forgave David for
committing adultery with
his granddaughter,
Bathsheba, or for killing
her husband, Uriah.
Now, I
understand. For
years I could never make
sense of why David's
closest counselor so
easily abandoned him to
take sides with David’s
enemy. It now makes
perfect sense. How would
you feel if your employer
seduced your granddaughter
and then tried to cover it
up by murdering your
grandson-in-law? It's
quite understandable why
Ahithophel would never
have forgiven David.
We've gone
through some of the high
points and low points of
David's life, looking at
them from the viewpoint of
the academic who might
study the events from an
unspiritual point of view,
looking only at the events
as they occurred. We saw
that David was virtually
unqualified through
breeding, education or
training for a life of
public service. He was
without formal military
training to be a warrior,
as he freely admitted.
Even after his ascendancy
to the throne of Israel,
it also appears he was
lacking in parental
skills, as well. Overall,
it is a natural conclusion
for one to decide that
David just wasn't
qualified to be king of
Israel.
The
Spiritual Perspective
To the
spiritual mind, however,
it’s a different story. In
Romans 8:6, Paul focused
on the spiritual
difference when he said,
"For to be carnally minded
is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life
and peace." So, the
spiritual mind is open to
seeing events from God's
perspective, as we are
reminded in Isaiah 55:8.
(Isa
55:8-9 NASB) "For My
thoughts are not your
thoughts, Neither are
your ways My ways,"
declares the LORD. {9}
"For as the heavens are
higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher
than your ways, And My
thoughts than your
thoughts.
Let's go
back to the life of
David and fill in the
gaps from a more
spiritual perspective.
Before David had been
anointed as the future
king of Israel, Samuel
confronted Saul's
disobedience to God at
Michmash where he
usurped the priestly
office by offering
sacrifices. In 1 Samuel
13:14, Samuel told Saul
that God had already
made his decision to
install a new king.
(1 Sam
13:14 NASB) "But now
your kingdom shall not
endure. The LORD has
sought out for Himself
a man after His own
heart, and the LORD
has appointed him as
ruler over His people,
because you have not
kept what the LORD
commanded you."
In 1
Samuel 16:1 as Samuel
came to the house of
Jesse to anoint one of
his sons to be the
future king of Israel,
God made it clear to
Samuel that he had
rejected Saul because
of his disobedience.
(1
Sam 16:1 NASB) Now
the LORD said to
Samuel, "How long
will you grieve over
Saul, since I have
rejected him from
being king over
Israel? Fill your
horn with oil, and
go; I will send you
to Jesse the
Bethlehemite, for I
have selected a king
for Myself among his
sons."
In
verse seven, it was
God who reminded
Samuel of the unique
perspective of the
Eternal.
(1
Sam 16:7 NASB) But
the LORD said to
Samuel, "Do not
look at his
appearance or at
the height of his
stature, because I
have rejected him;
for God sees not
as man sees, for
man looks at the
outward
appearance, but
the LORD looks at
the heart."
Let's
look at the heart
and attitude of
David.
When
David went to the
battlefront to
visit his brothers
and encountered
the Philistine
threat from
Goliath, what was
his reaction and
attitude? Was he
intimidated and
fearful like the
other Israelite
soldiers?
(1
Sam 17:26 NASB)
Then David spoke
to the men who
were standing by
him, saying,
"What will be
done for the man
who kills this
Philistine, and
takes away the
reproach from
Israel? For who
is this
uncircumcised
Philistine, that
he should taunt
the armies of
the living God?"
Clearly,
David saw the
threat as an
affront to God.
In discussing
the matter with
Saul, David
stated as fact
that it was God
who would give
him the victory
against the
Philistine
threat.
(1
Sam 17:37
NASB) And
David said,
"The LORD who
delivered me
from the paw
of the lion
and from the
paw of the
bear, He will
deliver me
from the hand
of this
Philistine."
And Saul said
to David, "Go,
and may the
LORD be with
you."
When
it came time
to confront
Goliath in
person, David
stated for all
to hear that
the Philistine
threat was not
against men
but against
God.
(1
Sam 17:45-47
NASB) Then
David said to
the
Philistine,
"You come to
me with a
sword, a
spear, and a
javelin, but I
come to you in
the name of
the LORD of
hosts, the God
of the armies
of Israel,
whom you have
taunted. {46}
"This day the
LORD will
deliver you up
into my hands,
and I will
strike you
down and
remove your
head from you.
And I will
give the dead
bodies of the
army of the
Philistines
this day to
the birds of
the sky and
the wild
beasts of the
earth, that
all the earth
may know that
there is a God
in Israel,
{47} and that
all this
assembly may
know that the
LORD does not
deliver by
sword or by
spear; for the
battle is the
LORD'S and He
will give you
into our
hands."
Years
later, when
David was
fleeing from
the wrath of
Saul, he did
not lose his
perspective of
God's
priorities.
Even though
David had been
anointed by
Samuel to be
the future
king of
Israel, David
was not going
to assume the
office until
God saw fit to
place him in
that office by
removing Saul.
In 1 Samuel
24:6, look at
the respect
David
continued to
have for Saul
while he was
in the office
of the king
even though
Saul tried,
time after
time, to kill
David.
(1
Sam 24:6 NASB)
So he said to
his men, "Far
be it from me
because of the
LORD that I
should do this
thing to my
lord, the
LORD'S
anointed, to
stretch out my
hand against
him, since he
is the LORD'S
anointed."
Even
after the
death of Saul,
when David
became the
king of Judah,
David still
had respect
for the son of
Saul,
Ishbosheth,
who occupied
the office of
the king of
Israel. Look
at the
reaction and
attitude of
David upon
hearing of the
assassination
of Ishbosheth
in 2 Samuel
4:7.
(2
Sam 4:7-12
NASB) Now when
they came into
the house, as
he was lying
on his bed in
his bedroom,
they struck
him and killed
him and
beheaded him.
And they took
his head and
traveled by
way of the
Arabah all
night. {8}
Then they
brought the
head of
Ish-bosheth to
David at
Hebron, and
said to the
king, "Behold,
the head of
Ish-bosheth,
the son of
Saul, your
enemy, who
sought your
life; thus the
LORD has given
my lord the
king vengeance
this day on
Saul and his
descendants."
{9} And David
answered
Rechab and
Baanah his
brother, sons
of Rimmon the
Beerothite,
and said to
them, "As the
LORD lives,
who has
redeemed my
life from all
distress, {10}
when one told
me, saying,
'Behold, Saul
is dead,' and
thought he was
bringing good
news, I seized
him and killed
him in Ziklag,
which was the
reward I gave
him for his
news. {11}
"How much
more, when
wicked men
have killed a
righteous man
in his own
house on his
bed, shall I
not now
require his
blood from
your hand, and
destroy you
from the
earth?" {12}
Then David
commanded the
young men, and
they killed
them and cut
off their
hands and
feet, and hung
them up beside
the pool in
Hebron. But
they took the
head of
Ish-bosheth
and buried it
in the grave
of Abner in
Hebron.
Notice
David's heart
and attitude
toward God as
represented in
his respect
for the Ark of
the Covenant.
After the
Philistines
had returned
the Ark, it
remained at
Kiriath-jearim
for many
years. Notice
in the sixth
chapter of 2
Samuel and in
verse five,
David's
celebrations
on the day
that the Ark
was brought up
to Jerusalem.
(2
Sam 6:5 NASB)
Meanwhile,
David and all
the house of
Israel were
celebrating
before the
LORD with all
kinds of
instruments
made of fir
wood, and with
lyres, harps,
tambourines,
castanets and
cymbals.
Continue
in verse 14:
(2
Sam 6:14-15
NASB) And
David was
dancing before
the LORD with
all his might,
and David was
wearing a
linen ephod.
{15} So David
and all the
house of
Israel were
bringing up
the ark of the
LORD with
shouting and
the sound of
the trumpet.
In
the very next
chapter, we
read further
of David's
heart and
attitude
toward God
when he
planned to
build a house
for God in
Jerusalem.
(2
Sam 7:1-16
NASB) Now it
came about
when the king
lived in his
house, and the
LORD had given
him rest on
every side
from all his
enemies, {2}
that the king
said to Nathan
the prophet,
"See now, I
dwell in a
house of
cedar, but the
ark of God
dwells within
tent
curtains." {3}
And Nathan
said to the
king, "Go, do
all that is in
your mind, for
the LORD is
with you." {4}
But it came
about in the
same night
that the word
of the LORD
came to
Nathan,
saying, {5}
"Go and say to
My servant
David, 'Thus
says the LORD,
"Are you the
one who should
build Me a
house to dwell
in? {6} "For I
have not dwelt
in a house
since the day
I brought up
the sons of
Israel from
Egypt, even to
this day; but
I have been
moving about
in a tent,
even in a
tabernacle.
{7} "Wherever
I have gone
with all the
sons of
Israel, did I
speak a word
with one of
the tribes of
Israel, which
I commanded to
shepherd My
people Israel,
saying, 'Why
have you not
built Me a
house of
cedar?'"' {8}
"Now
therefore,
thus you shall
say to My
servant David,
'Thus says the
LORD of hosts,
"I took you
from the
pasture, from
following the
sheep, that
you should be
ruler over My
people Israel.
{9} "And I
have been with
you wherever
you have gone
and have cut
off all your
enemies from
before you;
and I will
make you a
great name,
like the names
of the great
men who are on
the earth.
{10} "I will
also appoint a
place for My
people Israel
and will plant
them, that
they may live
in their own
place and not
be disturbed
again, nor
will the
wicked afflict
them any more
as formerly,
{11} even from
the day that I
commanded
judges to be
over My people
Israel; and I
will give you
rest from all
your enemies.
The LORD also
declares to
you that the
LORD will make
a house for
you. {12}
"When your
days are
complete and
you lie down
with your
fathers, I
will raise up
your
descendant
after you, who
will come
forth from
you, and I
will establish
his kingdom.
{13} "He shall
build a house
for My name,
and I will
establish the
throne of his
kingdom
forever. {14}
"I will be a
father to him
and he will be
a son to Me;
when he
commits
iniquity, I
will correct
him with the
rod of men and
the strokes of
the sons of
men, {15} but
My
lovingkindness
shall not
depart from
him, as I took
it away from
Saul, whom I
removed from
before you.
{16} "And your
house and your
kingdom shall
endure before
Me forever;
your throne
shall be
established
forever."'"
Look
at David's
heart and
reaction to
what God had
spoken to him
through the
prophet,
Nathan.
(2
Sam 7:18-22
NASB) Then
David the king
went in and
sat before the
LORD, and he
said, "Who am
I, O Lord GOD,
and what is my
house, that
Thou hast
brought me
this far? {19}
"And yet this
was
insignificant
in Thine eyes,
O Lord GOD,
for Thou hast
spoken also of
the house of
Thy servant
concerning the
distant
future. And
this is the
custom of man,
O Lord GOD.
{20} "And
again what
more can David
say to Thee?
For Thou
knowest Thy
servant, O
Lord GOD! {21}
"For the sake
of Thy word,
and according
to Thine own
heart, Thou
hast done all
this greatness
to let Thy
servant know.
{22} "For this
reason Thou
art great, O
Lord GOD; for
there is none
like Thee, and
there is no
God besides
Thee,
according to
all that we
have heard
with our ears.
Even
in David's sin
with Bathsheba
and Uriah, we
notice a
different
attitude. It
was not an
attitude of
defiance and
self-justification
as other
kings, such as
Saul, might
have
displayed.
David
acknowledged
that the sin
was not merely
one committed
against
humans. The
real affront
was to God. We
can even see
more humility
recorded for
us in Psalm
51, which was
the prayer of
repentance to
God given by
David at the
time of the
incident.
(Psa
51:1-17 NASB)
Be gracious to
me, O God,
according to
Thy
lovingkindness;
According to
the greatness
of Thy
compassion
blot out my
transgressions.
{2} Wash me
thoroughly
from my
iniquity, And
cleanse me
from my sin.
{3} For I know
my
transgressions,
And my sin is
ever before
me. {4}
Against Thee,
Thee only, I
have sinned,
And done what
is evil in Thy
sight, So that
Thou art
justified when
Thou dost
speak, And
blameless when
Thou dost
judge. {5}
Behold, I was
brought forth
in iniquity,
And in sin my
mother
conceived me.
{6} Behold,
Thou dost
desire truth
in the
innermost
being, And in
the hidden
part Thou wilt
make me know
wisdom. {7}
Purify me with
hyssop, and I
shall be
clean; Wash
me, and I
shall be
whiter than
snow. {8} Make
me to hear joy
and gladness,
Let the bones
which Thou
hast broken
rejoice. {9}
Hide Thy face
from my sins,
And blot out
all my
iniquities.
{10} Create in
me a clean
heart, O God,
And renew a
steadfast
spirit within
me. {11} Do
not cast me
away from Thy
presence, And
do not take
Thy Holy
Spirit from
me. {12}
Restore to me
the joy of Thy
salvation, And
sustain me
with a willing
spirit. {13}
Then I will
teach
transgressors
Thy ways, And
sinners will
be converted
to Thee. {14}
Deliver me
from
bloodguiltiness,
O God, Thou
God of my
salvation;
Then my tongue
will joyfully
sing of Thy
righteousness.
{15} O Lord,
open my lips,
That my mouth
may declare
Thy praise.
{16} For Thou
dost not
delight in
sacrifice,
otherwise I
would give it;
Thou art not
pleased with
burnt
offering. {17}
The sacrifices
of God are a
broken spirit;
A broken and a
contrite
heart, O God,
Thou wilt not
despise.
Did
you notice the
last verse?
What does God
truly desire
in his people?
Read it again,
"The
sacrifices of
God are a
broken spirit;
a broken and a
contrite
heart, O God,
Thou wilt not
despise."
Conclusion
What
have we seen
today? Was
David
qualified to
be the king of
Israel?
Humanly
speaking, the
answer is
"no."
Spiritually
speaking, the
answer is
"yes." Through
the grace of
God, David
grew to become
qualified to
be the king of
Israel." How
do we know? We
have God's
definite word
on it in
several
different
places in
scripture. We
earlier read
it in 2 Samuel
7:16 where God
said, "And
your house and
your kingdom
shall endure
before Me
forever; your
throne shall
be established
forever."
We
can also see,
in 1 Kings
3:10, that God
made a similar
promise to
David's son,
Solomon, after
Solomon had
asked God for
wisdom to rule
the people.
(1
Ki 3:10-14
NASB) And it
was pleasing
in the sight
of the Lord
that Solomon
had asked this
thing. {11}
And God said
to him,
"Because you
have asked
this thing and
have not asked
for yourself
long life, nor
have asked
riches for
yourself, nor
have you asked
for the life
of your
enemies, but
have asked for
yourself
discernment to
understand
justice, {12}
behold, I have
done according
to your words.
Behold, I have
given you a
wise and
discerning
heart, so that
there has been
no one like
you before
you, nor shall
one like you
arise after
you. {13} "And
I have also
given you what
you have not
asked, both
riches and
honor, so that
there will not
be any among
the kings like
you all your
days. {14}
"And if you
walk in My
ways, keeping
My statutes
and
commandments,
as your father
David walked,
then I will
prolong your
days."
In
1 Kings 11:
34, God even
acknowledged
his promise to
David while
speaking to
Jeroboam about
taking away
the northern
ten tribes of
Israel from
Solomon's son,
Rehoboam.
(1
Kings 11:34-36
NASB)
'Nevertheless
I will not
take the whole
kingdom out of
his hand, but
I will make
him ruler all
the days of
his life, for
the sake of My
servant David
whom I chose,
who observed
My
commandments
and My
statutes; {35}
but I will
take the
kingdom from
his son's hand
and give it to
you, even ten
tribes. {36}
'But to his
son I will
give one
tribe, that My
servant David
may have a
lamp always
before Me in
Jerusalem, the
city where I
have chosen
for Myself to
put My name.
In
1 Kings 15:3,
while speaking
of the errant
ways of one of
the kings of
Judah, God
made reference
to the right
heart of
David.
(1
Kings 15:3-5
NASB) And he
walked in all
the sins of
his father
which he had
committed
before him;
and his
heart was not
wholly devoted
to the LORD
his God, like
the heart of
his father
David. {4}
But for
David's sake
the LORD his
God gave him a
lamp in
Jerusalem, to
raise up his
son after him
and to
establish
Jerusalem; {5}
because David
did what was
right in the
sight of the
LORD, and had
not turned
aside from
anything that
He commanded
him all the
days of his
life, except
in the case of
Uriah the
Hittite.
In
the book of
Acts, even
Stephen
witnessed
concerning the
heart of David
as being right
before God.
(Acts
13:21-23 NASB)
"And then they
asked for a
king, and God
gave them Saul
the son of
Kish, a man of
the tribe of
Benjamin, for
forty years.
{22} "And
after He had
removed him,
He raised up
David to be
their king,
concerning
whom He also
testified and
said, 'I HAVE
FOUND DAVID
the son of
Jesse, A MAN
AFTER MY
HEART, who
will do all My
will.' {23}
"From the
offspring of
this man,
according to
promise, God
has brought to
Israel a
Savior, Jesus,
What
of the world
tomorrow when
Christ's
throne will be
re-established
on earth?
Where will
David be and
what will he
be doing?
Let's look at
Jeremiah 30:9.
(Jer
30:9 KJV) But
they shall
serve the LORD
their God, and
David their
king, whom I
will raise up
unto them.
We
can read even
more detail
about David's
future in
Ezekiel 37:21.
(Ezek
37:21-25 KJV)
And say unto
them, Thus
saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, I
will take the
children of
Israel from
among the
heathen,
whither they
be gone, and
will gather
them on every
side, and
bring them
into their own
land: {22} And
I will make
them one
nation in the
land upon the
mountains of
Israel; and
one king shall
be king to
them all: and
they shall be
no more two
nations,
neither shall
they be
divided into
two kingdoms
any more at
all: {23}
Neither shall
they defile
themselves any
more with
their idols,
nor with their
detestable
things, nor
with any of
their
transgressions:
but I will
save them out
of all their
dwellingplaces,
wherein they
have sinned,
and will
cleanse them:
so shall they
be my people,
and I will be
their God.
{24} And David
my servant
shall be king
over them; and
they all shall
have one
shepherd: they
shall also
walk in my
judgments, and
observe my
statutes, and
do them. {25}
And they shall
dwell in the
land that I
have given
unto Jacob my
servant,
wherein your
fathers have
dwelt; and
they shall
dwell therein,
even they, and
their
children, and
their
children's
children for
ever: and my
servant David
shall be their
prince for
ever.
We
can learn a
lot from the
physical
examples
recorded for
us in
scripture. We
can learn even
more from the
spiritual
lessons
recorded for
us if
we have the
right
perspective
that comes
from the
spirit of God.
Paul reminds
us of that in
Romans 8:5.
(Rom
8:5-9 NASB)
For those who
are according
to the flesh
set their
minds on the
things of the
flesh, but
those who are
according to
the Spirit,
the things of
the Spirit.
{6} For the
mind set on
the flesh is
death, but the
mind set on
the Spirit is
life and
peace, {7}
because the
mind set on
the flesh is
hostile toward
God; for it
does not
subject itself
to the law of
God, for it is
not even able
to do so; {8}
and those who
are in the
flesh cannot
please God.
{9} However,
you are not in
the flesh but
in the Spirit,
if indeed the
Spirit of God
dwells in you.
But if anyone
does not have
the Spirit of
Christ, he
does not
belong to Him.
Today,
we have only
touched on
some of the
pros and cons,
of David's
life. We have
seen enough,
though, to
learn that it
is not the
outward
appearance of
a man that’s
important to
God. It is the
heart or
attitude of a
person that
counts most in
the eyes of
God. We should
take the
positive
examples of
humility and
repentance
exhibited for
us in the life
of David to do
what is right
and pleasing
to our Creator
all the days
of our lives.
Then
it is not we
who have the
glory; it is
God.
Sermon by Philip Edwards
30 September 2006
Copyright 2006,
Philip Edwards
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