Nathan Rebukes David
Second Samuel 12: 1-14

Nathan Rebukes David DIG: Why does Nathan speak to David with a parable? Why does the absence of justice and mercy in Nathan’s account enrage David so much? How could David have fed contentment and avoided coveting? What is God’s perspective on gratitude? Who will lie with David’s wives in broad daylight? How does David’s response to Nathan’s rebuke compare with Sha’ul’s response in similar situations (First Samuel 13:11-12, 15:13-26)? 

REFLECT: In what ways has a lack of gratitude led you to sin as it did David? When reminded of all that God has done for you, might you be kept from intentional, premeditated sin? We reap not only what we sow, but also what others have sown. How are you suffering because of what someone else has done? Who might be suffering because of what you’ve done? Who is the “Nathan” in your life? How did you respond? Are our sins ever really secret?

984 BC

God’s displeasure: But the things David had done were evil in the eyes of ADONAI (Second Samuel 11:27b). Opposed to countries such as Egypt, where Pharaoh was regarded as divine, in Isra’el, the king had to submit to God who had chosen him and observe all the commandments given in the Torah (Deuteronomy 17:15-20). It was the task of the prophet to encourage the king to fulfill these obligations, and to rebuke him in YHVH’s name if he failed to do so. Samuel had found Sha’ul stubbornly opposed to accepting rebuke. Now Nathan was to discover how David would react to the truth about his sin. Much depended on the prophet’s method of approach, which in this instance, provides a model and reveals exceptional insight into human reactions to personal guilt and the failures of other people.³³⁵

The trial: Therefore, perhaps after a year, ADONAI sent Nathan to David. It wasn’t an easy task, David had been covering his sins for at least six months. But it was obvious that Nathan had prepared carefully for his encounter with the king. So when Nathan came to David he presented the case as if asking for a ruling on an injustice. He said: There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. The lamb shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him (Second Samuel 12:1-4). David listened intently to the carefully chosen Hebrew words of Nathan.

David burned with righteous anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die because he did such a thing and had no pity” (Second Samuel 12:5-6). We must pause a moment to notice how David had become very harsh towards other people. The Torah does not say anything about the robber of a lamb being killed, although it certainly says he had to restore the loss four times over (Exodus 22:1). But David said the man who behaved like that should be killed. Many have seen in David’s fourfold restitution an allusion to the death of four of David’s sons, namely Bathsheba’s first son (Second Samuel 12:15-19), Amnon (Second Samuel 13:28-29), Absalom (Second Samuel 18:14-15) and Adonijah (First Kings 2:25).

Have you ever noticed that when you are sinning in your own life you become very critical of sin in the lives of other people? The person who hides an uneasy conscience and a sense of guilt may strike out in anger against the sin of another. Is that why some of us are so merciless with another believer whose halo slipped? Is that why we have no gospel for the believer who falls? It may not be because we are so very holy, but because we are so unholy, that we condemn the thing in another that we refuse to face in our own lives. Let us not forget the words of our Master: Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone (John 8:7).³³⁶

The verdict: Nathan had skillfully presented his case and gained an opening that enabled him to deliver the punch line. The prophet realized that though David was very angry, he was also unguarded and ready for the sword of the Spirit to pierce his heart (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews. 4:12). With one quick thrust, Nathan said: You are the man (two words in Hebrew: ata ha’ish)!³³⁷ Two simple Hebrew words, yet what volumes they speak! All of David’s defenses came crashing down with those words. He stood naked before his judge. He had condemned himself!

Nathan had come to deliver the judgment of Ha’Shem, and therefore, he dare not soften the impact of his words. Indeed the prophet spoke in the first person as if God Himself was speaking: This is what YHVH, the God of Isra’el says: I anointed you king over Isra’el and I delivered you from the hand of Sha’ul. I gave your master’s wives into your arms (by law of succession, Sha’ul’s wives belonged to David). I gave you all Isra’el and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. The real sin was this: Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in My eyes? The Torah said not to murder (see commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dp – You Shall Not Murder), commit adultery (see commentary on Exodus Dq – You Shall Not Commit Adultery), or covet your neighbor’s wife (see commentary on Exodus Dt – You Shall Not Covet Anything That Belongs To Your Neighbor). David did all three.

You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. Although David had arranged his death from afar, he was just as guilty of murder as if he had thrust Uriah through with his own sword. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites, Isra’el’s enemy, making it all the worse (Second Samuel 12:7-9).

It would be difficult to find higher testimony to Hebrew standards of life, and to Hebrew theories of society, than the condemnation that the writer, and everyone else, passes on David. To the eastern mind, for a king to take the wife of a subject is quite normal and natural, for the sovereign is well within his rights. Few men in David’s position would have felt it necessary either to conceal the act or get rid of the husband. But in Isra’el a man was a man, even though he were a subject and of foreign birth, and his rights of property and person must be respected. Characteristic also is the rebuke of Nathan and the repentance of the king. Neither would have been conceivable in any other nation of the ancient east, and the fact that the story comes to us from a hand of a contemporary, adds to our sense of the very high standard of religion and morals that were already unmistakable in Isra’el.

The sentence: Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own (Second Samuel 12:10). David’s dynasty, unlike Sha’ul’s, would continue. But that good news was modified by the ongoing war and bloodshed. The whole nation would be continually reminded of David’s sin as they fought continuing battles and witnessed the chaos in his family.

This is what ADONAI says: Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives, just as you took Bathsheba, and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight (Second Samuel 16:21-22). You did it in secret. But what you did in secret, I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Isra’el (Second Samuel 12:11-12).

The rabbis teach that Nathan’s rebuke was not that David committed any real sin, but Nathan’s words were only moral in nature and not legal. In this way they explained away David’s actions and his sins.

The pardon: The condemned prisoner knew that the verdict was true and the sentence was just, so without any argument, he confessed: (two words in Hebrew: chatati YHVH) I have sinned against YHVH (see Df – O God, A Broken and Contrite Heart You Will Not Despise). Such a confession could have been regarded as political suicide, but the king humbled himself. Nathan replied immediately: The LORD in His mercy has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. That was like music to his soul! Sin is desperate and dangerous, and it always, always brings judgment, yet it cannot extinguish the love of God. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John. 1:8-9).

The Torah tells us what David deserved – death (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22), but grace shows us what David received – forgiveness and commuting of his death sentence. ³³⁸ David’s sin was forgiven, but there would be consequences: Because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for God, the son born to you will die (Second Samuel 12:13-14). When the LORD restores us, He uses the rod also, and life is never quite the same again. Sometimes we have to drink the bitter cup. We can be forgiven, but still have to reap what we have sown. Shortly, one of David’s sons would rape his sister, and his son Absalom became a murderer and even tried to overthrow his father to be king of the Land. Consequently, there were many stormy days and nights ahead for David, but he knew it was not the judgment of a vindictive God, but the chastisement of a loving heavenly Father. For ADONAI disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6a CJB).

As that chastisement cut David to the heart, then, praise God, YHVH healed the wound. The pendulum began to swing back the other way, voices began to speak kindly to him again, and love came to his path at the end of his journey. The loyalty of the people returned to him, and before he went to rest with his fathers he would still say: The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD rescues him from them all (Psalm 34:19).

God sets our sins before His face; even our most secret sins are revealed in the light of His countenance. He breaks our hearts and humbles us and brings us to confession and repentance in order to make us holy, to restore to us the years that the locusts have eaten, and to present us faultless before the throne (Joel 2:24; Jude 1:24).³³⁹

David and Bathsheba
Second Samuel 11:1-27

David and Bathsheba DIG: What significance do you see in the timing of David’s sin? In the timing of Bathsheba’s purification? Who tempted David? Could Bathsheba have prevented the seduction? Why or why not? Where does the passage record David’s fear of adultery? What did David have to lose? What did Bathsheba have to lose? How could his attempted cover-up nullify his sin? What superior character qualities did Uriah exhibit in refusing David’s overtures? What does this reveal about David? Uriah? Joab? As Joab’s messenger, what would you think of the message sent to David? And David’s response? What must Bathsheba have thought as her identity quickly changed from Uriah’s wife, to David’s fling, to Uriah’s widow, to David’s bride? David had broken the 6^th, 7^th, 9^th and 10^th commandments. How did one sin lead to another in this sad story?

REFLECT: What tempts you? What steps do you take to guard against that temptation? Have you recently faced that temptation and resisted it? Do you need an accountability partner to help you with this temptation? Once virginity or fidelity has been lost physically, how can one start over spiritually? Where is your purification and forgiveness today? Go wash as God directs.

984 BC

We now come to a turning point in the books of Samuel, for David and Isra’el were at a moment of no return. From now on the life of David is marked, and all Isra’el had to live with that fact.³²² The story of David and Bathsheba has long aroused both dismay and astonishment; dismay that King David, a man after God’s own heart (First Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22) could stoop to such an act, and astonishment that the Bible tells the story with such relentless openness, although the person involved was David, the great and celebrated king, who foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah (Mattityahu 1:1).³²³

The Occasion: In the spring, when the winter rains end and the ground begins to harden again, at the time when kings go off to war (usually around May), David sent his general Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it to finish the war. The Israelites had defeated the Syrian army in the field, but had not taken the Ammonite city of Rabbah (2 Samuel 11:1a; 1 Chronicles 20:1a-3). The incident with David and Bathsheba is closely interwoven with the account of the Ammonite war. But the biblical writer is more concerned with the man God chose to be king over Isra’el and the way God dwelt with him, than with Isra’el’s impressive military victory or wealth.

But while others were being killed on the battlefield, David was killing time in Tziyon (Second Samuel 11:1c; First Chronicles 20:1c). In a lazy seemingly mood, in a moment when he was off-duty and alone, there came, to quote the words of Nathan, “a traveler” (Second Samuel 12:4), a thought, which led to a look, which developed into a gaze, which formed itself into action. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each person is tempted by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13-15).

The Adversary specializes in making sin popular. It’s like he says, “Well, it doesn’t really matter. That is what everyone does.” The success of his strategy may be partly due to the fact that we have ceased to think about the horror of sin. I am quite sure that until we are prepared to put the label sin where YHVH puts it – and not taking our own opinion of it, but God’s – and until our hearts are broken and we are brought to acknowledge before Him that we have failed, there will be no breaking through of the blessing of ADONAI. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more (Rom 5:20). So if we learn about the extent of David’s sin, and we leave it at that, we have learned little, because we can already see it; but if we learn about the mercy of God, then we truly have learned something special.³²⁴

The Adultery: One evening David got up from his bed after his afternoon nap that is common in the Near East and walked around on the roof of the palace. It was then that the cool winds came in and it was a good time to take a walk on the rooftop . . . or to take a bath. The palace would have been built on the highest point of Mount Ophel. It would have given David a commanding view of the whole city of Jerusalem in that day and also the ability to see into many different courtyards. From the roof he saw a woman bathing in an open courtyard, assuming that no one could see her. The courtyard was often the location of a cistern, or a basin for collecting rainwater. An enclosed courtyard was considered part of the house, but it could be seen from David’s higher elevation.³²⁵ Men, you can’t un-see what you’ve seen. But you don’t have to take the second-look. It was that second-look that got David in trouble. The woman was very beautiful (the Hebrew idiom adds to look at). The glance became a gaze. David’s first step to sexual sin was that he did not turn away. And in his second step to sexual sin, David sent someone to find out about her (Second Samuel 11:2a).

The man said: She is Bathsheba (to see a video on Bathsheba click here), the daughter of Eliam, which means the God of the people. In First Chronicles 3:5 she is referred to as Bathshua and her father as Ammiel, which means the people of God, so the meaning was the same only transposed. And the wife of Uriah (Hebrew: YHVH is light) the Hittite (Second Samuel 11:2b-3), which means that he was a Gentile soldier in David’s army (to see link click Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors) and a righteous man as we shall see. This probably meant that Bathsheba (Hebrew: perhaps daughter of an oath) was also a Gentile and a Hittite like her husband. They both had Hebrew names that probably mean that either they or their parents were converts to Judaism.

Then David knew who she was . . . and whose she was. This did not deter him, however, because he was the king! The mention of Uriah should have given him pause. But it didn’t. David acted swiftly, as he had always done. He was not a pensive or brooding man, but one who will have his way. He was in control. He could have whatever he wanted, no restraint, no second thoughts, no reservations, or no justification. He took simply because he could. He was at the culmination of his enormous power.

The verbs are as active as David was. He sent . . . he took . . . he slept. David ignored her personal feelings in the matter by sending messengers to take her. The facts are clear that Bathsheba was not pregnant when she came to him. David’s adultery was then known by others who would view him as a hypocrite and damage his credibility in the government. In his third step to sexual sin, David pursued after a woman he knew was married.

The rabbis have come up with a whole theological frame of reference to justify David’s actions. They cannot come to the point where they can admit that David truly sinned here. The rabbis teach that those who left for war would give their wives a bill of divorce that would allow them to marry if their husbands disappeared without a trace. They teach that when David sent messengers to find out about her in verse 3 all he was doing was making sure that such a bill of divorce had been given to Bathsheba. Allegedly, all he wanted to know was if she was divorced before Uriah left for war. So, in rabbinic thinking, David was not really guilty of adultery.

She came to him. There are some pages of the Bible where the white spaces scream louder than the black words of the text. This is one of them. She seems to offer no resistance. Was this out of vanity? Did the king like her? Or out of fear? We do know, on the one hand, that she loved her husband (see below); but on the other hand, she could be somewhat ambitious (First Kings 1:11-21). In the final analysis, we just don’t know.

Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face just as easily as anyone else (First Corinthians 10:12 The Message).The action that David was about to take didn’t happen all at once. This lust was simply the climax of something that he had been cultivating in his life for about twenty years. After he left Hebron (see Ch – Sons Were Born to David in Hebron), David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him there (Second Samuel 5:13). David could have easily had 50 or 60 children (see Cp – Children Born to David in Yerushalayim).

This was a direct violation of God’s command. In Deuteronomy 17, YHVH laid down three specific mitzvah or commandments for the one who would be king over His people. There were three things from which he had to abstain: the king must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16); he must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray (Deuteronomy 17:17a), and he must not accumulate large amounts of silver or gold (Deuteronomy 17:17b). After defeating the Syrians, David captured a thousand horses, but in obedience to God’s mitzvah he hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses by cutting the sinews of their hind legs so they could not be used for military action again (Second Samuel 8:4). And in obedience to the commandments of ADONAI he dedicated the spoils of war; articles of silver, gold and of bronze to help build the Temple (Second Samuel 8:11). But when it came to his sex life, he disobeyed. David had a lust problem.

Why did Ha’Shem make those three rules for the king? Because there is a price to pay for leadership; such a man (or woman) cannot afford to live as they see fit. If you would attain to any position of leadership in the congregations of God, you must recognize that there is a price to pay. Sometimes the price is loneliness, or other times it’s being misunderstood. It may be something else, but one thing is certain: there is a price to pay for keeping your life transparently righteous before YHVH. On that issue David failed.³²⁶

And the fourth step to sexual sin, he actually slept with her. The royal deed of self-indulgence didn’t take very long. The action is stark. There is no conversation. There is no hint of caring, of affection, of love – only lust. David did not call her by name. And as far as we can tell from the text he did not even speak to her. She was only the woman.³²⁷

You will notice that the Scriptures put the entire blame for the situation on David. It doesn’t implicate Bathsheba at all. Before the king she was obliged to yield. Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness, showing that she was not pregnant at that time. The Torah did not allow for sexual intercourse until after her period was over and a ritual bath had been taken (Leviticus 12:2 and 15:19-24).³²⁸

The woman now got some verbs: she returned . . . she conceived. Then she went back home (2 Samuel 11:4). What a walk that must have been? Guilt? Remorse? Satisfaction? Months passed. What a horrible position he had put her in worrying about being pregnant. Days of worrying passed into weeks, and weeks passed into months. After a few months she knew she was pregnant. Oh no! What am I going to do? But then, the woman conceived and sent word to David, her only words in the entire narrative: “I am pregnant” (Second Samuel 11:4-5). Brief as her words were, they set in motion a course of action that would ultimately result in her husband’s death. No mention is made of the agony and uncertainty she had suffered. Now it was David’s turn to agonize.

Uriah’s Righteous Actions: A cover-up appeared to David to be the obvious way to proceed. So he sent this word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet” which was the common practice of that day after arriving home. His plan, of course was to get Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife so that he would think the child was his. So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. What was Bathsheba doing during this time? Did she know anything about this plan? Or was she informed what would happen and expected to go along no matter what? But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house (Second Samuel 11:6-9). Uriah knew where his duty lay and it was not with his wife. Oy Veh!

The rabbis teach that when Uriah rejected David’s suggestion to go home, that showed that his primary loyalty was to Joab and not to David. They teach this was a sin on Uriah’s part and he was branded a rebel, and therefore subject to the death penalty. So David wasn’t really guilty of murder after all. His only sin was having Uriah killed on the battlefield instead of being tried by the Sanhedrin (see commentary on The Life of Christ Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). And because Bathsheba was divorced, he really didn’t commit adultery either.

The next day, David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So at the risk of arousing Uriah’s suspicions, he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?” Uriah said to David, “The ark and Y’sra’el and Y’hudah are staying in tents (Uriah’s mention of the ark living in a tent shows that he was a convert to Judaism), and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife (Deuteronomy 23:9-10)? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing” (Second Samuel 11:10-11). Oy Veh all over again!

Then David, who remained too occupied with his problem to concern himself with moral issues, said to him, “Stay home one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk hoping to break down Uriah’s self-discipline. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants, faithful to the king and his own integrity. He did not go home, thus sealing his own fate (Second Samuel 11:12-13). Déjà vu!

The Murder of Uriah: In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and had the chutzpah to send it with Uriah. As the net of David’s sin widens, Joab then became an accomplice to David’s murderous scheme. Consequently, David would have little to say about Joab’s subsequent murders of Abner (see Ck – Joab Murders Abner), Daivd’s nephew Amasa (see Ee – Sheba Rebels Against David) and David’s son Absalom (see Dz – Joab Kills Absalom). It would be left to Solomon to execute Joab for his crimes (see Fg – David’s Last Charge to Solomon).³²⁹ In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is the fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will have to fight the Ammonite’s by himself and be struck down and die.” David wanted the letter to be kept a secret, yet ironically it has become one of the best-known letters of all time. Only the essential information is quoted; thus David handed over to Joab the murder of an innocent man.³³⁰ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell. Moreover, Uriah the Hittite died (Second Samuel 11:14-17).

To harmonize what happened here and what happened in verses 23-24 it is obvious that Joab changed some of David’s original instructions. The Ammonites made a raid that was successful at first. Then Joab’s forces drove the Ammonites back. Joab ordered his men to pursue the Ammonites as far as possible, even to the city gate. But this put them within the range of the Ammonite archers on the wall. So Joab changed some of David’s instructions to carry out his ultimate goal . . . Uriah’s death. David had instructed Joab to withdraw and leave Uriah to fight alone. But that would be too obvious to the army and too difficult to explain. Joab’s decision might have been viewed as foolish, but not treacherous. So Joab’s plan led to more loss of life. He knew that would make David angry, so he informed the messenger to tell David that Uriah was killed by Ammonite archers. Sin always takes you further than you wanted to go, and costs you more than you wanted to pay.³³¹

The Report to David: Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger, “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, “Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez (Judges 9:15-57)? Why did you get so close to the wall?” If he asks you this, then say to him, “Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead” (Second Samuel 11:18-21).

The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open on their raid, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. This was the information that was of utmost importance to Joab as he came to grips with what had been demanded of him; the advance toward the gate, which exposed his soldiers to extreme danger from the enemy on the wall, causing more Israeli casualties. Unintended, but David was also guilty of these deaths. Joab was so concerned over this avoidable bloodshed that the death of Uriah seemed like the least of his concerns. In reporting those casualties to the king, Joab virtually blames David for the heavy death toll. Then he added: Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead” (Second Samuel 11:22-24). David exhaled slowly. Never mind about the rest of the report. The one thing that needed to be done was done. The pregnancy can now be explained away. David is free of the burden. The truth is concealed. The guilt has passed. The monarchy is saved.³³²

In his reply, David failed to express any of the anger that Joab thought he would show. Instead, he took the loss of life of his loyal soldiers in stride and viewed it as merely collateral damage. The cost of war. David refused to take notice of the inference that he had initiated the situation by his order to have Uriah murdered. He told the messenger, “Say this to Joab, ‘Don’t let this upset you (as if speaking to himself), the sword (the fortunes of war) devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it,’ say this to strengthen Joab” (Second Samuel 11:25). So that is exactly what happened. The Israelites would leave Rabbah in ruins (see Dg – The Capture of Rabbah).

Then David took the crown from the head of their kings – its weight was found to be a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones – and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes. David also did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem (Second Samuel 11:1b; First Chronicles 20:1b-3).

The Marriage of David and Bathsheba: When Uriah’s wife, referred to not by name, but by status, heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him for seven days. At no point are we allowed to understand that Uriah’s death was insignificant. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house. In order to make the baby seem legitimate, he had to act quickly. And she became his wife and bore him a son. So about nine months passed between conception and the birth of their child. This would have given David time to think about what he had done and repent of his sin. But David didn’t budge. Time passed. So far as appearances went, everything went on as before. Those government officials close to the king knew what injustice had been committed, and yet it went unpunished, though not for long, because the things David had done were evil in the eyes of ADONAI (Second Samuel 11:26-27).³³³

The sin that David’s lust had conceived was about to be born, a sin that would bring with it sorrow and death. According to Proverbs 6, David was about to be robbed (Proverbs 6:26), burned (Proverbs 6:27-28), disgraced and destroyed (Proverbs 6:30-33), for a moment of forbidden pleasure. Hollywood movies, television, and modern fiction use stories about adultery as a means of entertainment, which only shows how bad things have become. Famous people readily admit they’ve been unfaithful to their spouses, but it doesn’t seem to hurt their popularity or their incomes. “No-fault divorces” simplify the procedure, but they don’t prevent the painful emotional consequences of infidelity.

David and Bathsheba sinned against ADONAI (see commentary on Exodus Dq – You Shall Not Commit Adultery), for it is ADONAI who established marriage and wrote the rules to govern it. So serious was adultery in the nation of Isra’el that both the adulterer and adulteress were to be taken out and stoned to death (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22-24; John 8:1-11). Yes, YHVH takes seriously the marriage vows brides and grooms make, even if they don’t! All should honor marriage, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral (Hebrews 13:4).³³⁴

David Defeats the Ammonites
Second Samuel 10:1-19
and First Chronicles 19:1-19

David defeats the Ammonites DIG: Who are the Ammonites (see commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and Then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line)? What do we know about Nahash (First Samuel 11:1-11)? Why might David be struck by an act of kindness from him? How surprised was David by the suspicion, shaving and stripping? Who started this war? Why? How did Joab manage the war on two fronts? What did he think about the goodness of God? How consistent is this with David’s view? How does Hadadezer, an earlier foe, think he can out-maneuver David? How did that turn out? How is God’s goodness reconciled in all this gore?

REFLECT: In what area of your life are you feeling the need for “reinforcements?” Who can give you support? Do you feel like you are being attacked on both sides right now? Who or what is on your left? Your right? What good do you think the Lord might bring out this conflict? Are you foolishly regrouping, like the Arameans, to fight a lost cause anywhere? What piece of the problem are you holding on to, and therefore, forfeiting God’s peace? How might you “win the war” by “losing the battle?”

986-985 BC

This chapter details the war mentioned more briefly in Second Samuel 8:9-12, but more importantly, it shows how the stage was set for David’s sin with Bathsheba (to see link click Dc – David and Bathsheba). The Ammonites had come into the story at the beginning of Sha’ul’s reign, when they had made cruel threats to the city of Jabesh Gilead (First Samuel 11:1). But David succeeded in establishing good relations with its king, Nahash, and intended to do all he could to maintain that alliance.³¹⁹

The Insult to David: In the course of time, Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, died and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, “I will show chesed (see commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed) to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed chesed to me.” When this chesed was shown is not recorded in the Scriptures. But the rabbis teach that Nahash, as an enemy of Sha’ul, had given David aid in his war with Ish-Bosheth. So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father (Second Samuel 10:1-2a; First Chronicles 19:1-2a). A change of sovereign was still the occasion for diplomatic visits, and David acted in the usual way when he sent his ambassadors to offer his condolences and affirm his continuing good will. The journey from Jerusalem to Ammon was about fifty miles or eighty kilometers.

When David’s men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore Rabba and spy it out and overthrow it? David’s treatment of the neighboring Moabites (Second Samuel 8:2) may have motivated the suspicions of the commanders. So Hanun reversed the policy of his father and seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard, Jewish men were supposed to keep their beards intact (Leviticus 19:27, 21:5; Deuteronomy 14:1-2). To tamper with a man’s beard was a great insult. It was even more embarrassing to shave off half the beard! Then Hanun ordered his men to cut off their garments at the waist so their buttocks were exposed like prisoners of war (Isaiah 20:3-4), and it also meant removing the tassels on their robes identifying them as Jews (Numbers 15:37-41; Deut 22:12). Then he sent them away (Second Samuel 10:2b-4; First Chronicles 19:2b-4). This was regarded as a grave insult. The outrage was virtually a declaration of war and demanded a suitable response of equal, if not greater, force.

When David was told about this, he showed great sensitivity toward his men and sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. David knew it was a direct insult to him and not to them. The king said: Stay at Jericho, which is on the main road between Rabba and Jerusalem, till your beards have grown, and then come back” (Second Samuel 10:5; First Chronicles 19:5). This would keep them away from the public gaze, spare their outraged feelings and reduce the publicity of the national affront until David decided how he would avenge the deliberate insult.

The Alliance of Ammon and Syria: When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire paid mercenaries from Syria Naharaim, Syria Maakah, Zobah and Beth Rehob. Hanun realized that David must avenge the insult and so he anticipated an attack. Hanun and the Ammonites sent the thousand talents of silver to hire thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, twenty thousand Syrian foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maakah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob. They camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle (Second Samuel 10:6; First Chronicles 19:6-7). The combined forces of Ammon and Syria were quite formidable. The Syrians prepared to attack the flank of the Israelite army, while the Ammonites ahead defended their city of Rabbah.

On hearing this, it forced David to attack the Ammonites sooner than he had originally intended because of the Syrian alliance. David took no chances. He sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of their city gate where they could retreat if necessary, while the Syrians of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maakah were by themselves in the open country (Second Samuel 10:7-8; First Chronicles 19:8-9).

The Defeat of Ammon: Joab did not panic in the face of this formidable foe. He saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him. In front of him were the Ammonites, and behind him were the Syrians. If he attacked either force separately, his back would be exposed to the other. So he decided to attack both simultaneously. So he selected some of the best troops in Isra’el and deployed them against the Syrians. He obviously considered the Syrians to be the stronger army and took the most difficult task for himself. Then he put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. He decided to attack both armies simultaneously so as not to expose his back to the enemy. Joab said to Abishai, “If the Arameans are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. Joab was a brilliant general, but as a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he understood that ADONAI will do what is good in His sight, in other words, Isra’el’s fate was in God’s hands (Second Samuel 10:9-12; First Chronicles 19:10-13).

Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Syrians, and they fled behind the protective walls of Rabbah. When the Ammonites realized that the Syrians were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem and did not attempt a siege at that time because it was too late in the year and the rainy season was upon them (Second Samuel 10:13-14; First Chronicles 19:14-15). The Ammonite army was defeated, but the city of Rabbah itself was not taken. This would set the stage for David’s sin with Bathsheba.

The Defeat of Syria: After the Syrians saw that Joab and Isra’el had routed them, they regrouped. Hadadezer had Syrians brought from beyond the Euphrates River; they went to the city of Helam, with Shobak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them. When David’s intelligence network informed him of the exact location of the Syrian forces, he personally came to lead the attack. He gathered all Isra’el, crossed over the Jordan River and went to Helam (Second Samuel 10:15-16; First Chronicles 19:16). The contrast between David’s leading his own army in this situation, and later remaining behind in Yerushalayim (see Dc – David and Bathsheba) is noteworthy.

The Syrians formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. But they fled before Isra’el. The Samuel account of the battle describes David killing seven hundred charioteers, while the Chronicler describes David as killing seven thousand of their charioteers (Hebrew: rekeb). This discrepancy can best be resolved by understanding rekeb to mean charioteers in the Samuel account and men of chariot divisions in the First Chronicles account.³²⁰ Both accounts, however, report that David killed forty thousand of their foot soldiers. (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). So significant was the outcome of this battle that David commanded the army himself and won a resounding victory. He also struck down Shobak the commander of their army, and he died there. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Isra’el, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to help the Ammonites any more (2 Samuel 10:17-19; First Chronicles 19:17-19). Thus far the power, reputation, and territory of David are fully intact.

Chapters 9 and 10 concern David’s chesed. As David showed his chesed to Mephibosheth (see Da – David and Mephiboseth), he also proposed to show his chesed to Hanun. Consequently, the narrative offers a positive characterization of David as a man of faithfulness. It is clear from Chapter 10 that David’s faithfulness was not to be mistaken for weakness. David was very capable of keeping chesed with his allies; at the beginning of Chapter 10, he respects Hanun as an ally, albeit a subservient one. However, David was not to be taken advantage of, for he would respond decisively if his chesed was rejected. So the narrative presents the limits of David’s faithfulness . . . beyond which he would act with all the eagerness for blood that marked his career. Chapters 9 and 10 form a kind of introduction to the tragedy now to be presented by the Ruach ha-Kodesh.³²¹

David and Mephiboseth
Second Samuel 9: 1-13

David and Mephiboseth DIG: What does David’s kindness to Sha’ul’s descendants emphasize about covenants (see First Samuel 20:15 and 42)? Why didn’t the Ruach ha-Kodesh make Ziba nameless here? Why all the details? How might have Ziba known Mephiboseth was living at Makir’s house? According to Second Samuel 17:27 and 29, what kind of a region was Lo Debar? What might Mephiboseth have felt as he was escorted back to Tziyon? To the throne room? To the dining table? In this regard, what do you make of Mephiboseth’s handicap? And his likening himself to a dead dog?

REFLECT: In what ways are you like Mephiboseth as you stand before God’s throne? As you break bread at the LORD’s table? As you are an heir to your heavenly Father’s Kingdom? When have you shown or received YHVH’s kindness as a “friend of a friend,” as epitomized in this story? To whom can you be that kind of a friend this week? How do the things David provided Mephibosheth compare to the things God provides us? What does God provide for His children? Do you ever tire of showing favor to the less fortunate? God is never too far away to reverse a horrible situation. 

987 BC

After all he had suffered at the hands of Sha’ul, it would have been understandable if David had conveniently forgotten his promise to Y’honatan (to see link click As – Y’honatan Helps David Escape), especially in view of the fact that Y’honatan had initiated the covenant agreement between them. But it was one of David’s strengths that he did not forget the oath he had given, even though it had been about thirty years since the covenant had been made. David had seen his enemies defeated (see Cx – David’s Victories), his throne secured, and his empire established. He therefore had time to reflect and was in a position to fulfill the obligation he had undertaken to show loyalty to Y’honatan’s descendants.³¹⁵

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Sha’ul to whom I can show kindness (see commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed) for Y’honatan’s sake.” Normally, monarchs would execute any potential competitors to the throne, but David threw a wider net than his promises required, extending his generosity to any of Sha’ul’s surviving descendants because he remembered how much he owed to Y’honatan. Because of David’s love for Y’honatan, he wanted to do something, and because of his covenant with Y’honatan, he was obligated to do something. Now there was a chief servant of Sha’ul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Sha’ul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Since David swore an oath to God, to fulfill it, he meant to show God’s chesed. Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Y’honatan; he is lame in both feet (Second Samuel 9:1-3).”

David’s devotion to the well-being of his friend Y’honatan did not cease even after the prince had died. Years before, David had sworn that his favor would extend to Y’honatan’s descendants. David swore to show ADONAI’s kindness not only while Y’honatan was alive, but so that his family line would not die; but David would continue showing kindness to his family forever (First Samuel 20:14-17a CJB). This pledge by David came in response to his friend’s request. Y’honatan, certain that one day David would be king – sought to make a covenant with him for the protection of his descendants (First Samuel 20:14-16). True to his promise, David continued to honor the covenant he made with his friend.

The most wonderful example of David’s covenant loyalty was his response to Y’honatan’s only son, Mephiboseth. He was only five when the Philistines killed his father in 1011 BC. His nanny, hearing the horrific news, was afraid they would also come after him, so she picked him up to escape, but in her terrified anguish, she dropped the boy and his legs were broken (Second Samuel 4:4). As a result, Mephiboseth was permanently crippled. “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar on the east side of the Jordan not far from Mahanaim where Ish-Bosheth, the son of Sha’ul, ruled.” So King David had him brought to the royal court (Second Samuel 9:4-5).

Because he was crippled, his original name was Meri-ba’al (First Chronicles 8:34). It is doubtful that this was the name given to him at birth, but a name that he was called because he was crippled. The rabbis taught that if a person was crippled, they had committed some sin; therefore, people that had the god Ba’al in their name were called bosheth (Hebrew: shame) because it was shameful (Jeremiah 3:24; Hosea 9:10). So his name was later changed to Mephi-bosheth (Second Samuel 9:3-13). Another example of this was Ish-Bosheth, king of the northern Kingdom after Sha’ul died. His personal name was Eshaba’al, which means the fire of Ba’al (First Chronicles 8:33 and 9:39). But Eshaba’al became Ish-Bosheth; the fire of Ba’al became the man of shame. In addition, Jerubba’al (Judges 8:35) became Jerubosheth (Judges 11:21).³¹⁶

When Mephiboseth, who was about thirty years old at that time, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. Despite the close relationship between his father and David, Mephibosheth had never before have been to the court of the king. It would have hardly been surprising if he felt both fear and resentment at the summons he had received, therefore, David reassured him and said: Don’t be afraid. It was common for new dynasties to kill all the possible rivals from the old regime. Instead, David said: I will surely show you chesed (see commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed) for the sake of your father Y’honatan.

But David’s provision for Mephibosheth seems to have gone well beyond his promise to Y’honatan, saying: I will restore to you all the land in Gibeah (along the Central Benjamin Plateau, 3.8 miles north of Jerusalem) that belonged to your grandfather Sha’ul. This land would have been obtained by David as Sha’ul’s successor, this explains why Mephiboseth was living in relative obscurity in Lo Debar. But now David was going to give all the land in Gibeah back to him. Mephiboseth, who had apparently been dependent on the hospitality of a generous individual because he could not work, was suddenly a rich man, the owner of wealth-producing property. And, as an act of honor, you will always eat at my table. In other words, David was saying, “I’m going to treat you like one of my own sons.” Mephiboseth bowed down and said: What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog (an idiomatic statement meaning the most vile and worthless of all) like me (Second Samuel 9:6-8). He didn’t feel worthy of such an honor, probably because of his disability.³¹⁷

It was an honor to bestow property to Mephiboseth, but it required management. Then the king summoned Ziba the chief servant of Sha’ul’s estate that now belonged to David (who had fifteen sons and twenty servants under him) and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Sha’ul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephiboseth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table” (Second Samuel 9:9-10).

Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephiboseth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. Mephiboseth had a young son named Micah (First Chronicles 8:34-40), and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephiboseth. And Mephiboseth lived in Yerushalayim, because he always ate at the king’s table, he was lame in both feet (Second Samuel 9:11-13).

David’s kindness toward Mephiboseth was motivated by nothing more than gracious love and covenant faithfulness; as such, his actions give us a wonderful analogy of the LORD’s unmerited love for sinners. David took the first step. David was a man after God’s own heart (First Samuel 13:4). He sought out Mephiboseth and welcomed him, and made the palace his home. He did so even though Mephiboseth was the grandson of Sha’ul – Isra’el’s cursed king and David’s greatest persecutor. Mephiboseth couldn’t do anything to repay David or offer him any significant service. Nonetheless, David brought him into his family, invited him to his table, and even granted him an inheritance of land to which he was not legally entitled. In grateful response, Mephiboseth became a lifelong, loyal servant to David (Second Samuel 19:24-30). Mephiboseth’s son, Micah, sustained the family line for many generations and produced noble warriors (First Chronicles 8:34-40). As the prince, Y’honatan had been faithful to protect David. Now, as the king, David was faithful to honor his covenant promise to Y’honatan by graciously embracing Mephiboseth as a member of his own family.³¹⁸ 

The spiritual application to believers today is obvious: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (First Thessalonians 5:9). Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:18).

The Sword Will Never Depart from Your House
Second Samuel 9:1 to 14:33

After reaching the pinnacle of success, David reflected upon his early life, the days of testing, days of suffering, and days of rejection. And as he mused over the past and recalled Sha’ul’s hatred of him, there came the thought: I wonder if there is still anyone left from the house of Sha’ul to whom I can show kindness for Y’honatan’s sake (Second Samuel 9:1)? Thus we are introduced to one of the most touching chapters in the TaNaKh, and a vivid illustration of truth in the B’rit Chadashah. David’s treatment of Mephibosheth is just one of many pictures in the Scriptures of God’s grace toward His people.

Then, continuing to be blessed by YHVH, David defeated the Ammonites. This was the only extensive narrative in the court history that casts David in a favorable light. God’s favor was still upon him and the LORD continued to give David victory wherever he went (Second Samuel 8:13-14; First Chronicles 18:13). David was on top of the world. Although he was a man after God’s own heart (First Samuel 13:14), he was not immune to temptation and sin. And the rest of this section records David’s troubles in the areas of morals, politics and family relationships. To be sure, elsewhere, the narrator of the history views David positively – or at least sympathetically – in briefer sections (12:13 and 22-23, 18:32-33, 19:38-39). On the whole however, this section depicts David under divine discipline.

Ha’Shem never winks at sin, even when it is found in the life of an otherwise exemplary believer. Chapters 11 and 12 mark the lowest point in David’s life as he committed adultery with Bathsheba. As is often the case, one sin led to another, and David was guilty of both adultery and murder. But the sin with Bathsheba was merely the climax of something that had been going on in his life for about twenty-six years. Sin always takes you further than you want to go and costs you more than you wanted to pay. And this was surely the case with David. When God sent Nathan to confront David with his sin, the prophet said: You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites; therefore, the sword will never depart from your house (Second Samuel 12:10).

Yes, David was quick to acknowledge his failure, and ADONAI was just as quick to forgive the repentant sinner (First John 1:8-10). Nonetheless, David learned that sin, even though forgiven, bears serious consequences. As Rabbi Sha’ul warns: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. You reap what you sow. Whoever sows to please the flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction (Galatians 6:7-8a). This section vividly illustrates from David’s experience the inevitable and devastating consequences of sin in the life of the believer. David’s life took a turn for the worse and he would live in anguish the rest of his life.³¹⁴

David’s Officials
Second Samuel 8:15-18
and First Chronicles 18:14-17

When we get to this point in the narrative, the writer of the books of Samuel signals that he is closing off a major section of his scroll. He uses summaries like this in First Samuel 7:15-17 (closing off the Samuel section), First Samuel 14:49-52 (closing off the Sha’ul section), and now Second Samuel 8:15-18 (closing off the history of David’s rise). Later, he will summarize Second Samuel 9:1 to 20:26 (closing off the history of David as the ousted king) in anticipation of David’s restoration to the throne and his final days.

David reigned over all Isra’el and beyond, doing what was just (Second Samuel 8:15a). The Ruach ha-Kodesh is saying that, on the whole, David exercised his royal office in the proper way. He asserts the general tone, not the near perfection of David’s rule. David was doing what a godly king was supposed to do (Psalms 72 and 101).³¹⁰

David was not only king, but he also kept his own hands in the judiciary. He was the final court of appeal, so that he made sure that justice (Hebrew: misphpat) and equality (Hebrew: tsdaqah) were available for all his people without prejudice or discrimination (Second Samuel 8:15b). The pattern for the judge was the goodness and reliability of YHVH Himself (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 37:27-29), and presumed godliness in the one administering justice. The judiciary up to and including the time of Samuel had been in the hands of the judges (Hebrew: ha’shofetim, a word similar to misphpat), and therefore it was to be expected that David would take over the office of supreme judge, just as Samuel himself had held, with its overtones of deliverer and savior (Judges 2:16). It was to be the sphere in which his son Absalom was to question David’s effectiveness (to see link click Do – Absalom’s Conspiracy) and set up as a rival.³¹¹

Joab son of Zeruiah, David’s nephew (First Chron 2:16), was over the army (Second Samuel 8:16a). He killed Abner (Second Samuel 3:27) who might have been in competition for the post. Although the Kerethites and the Pelethites, mercenary soldiers, were under the separate command of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada (see Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors), Joab protected the king. The employment of foreign guards ensured David’s safety because it would minimize the possibility of becoming the victim of tribal loyalties and because these mercenaries were from Crete they could give David their whole-hearted allegiance (Second Samuel 15:18, 20:7).

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder (Hebrew: mazlir), whose title comes from the Hebrew word to remember, had a most important role in the court with responsibility for keeping the king informed, advising him, and communicating his commands (Second Samuel 8:16b). It was the recorder who was ordered by King Ahasuerus to bring in the book of chronicles, the record of his reign, which was a turning point in the book of Esther (see the commentary on Esther Be – That Night the King Could Not Sleep). It is interesting that ADONAI is also depicted, like the human king, as having watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem (see the commentary on Isaiah Ke – I Have Posted Watchman on Your Walls, They Will Never Be Silent Day or Night) to keep reminding Him of His stated intentions until they are fulfilled.

This is an aspect of prayer that is easily overlooked, though is implicit in the Lord’s prayer: Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Jesus instructs His disciples to focus on the coming Messianic Kingdom. We are to pray that this same Kingdom will be established on earth during our lifetime. In the Great Kaddish, the leader says, “. . . in the world that He will create anew, when He will raise the dead, and give them eternal life, will rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and establish His Temple in the middle of it; and will uproot all pagan worship from the earth, and restore the worship of the true God.” The liturgy of the Torah service also elaborates on this and quotes First Chronicles 29:11-12 when it says, “The Kingdom is Yours, ADONAI.” All true believers desire for God’s Messianic Kingdom to come to this earth because that means that Yeshua ha-Meshiach will have returned. When He rules and reigns from Jerusalem (see the commentary on Isaiah Jg – In Righteousness You Will Be Established, Terror Will Be Far Removed), His desire will be done on earth as it currently is in heaven.

Two chief priests were appointed to work side-by-side (Second Samuel 8:17a). Ahimelek son of Abiathar had been at David’s side since death at the hand of Sha’ul (First Samuel 22:20), so his appointment was no surprise, but Zadok son of Ahitub, who was responsible for the ark of the Covenant (Second Samuel 15:24-29), appears here for the first time. His genealogy in First Chronicles 6:50-53 is traced back to Aaron through Eleazar. Zadok’s genealogy is very important because after Abiathar supported Adonijah’s rebellion (see En – Adoniyah Sets Himself Up as King), Zadok became the high priest of Solomon and was the first in a line of priests that controlled Temple worship up to the time of the exile (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule) and beyond.

The royal secretary, Seraiah, who kept state records, corresponded with foreign kings and acted as the royal historian, is named here (Second Samuel 8:17b). In Second Chronicles 18:16, David’s secretary is called Shavasha. Although this may have been an alternative name for Seraiah in Samuel, it is equally possible that he served as royal secretary in Seraiah’s absence for whatever reason.³¹²

And finally David’s sons were described as priests (Hebrew: kohamim) in Second Samuel 8:18, but designated as chief officials (Hebrew: harishonim) at the king’s side in First Chronicles 18:17. Since David and his sons belonged to the tribe of Y’hudah, neither he nor his sons could enter the holy courts of the Tabernacle and minister as priests. The probable meaning was that David’s sons assisted or were sworn in for those priestly functions for which the king was qualified to act (Second Samuel 6:13). In support of this view, one recalls that Moses had performed priestly functions (Exodus 19:22-24), as had Samuel (First Samuel 10:8). Both David and Solomon surely had a priestly dimension to their reign and were not rebuked by YHVH for exercising the lead in sacrifices and worship. At that time the division of roles between the king and the priests was still being worked out, even though the guidelines had already been laid down.³¹³

David’s Victories
Second Samuel 8:1-14 and
First Chronicles 18:1-13

David’s victories DIG: Why was obtaining this Land so historic for Isra’el? Who was responsible for David’s victories? What does the LORD do with captured soldiers, horses, equipment and articles of silver, or gold and of bronze? Why the death and subjection of so many people? Why hamstring good horses? Since David was king, was he entitled to keep the precious-metal gifts from the subdued kings? What is the meaning of dedicating them? How was Hebrew dedication done (Numbers 7:10)? What does this say about David? Why was David and Isra’el given so much favor by God?

REFLECT: Over what “enemies” has ADONAI given you victory? Where have you yet to experience the victory? What God-given possessions, abilities or resources would you like to dedicate anew to YHVH, as does David in this story? Have you discovered the joy of handing over your battle to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and allowing Him to take command on your behalf?

This is a summary of David’s military victories during his years as king over Isra’el in Judah and Jerusalem. It is not all-inclusive because other wars and skirmishes are mentioned later in Second Samuel 10:13-18, 21:15-22 and 23:8-23. This is the highest point of David’s life militarily; here was his finest hour. Tragedy and decline would soon come, but at this point David had captured the whole Land that ADONAI purposed that His people should inhabit. There was no doubt that David’s armies were invincible and that no nation, however numerous or powerful, could hope to defeat the Israelite forces. At the same time, however, a striking summary statement appears twice as though to emphasize to the reader – and to David himself – we must never forget the identity of the real Conqueror: The LORD gave David victories wherever he went (Second Samuel 8:6 and 14).³⁰⁵

All these powerful enemies surrounding Isra’el were completely subdued. Significantly, it was the first and last time that the Israelites possessed the whole territory that God’s covenant with Abram said they would possess. Back when Abram didn’t possess an inch of land in Palestine, ADONAI said: I have given this Land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18). Here David possessed, for the first time in history, the whole territory. Not content with the land that he held, David went out and methodically took possession of all that God had promised.³⁰⁶

Philistia defeated in the west: In the course of time. The phrase does not necessarily mean that the events in this chapter follow chronologically. This phrase is a common formula of transition and connection. The key word in these verses in the Hebrew word nakah, or to strike down; it occurs seven times. David struck down (Hebrew: nakah) the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath (the most important of the five Philistine cities) and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines and became their lord (Second Samuel 8:1; First Chronicles 18:1). These were the traditional enemies of the Jews and seized every opportunity to attack them.

Mo’av defeated in the east: The Mo’avites were descendants of Lot (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line). They began, and continued to be, a people who were utterly corrupt, and were responsible for the corruption of Isra’el on many occasions. But, this time, we don’t know why David fought against the Moabites. They had been entrusted with David’s parents, who resided in Mo’ab under the protection of the king during the period of danger from Sha’ul (First Samuel 22:3-4), and David was related to Mo’ab through Ruth the Moabitess (see the commentary on Ruth Bd – Coda: The Genealogy of David). However, David dealt ruthlessly with his enemy when he struck them down (Hebrew: nakah).

Most conquerors would have slaughtered the entire army, but David made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. This probably included only the men or at least the military. Every two lengths of them were put to death (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh), and the third length was allowed to live. This severely reduced the power of the Moabite army. The rabbis teach that when David had previously left Mo’av, the king of Mo’av had killed David’s parents. This is probably just a made up reason to justify David’s brutal actions. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute, indicating ongoing subservience (Second Samuel 8:2). What caused David to treat Mo’ab with such severity is also not known.

While the books of Samuel and Kings give a political history of Isra’el and Judah, Chronicles presents a religious history of the Davidic dynasty of Judah. The former are written from a prophetic and moral viewpoint, while the latter from a priestly and spiritual viewpoint. First Chronicles begins with the royal line of David and then traces the spiritual significance of David’s righteous reign. The Chronicler omitted the slaughter of two-thirds of the Mo’avite army because David was a man of war (First Chronicles 28:3). This was precisely the reason that David was not permitted to build the Temple.

Syria defeated in the north: What is more, David struck down (Hebrew: nakah) Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, in the vicinity of Damascus, when he went to restore his monument at the Euphrates River. Apparently Hadadezer was trying to expand the borders of his kingdom, which David opposed. Instead, he lost everything he had. David captured a thousand of his chariot horses, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses by cutting the sinews of their hind legs so they could not be used for military action again (Deuteronomy 17:16). When the Syrians of Damascus, came to help Hadadezer, David could have been trapped between the two armies, but he was such a great commander that his army struck down (Hebrew: nakah) twenty-two thousand of them. This was the most powerful branch of the Syrian army. He put Jewish army garrisons in the Syrians kingdom of Damascus to serve as an occupation force, and the Syrians became subject to him and brought him tribute. The LORD gave David victories wherever he went. Expanding Isra’el’s influence impressed David’s contemporaries as nothing short of miraculous, even taking into account his great gifts as a leader and strategist (Second Samuel 8:3-6; First Chronicles 18:3-6).³⁰⁷

The Spoils of War: The spoil from these wars was also impressive. David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. From Tebah and Berothai, towns that had belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze basin (see the commentary on Exodus Fh – The Bronze Basin in the Tabernacle: Christ, Our Cleanser), the pillars and various bronze articles for the Temple (2 Sam 8:7-8; 1 Chron 18:7-8).

When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had struck down (Hebrew: nakah) the entire army of Hadadezer (who had been at war with Tou), he decided to capitulate without a struggle and become a vassal of Isra’el. He sent his son Hadoram to King David (traveling well over a hundred miles south from Damascus) to greet him and congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him down (Hebrew: nakah). Hadoram also brought David articles of silver, gold and of bronze. So more riches were added to the treasury. And while he was on the subject, the writer refers to the enemies nearer home whom David had forced to pay tribute. King David dedicated these articles to ADONAI for use in building the Temple as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued and the gifts he received from King Tou. For the moment they are merely listed: Edom and Mo’av, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated all the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah (Second Samuel 8:9-12; First Chronicles 18:9-12).

Edom defeated in the south: It appears that while Isra’el was attacking the Syrians in the north, the Edomites (the descendents of Esau) attacked them from the south, but ADONAI gave Isra’el a great victory. And David became famous after returning from the battle with Edom. He and Abishai, one of David’s mighty warriors (see Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors), returned from striking down (Hebrew: nakah) eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, a marshy plain south of the Dead Sea. Crippled by heavy losses, the Edomites were forced to submit. He put Jewish garrisons throughout Edom as an occupying force, and all the Edomites became subject to David. This established his trade monopoly there and opening the way to communications with Arabia and Africa, which were developed significantly during the reign of his son Solomon (First Kings 9:26-28). The LORD gave David victory wherever he went (Second Samuel 8:13-14; First Chronicles 18:13). At that point David had an empire that controlled all three of the major trade routes.³⁰⁸

What strategies did David use in his victories? First of all, David was obedient to the commands of the LORD. He hamstrung the chariot horses in Second Samuel 8:4. Does that sound like obedience? Well, it was. In Deuteronomy 17:15-16, God’s Word says: The king over you must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself. The purpose of the command was to keep the people of God from putting confidence in anything except the LORD. Any misplaced confidence in their own weapons of war had to be completely destroyed. Therefore, David wrote, for instance: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we praise the name of ADONAI our God (Psalm 20:7 CJB). So this was the first part of the strategy, eliminate anything that could lead misplaced confidence.

Secondly, David surrendered his desires to the wishes of ADONAI. From the Syrians, and from all the other enemies whom he had overcome, he had captured large quantities of gold, brass and other articles worth untold millions. Even though God had said, “No” to him building the Temple, David was still determined to serve the LORD and assemble the materials necessary for building it. He was not resentful, but dedicated the spoils of war for the glory of YHVH. First he burned the gods of the enemy, then he dedicated the enemies gold. As a result, much of Solomon’s magnificent Temple was built with materials that had been captured from the enemies of God’s people.

Thirdly, David gave the glory for his success to YHVH. We have learned that David became famous after returning from the battle with Edom (2 Samuel 8:13a). But David refused to touch the glory. In Psalm 60:12, he says: With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies. David knew what to do with fame. When the people applauded his name and reputation, he brought the glory right back where it belonged, and said, “ADONAI, You have done it all.” We would do well to do the same.³⁰⁹

You Have Rejected Us, God, Now Restore Us
Psalm 60: 1-12

For the director of music. To the tune of the lilies. A miktam of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned
and struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

You have rejected us, God, now restore us DIG: While David was securing his borders on the far Northeast corner of his kingdom, Edom attacked on the on the far south. How did David respond to this behind-the-back blow (Second Samuel 8:13-14)? Why does David blame God for Isra’el’s defeat? Armies raise a banner to regroup fleeing, disorganized soldiers. For whom does the LORD raise a banner (Psalm 60:4)? Why? How do you account for the confident tone of Psalm 60:5? What did ADONAI promise (Psalm 60:6-8)? What was Daivd’s growing sense of hope (Psalm 60:9-12)? What is David’s part and Ha’Shem’s part in this upcoming battle?

REFLECT: Are you in the valley of despair right now? What serves as God’s rallying banner for you? What “Edom” is attacking you now from your blind side? What lesson in this psalm can help you face problems head on? Do believe that the LORD can carry you through any hardship? Any tragedy? Can you think of a time when He has sustained you through such times before? How are the battles that believers have to face different from the wars of ADONAI during the Dispensation of Torah? How are they similar?

992 BC

Throughout the TaNaKh there are peaks and valleys. For example, ADONAI would come in a mighty way to Abraham, Moshe, or David. Later, however, they would fall into the valleys of disobedience, presumption, or adultery. At times, Isra’el would experience great revivals, such as Josiah’s reign. This would often be followed by the valley of disaster.

Psalm 60 begins in the valley of despair. Isra’el’s armies were defeated. YHVH had not accompanied her into battle. Therefore, the psalmist feels rejected and the people have seen desperate times and drank wine that made them stagger. Nevertheless, there was hope. There was a banner raised for those who fear God. The sovereign LORD would rescue Isra’el with the might of His right hand. A peak was just around the corner when Ha’Shem would retake the Land the surrounding territories. Then ADONAI will march to Edom and God will trample down the enemies of Isra’el.²⁹⁹

A. Rejection: You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; you have been angry – now restore us! The military disaster that lies behind this lament is described as it were a natural disaster. You have shaken the Land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking. You have shown Your people desperate times. Her army had been routed and her Land occupied – desperate indeed. Moreover, You have given us wine that makes us stagger. This cup, according to Isaiah 51:17, is the cup of God’s wrath, the goblet that makes people stagger. Indeed, Ha’Shem had judged His people. (Psalm 60:1-3).

B. Confidence of Victory: Nevertheless, ADONAI has not abandoned His people in the midst of the disaster; His love is greater than His judgment. So for those who fear You, You have raised a banner so that they might seek safety from the bow (Psalm 60:4). The LORD raised a banner (Isaiah 5:26, 13:2; Jeremiah 4:6) designating a place where the godly may find refuge under the protection of the divine Warrior. The godly, those who fear Him, will find protection from the attacks of the enemy, who are symbolized by the bow.³⁰⁰ And the Selah at the end of verse 4 suggests that the tale of disasters continued up to this point, leaving verse 5 to speak the first word of hope.³⁰¹

C. David’s Prayer: Save us, and help us with Your right hand, that those You love may be delivered. (Psalm 60:5). The familiar cry of the lament songs is save us. The people pray to be saved out of their desperate situation. The people ask for nothing less than divine intervention in avenging the enemy and vindicating the righteous of the TaNaKh. The basis for their petition is the promise of ADONAI to His people. Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him, for He shields [them] all day long, and [those] the LORD loves rests in His heart (Deuteronomy 33:11).

C. ADONAI’s Response: God now declares His sovereignty over the Land, no matter how much of it has been ravaged by enemies. He has spoken from His sanctuary in heaven. It is YHVH who divides the Land. And as a property owner surveying his land God claims: In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth. Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine.” Ephraim represents the northern tribes and Judah represents the southern tribes; hence, all the tribes share in God’s rule over the nations. Ephraim is My helmet, symbolic for force and Judah is My scepter, symbolic of dominance. Mo’av is my washbasin. The picture of Mo’av as coming with a washbasin for the divine Warrior to wash His feet represents Mo’av’s subjugation to servant status. Edom also will be defeated by Ha’Shem, as implied by the idiom I toss My sandal. Finally, over Philistia I shout in triumph (Psalm 60:6-8). Every nation would submit to His rule (to see link click Cx – David’s Victories). So whatever temporary reverses Isra’el had suffered due to divine judgment, God will rejoice to reclaim His Land and its surrounding territories. He is still on the throne.³⁰²

A. Rejection: David asks ADONAI to lead him in victory. He asks: Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? The response takes the form of another question: Is it not You, God, You who have now rejected us and no longer go out with [Isra’el’s] army? This implies that David believed that Ha’Shem’s rejection would continue. Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless (Psalm 60:9-11). The experience of divine rejection brings out renewed faith and confidence in the LORD. David was not looking for a military solution to his problems, such as alliances with other kings, because he knows that any “help” that they might give would be completely worthless. He looks to the divine Warrior, who had abandoned His people, in the hope that He would bring about the victory over the enemy.

B. Confidence of Victory: With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies (Psalm 60:12). As Moshe and the Israelites sang after they had safely crossed the Sea of Reeds after being hunted down by Pharaoh’s army: I will sing to ADONAI, for He is highly exalted: the horse and rider He threw into the sea. Yah is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. This is my god: I will glorify Him; my father’s God, I will exalt Him. ADONAI is a warrior; ADONAI is His name (Exodus 15:1-3 CJB). Here is the confidence of divine protection that flows over into confidence in victory. ADONAI’s Response in verses 6-8 was enough to inspire David not to fear the enemy or to be troubled by a setback. God was still with Isra’el and He would bring her through this adversity with renewed strength and joy.³⁰³

In Psalm 60 we see a valley in Isra’el’s life. God had cut off her armies and she had been defeated by the Edomites. At the same time, He was still true to His Covenant (see Ct – The LORD’s Covenant with David). He would protect His people, reclaim His Land and lead her troops again to victory in Edom. Isra’el would be restored . . . a peak was just around the corner.

In our walk with the Lord we also have our valleys. We experience defeat and feel that God is distant. He, however, offers us refuge, reclaims our lives and promises to be with us in the future. When Catherine Marshall’s husband Peter, the famous Scottish preacher (1940-2010), suffered a heart attack, he whispered to his wife as he was carried from the house, “See you in the morning, darling.” Those were his last words. Later, they took on a different meaning. Indeed the morning will come. We go through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), but after our night in this world, the morning dawns. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror dimly; then we shall see Him face to face (First Corinthians 13:12). This will be our final peak.³⁰⁴

David’s Prayer to ADONAI
Second Samuel 7:18-29
and First Chronicles 17:16-27

David’s prayer to ADONAI DIG: How is God’s sovereignty underscored in the way David addresses Him in this prayer? In the actions David credits to ADONAI? How would you describe Isra’el’s relationship to YHVH here? Why does David want the LORD’s promise kept forever so badly? How does God’s action and character give David courage to pray like this? Why did David ask the LORD to do what God had already promised to do?

REFLECT: How do you respond to the promises of a trust-worthy YHVH? How, primarily, have you addressed the Lord: With introductions? Requests? Confession? Thanksgiving? What does this say about your relationship with Him? What would you like to adopt from David’s example in this regard? What “good things” do you desire which conform to God’s will? Who are you concerned about pleasing?

998 BC

Today we have a universal Church made up of Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14) because YHVH used David’s family to bring our Savior into the world, and there is a future for Isra’el because ADONAI gave David a throne forever. The way that David responded to this great news from God is a good example for us to follow today. He humbled himself before the LORD, and at least ten times called himself a servant of God.

The present – gratitude for God’s favor: Then King David went in and sat before the Ark of the Covenant inside the tent that he had pitched for it (Second Samuel 7:18a; First Chronicles 16:1a). As believers, we no longer need a tent to sit in when we worship ADONAI. When Christ died, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Lw – Accompanying Signs of Jesus’ Death). Therefore, there is no longer any separation between the believer and the throne of ADONAI, as we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15b). Abba is an informal Aramaic term for Father, implying intimacy, tenderness, dependence and a complete lack of fear or anxiety. Modern equivalents would be daddy or papa. Because we now have personal access to Him, we can call out daddy, just as children do to their earthly fathers. We are His adopted children (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith), and have direct access to God the Father through Yeshua ha-Meshiach.

God accomplished this reconciliation on behalf of mankind. When that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, it symbolized a change in our relationship where a state of hostility and estrangement was justly replaced by one of peace and fellowship. For if we were reconciled with God through His Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by His life, now that we are reconciled (Romans 5:10 CJB)!

Nothing could be more humbling than to hear the word of the LORD, spoken directly to one’s most pressing situation in life, hence David’s question: Who am I, Adonai ELOHIM; and what is my family, that has caused You to bring me this far? It was God’s grace that had brought David a long way – from the sheepfolds to the throne – and now the LORD had spoken about his descendants far into the future. David addresses YHVH as Adonai ELOHIM (LORD God) seven times, and which only occurs here in the books of Samuel. Only a God of sovereign grace would give such a covenant (see Ct – The LORD’s Covenant with David), and only a God with sovereign power could fulfill it. Yet in Your view, Adonai ELOHIM, even this was too small a thing; so You have even said that Your servant’s dynasty will continue on into the distant future. We must forgive David’s goosebumps. Is this Your usual way of dealing with man, Adonai ELOHIM? In one sense, the answer is no, because God chose the house of David to bring His Son into the world; but in another sense, the answer is yes, because any sinner can trust Jesus Christ and be saved and enter into the family of God.²⁹³ What more can I say to You about the honor You are bestowing on Your servant? David doesn’t have words to express his gratefulness. Words failed him, but God knew what he felt. For You know Your servant intimately. Adonai ELOHIM, it is for the sake of Your word (the prophecy of David’s kingship was made through Nathan) and in accordance with Your own heart that You have done all this greatness and revealed it to Your servant (2 Samuel 7:18b-21; First Chronicles 17:16b-19 CJB).

The past – praise for what God has already done: You are great, ADONAI, God, and there is no God beside You – all the works of God handed down throughout biblical history confirms that there is none like You. Because of the covenant, David and all the family of Isra’el were His people. So David could ask: Who can be compared with Your people, with Isra’el? YHVH is the LORD of all the nations, but He did great things for Isra’el, His chosen people. David recognized the wonderful truth that YHVH had chosen Isra’el to be His people forever!²⁹⁴ What other nation on earth did God set out to redeem and make into a people for Himself? You made Yourself a reputation by doing for Your Land things that even for You are great and terrifying, for the sake of Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt and from other nations and from their gods. You set up Your people for Yourself as Your people forever; and you, ADONAI, became their God (Second Samuel 7:22-24; First Chronicles 17:20-22 CJB). By recalling the exodus events and the establishment of Isra’el’s tribes in the Land of Canaan, David declared his faith in the God of His fathers, and identified his role in ADONAI’s continuing purpose. The living YHVH unified history, giving meaning to both the past and the present.

The future – prayer for God’s fulfillment of His covenantal promises: The third part of David’s prayer and praise looked to the future as revealed in the covenant just delivered to the king. So now, ADONAI, God, establish forever the word You have spoken through the prophets concerning Your servant and his house be confirmed forever. David believed it, and he asked YHVH to fulfill that word for His people, “Do what You have promised.”²⁹⁵ But like us, David needed to trace the steps in the discussion in order to be certain that his feet were on solid ground, so by turning the promise into a prayer he both endorsed his acceptance of God’s word through Nathan the prophet, he also, by repetition, made it a part of Scripture for future generations.²⁹⁶ May Your name be confirmed and magnified forever, then the people will say: ADONAI-Tzva’ot is God over Isra’el, is Isra’el’s God, and the dynasty of Your servant David will be set up in Your presence. You, ADONAI-Tzva’ot, God of Isra’el, have disclosed to Your servant, “I will build you a house.” This is why Your servant has the courage to pray this prayer to you (Second Samuel 7:25-27; First Chronicles 17:23-25 CJB).

It wasn’t enough for David to simply hear the promises and believe them; he also prayed to the LORD to fulfill them. Now, Adonai ELOHIM, You alone are God, Your words are truth; and You have made this wonderful promise to Your servant. So may it please You to bless the family of Your servant and thereby cause it to continue forever in Your presence. For You, Adonai ELOHIM, have said it. May Your servant’s family be blessed forever by Your blessing (Second Samuel 7:28-29; First Chronicles 17:26-27 CJB).

Therefore, David gave up his intention of building the Temple. Though he was the king of Isra’el, he accepted that he had to defer to a Higher Authority, that of the God of Isra’el, to whom he owed his calling through the prophet Samuel, his preservation as Sha’ul tried over and over again to kill him, and his accession to the throne by common consent of the people. This put David in the role of a servant . . . Your servant . . . as David called himself ten times over this prayer.

David was far from perfect, as we will soon find out, but he had grasped that all-important truth of servanthood about himself. He was sensitive to rebuke and repented when he stepped out of line. For this reason, he knew forgiveness and the restoration of fellowship, both of which had eluded Sha’ul because he could never bring himself to take his hands off the steering wheel of the government, or readily admit being wrong. It is beyond ironic that Sha’ul, by clinging tenaciously to what he regarded as his kingly prerogative, lost the kingdom; whereas David, being more concerned with honoring the LORD than guarding his own reputation, had his Kingdom made secure forever.²⁹⁷ There is a lesson there for all of us.

The bold prayer of David is an ideal match for the remarkable prophecy of Nathan. David and ADONAI had reached an understanding. It was clear where they both stood. God was deeply committed to David, and David would insist on that commitment. Yerushalayim would be the residence of the king, the city of David. David, like his distant relative Jacob, would not let YHVH go unless YHVH blessed him (Genesis 32:26), and blessed him forever. David is a bold model of faith. David, without embarrassment, would hold the LORD to the promise of the Covenant. He would not let circumstances talk him out of the promise, and he would not despair. Nor would he, in false respect, release God from His commitment. David was a hard bargainer both on earth and before heaven. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had invited David into that kind of mutual relationship.²⁹⁸

Do you have a relationship with ADONAI? Do you have an understanding with God?

Imagine a ship filled with people crossing the Atlantic. In the middle of the ocean there is an explosion. The ship is severely damaged and slowly sinking. Most are dead, and the rest are rushing for the lifeboats. Now suppose one man doesn’t know about the lifeboat, so he does not get aboard. He doesn’t have knowledge, so he is not saved. Suppose another man knows about the lifeboat and believes it will save him, but he is grief-stricken over seeing his wife killed, so he chooses not to get aboard and dies with his wife. He has knowledge and mental assent, but he is not saved. Others believe the lifeboat will save them, and they get into the boat. They are saved by faith, that is, they have knowledge, mental assent, and trust. However, it is not their faith that saves them, no matter how much faith they have. It is the lifeboat. Saving faith trusts Christ, and Messiah saves.²¹⁶

Around 1900, before the days of rock stars and sports heroes, some of the most famous people were known for daring feats, like climbing mountains, escaping from chains and vaults, and swinging on the flying trapeze. None was more famous than the great Charles Blondin of France, the greatest tightrope walker in the world. One time he walked the tight rope across Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. He would walk across with a balance bar, he would ride across on a unicycle, and sometimes, with someone with a lot of faith in him, he would carry a trusting soul across on his shoulders. One day he wheeled a boy across in a wheelbarrow. Everyone saw it and cheered. The boy put his life into Blondin’s hands. That is what faith is, putting our life in Christ’s hands. When Blondin got to the other side of Niagara Falls, he asked the crowd if they believed he could do it again and go back across. They all said, “Yes, we believe you can do it.” At that he said, “Then get in the wheelbarrow.” That is faith. As far as Christ is concerned, are you in the wheelbarrow?

If you have accepted Yeshua Messiah by faith, see my commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God does for Us at the Moment of Faith.

ADONAI Swore an Oath to David
Psalm 132: 1-1

ADONAI swore an oath to David DIG: What hardships has David endured (Second Samuel 7:1)? What does he promise God? Why does YHVH need an earthly dwelling? Where was the ark of God prior to David’s conquest of Jerusalem (Second Samuel 6:12)? Why does God want the Ark in His City? What did David swear to ADONAI? What did ADONAI swear to David? Was part of Ha’Shem’s promise conditional (Second Samuel 7:11-14)? Did God ever forsake His City? Why? When? Then how was the unconditional part of David’s promise fulfilled?

REFLECT: Do you give yourself deadlines? Is it good to put time limits on goals? What is the relationship between human and divine effort? What need does the LORD want you to fill in your messianic synagogue? Your church? At home? At work? In your neighborhood? Are you overcommitted by so many promises, you can’t fulfill them all? What do you make of the fact that there is no longer a king in Isra’el today? Is ADONAI unable to keep His promises? Explain.

When the ark of God covered the ten miles from the house of Obed-Edom to the newly captured Jerusalem, it was the climax of a journey of centuries that began in far-off Sinai. This is one of the songs of ascent (Psalms 120-134). The Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law) links the collection of fifteen songs with the fifteen steps of the Temple where the Levites were said to have sung the songs of ascent (m. Mid. 2.5). They would take the first step, stop and sing Psalm 120, take a second step, stop and sing Psalm 121, take a third step for Psalm 122, and so on. In addition, the songs were in the three annual festival processions as the pilgrims “ascended” up to Yerushalayim – hence the designation of songs of ascent.

The procession from the house of Obed-Edom is the background to this poetic version of that grand moment in the history of redemption when Jerusalem was chosen as the capital of David’s kingdom and the center of worship. The Chronicler incorporated verses 8-10 in Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple in Second Chronicles 6:41-42.

These psalms of ascent were not composed originally for this purpose. Clearly some reflect other original uses, but they became significant as a unit when they were incorporated together with a small collection of fifteen hymns. The Oral Law teaches that in the period of the Second Temple (Herod’s Temple) from 516 BC to 70 AD, they were incorporated into the Temple liturgy.

A. Prayer for David: A song of ascents: The psalmist and a grateful congregation pray that YHVH would kindly remember all of the acts of David’s devotion. ADONAI, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured (Psalm 132:1 CJB). The prayer is for God’s continual remembrance of His covenant with David (see Ct – The LORD’s Covenant with David). While the content of these hardships could be David’s whole life, the reference here is probably intended to be his trials in conquering Jerusalem and bringing the ark of the Covenant there.²⁸⁸

B. David’s Devotion: How he swore to ADONAI, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, I will not enter the house where I live or get into my bed, I will not allow myself to sleep or even close my eyes, until I find a place for ADONAI, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalm 132:2-5 CJB). Though the vow is not recorded in Samuel or Chronicles, David was determined to bring the Ark to Tziyon and to have a Temple built. The Mighty One of Jacob derives from Genesis 49:24 and signifies the marvelous manner in which the LORD had protected, guided and blessed Jacob. That title points to the great strength of our God as the divine Warrior, ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the Commander of the angelic army of the LORD (Joshua 5:14a). David vowed not to enter his house until the Temple was built.²⁸⁹ In other words, David would not rest until God rested.

C. David’s Concern for God’s Presence: The psalmist recounts that David and his men heard about the Ark when they were in Ephrathah, usually a name for Beit-Lehem (Genesis 35:19; Ruth 4:11; Micah 5:2). The location of Ephrathah is further defined as being in the fields of Ya’ar, which is a reference to Kiriath Jearim (Jearim being the plural of Ya’ar), where the Ark was located (First Samuel 6:21-7:2). When the Ark was found, the news was well received by the people. They were anxious to visit it and said: Let’s go into His dwelling and prostate ourselves at His footstool. They joined the festive procession as the Ark was led from the house of Obed-Edom in Kiriath Jearim to Tziyon (see Cr – The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim). Go up, ADONAI, to your resting place, You and the ark through which you give strength. With the choice of Jerusalem and the final transportation of the Ark there, the period of the desert wanderings came to an end. May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may those loyal to You shout for joy (Psalm 132:6-9 CJB). Their righteousness is symbolized by wearing white linen clothing.²⁹⁰ The curtains of the Tabernacle were made of white linen (see the commentary on Exodus Fk – The Linen Curtains of the Sanctuary: Christ, Our Righteousness), those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb are seen to be wearing the white clothing of righteousness (Revelation 19:6-10).

A. Prayer for David: For the sake of Your servant David, don’t turn away the face of Your anointed One (Psalm 132:10 CJB). May God ever be favorably inclined towards the anointed king who belonged to the Davidic dynasty. Verses 8-10 appear in 2 Chron 6:41-42 as the concluding part of Solomon’s prayer when he dedicated the Temple. The prayer also petitions God to deal kindly with David’s descendants and also with the people.

B. God’s Reward to David: The LORD responded to David’s oath with one of His own. Though the narrative of Samuel relating to the promises of David makes no mention of an oath, here it is a poetic expression for the certainty of God’s promise to David. ADONAI swore an oath to David, an oath He will not break, “One of the sons from your own body I will set on your throne. The promise of kings coming out of Abraham’s seed (Genesis 17:6) was being fulfilled in David’s dynasty. The near historical fulfillment of this prophecy would be realized with Solomon. But the promises are balanced with responsibility. If your sons keep My Torah and My instruction, which I will teach them, then their descendants too, forever, will sit on your throne (Psalm 132:11-12 CJB). We know from history that the Covenant was broken and that the monarchy was destroyed after Solomon’s death (First Kings 12). The unconditional promise given to David, however, was later fulfilled in the far eschatological future by Yeshua Messiah who now reigns at the right hand of God the Father as the exalted messianic King forever (Ephesians 1:20).²⁹¹

C. God’s Presence in Yerushalayim: The final section of this psalm is largely a prophetic word from God concerning Yerushalayim. For ADONAI has chosen Tziyon, He has wanted it as His home. Thus, He says to Isra’el, “This is My resting-place forever, I will live here because I so much want to. I will bless her with abundant provisions, I will give her poor their fill of food (Psalm 132:13-15). I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her righteous people will shout for joy (Psalm 132:16). God will provide for the proper worship of Himself there. I will make a horn grow (symbolizing power) for David and prepare a lamp for My anointed One (Psalm 132:17 CJB). The LORD has established His dynasty like a lamp that is kept burning and gradually lightens everything from darkness to light.

As Donald Williams relates in his commentary on the Psalms, when we first read verses 13-18 it is easy to think the Ruach is talking about historical Tziyon. If so, however, Isra’el would be led to assume that God would never forsake His City and that He would dwell there forever and the Davidic dynasty would always grow and prosper. But this was the very attitude that the prophets attacked, especially Jeremiah (see the commentary on Jeremiah Cc – False Religion is Worthless). In fact, YHVH did remove His presence from Jerusalem (Ezeki’el 10) and destroy the monarchy. Hence, these verses must be viewed in their far eschatological context.

When God promises that He will dwell in Yerushalayim forever, He is talking about the New Jerusalem. As Yochanan recounts: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and YHVH Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). John says of the New Jerusalem, “I did not see a Temple in the City, for ADONAI, the God of heaven’s angelic armies, is its Temple, as is the Lamb (Revelation 21:22 CJB). The promise of abundant provision and the feeding of the poor in verse 15 is also a messianic theme. In Psalm 72, where the ideal King is portrayed, the poor receive justice and the Land prospers (Psalm 72:4 and 16). Yochanan also sees the heavenly Jerusalem receiving the tribute of the nations and the bounty of the tree of life (see the commentary on Revelation Fw – Then the Angel showed Me the River of the Water of Life, Clear as Crystal). Furthermore, as in Psalm 132:16, the Holy City is filled with joyous worship of those who fall down before God’s throne (Revelation 7:9-17). Since, Jesus, the Son of God and the son of David, reigns as the Lamb of God, David’s horn (power) grows and His crown (authority) flourishes (Psalm 132:17-18; Isaiah 9:7; Revelation 21:22-23).

We can now see clearly what ADONAI did in establishing His rule by bringing the Ark to Jerusalem and enthroning David there as His king was to prepare Isra’el for the day that He would consummate that rule in His Son. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on Him there will be a shining crown (Psalm 132:18 CJB).²⁹²

The LORD’s Covenant with David
Second Samuel 7:1-17
and First Chronicles 17:1-15

The LORD’s covenant with David DIG: How prophetic was Nathan’s initial counsel? Why did that change later on? What is God’s attitude regarding David’s house of cedar? What is meant by YHVH reminding David of his indebtedness? While that might motivate David to build a house for the LORD, how does such dependency actually preclude “favor?” Why does ADONAI go on to say no to David building Him a Temple but yes to his dynasty lasting forever? What about God’s promises here would surprise David the most? Which one would reassure him? In what sense today is David’s house and Kingdom established forever?

REFLECT: When you get “a good idea” that you think will further God’s Kingdom, do you wait in His presence to ask Him if it really came from Him or if it is nothing more than your own thinking? How do you react when YHVH says “No” or “Not yet” to you? Humility – the most surprising of all the traits of ADONAI. Do you agree? Why or why not. In the matter of a Temple for the LORD, David was to be a passive recipient rather than an active initiator. Do you think there is a place for both in the life of a believer? Which do you think should be primary? How does God’s promise to David impact us today?

998 BC

This chapter follows up on the themes of the previous chapter, in that the Temple would have enshrined the Ark, and the question of an heir, touched on by the barrenness of Michal, became a subject of God’s special purpose. Second Samuel 7 is rightly regarded as one of the theological highlights of the TaNaKh. Nathan’s prophecy forms the basis for the title-deed of the house of David to rule both Isra’el and Judah, which it did indeed exercise over Judah for fully four centuries.

The fact that its rule came to an end, and had been seen by the prophets to be failing, gave rise to a second theme that developed as a reinterpretation of the promises to David: In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory (Amos 9:11). A descendant of David, a child, would establish His throne with justice and righteousness (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Cm – For To Us A Child Is Born). And a branch from the stump of Jesse would create an ideal Kingdom in the far eschatological future (Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8). In other words, this chapter was to become the source of the Messianic Hope as it was developed in the message of the prophets and the psalmists.²⁷⁹

The Background: After the king was settled in his palace and ADONAI had given him rest from all his enemies around him (see Cx  – David’s Victories), he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Nathan, now David’s personal advisor after the death of Samuel, replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you,” but this was Nathan’s personal opinion (Second Samuel 7:1-3; First Chronicles 17:1-2). He did not say: ADONAI says . . .

But that night the word of YHVH came to Nathan, correcting his premature approval of David’s plans, saying: Go and tell my servant David, “This is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house (Temple) to dwell in. I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as My dwelling. He is the God who travels with His people in all their topsy-turvy, here-and-there journeys and wanderings. Do His people live in tents? So does He! Are they a pilgrim people on their way to the Land of promise? So He is the pilgrim God, sharing the rigors of the journey with them.²⁸⁰ More than that, God said: Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their tribes whom I commanded to shepherd My people Isra’el, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?” YHVH had commanded that a Tabernacle be built, but He did not demand that all the tribes of Isra’el should build a Temple (Second Samuel 7:4-7; First Chronicles 17:3-6).

There you have it – a clear, unequivocal statement from God that His answer to David was “No!” He gave no explanation. It was simply a loving, firm refusal. It was wrapped up in some wonderful promises, but nevertheless, this man who offered his life for a tremendous task was met by the divine “No!”

I wonder, has something like this has happened in your life? Perhaps you can recall a time when God said “No” to you, and there was no explanation at all. You offered your life for His service, yet it became perfectly clear as the weeks and months passed that ADONAI said “No.” Perhaps, you yearned for a home and children. Or grandchildren. But as the years slipped by, you come to understand that YHVH said, “No.” Someday you will understand, because the LORD has a reason for every denial. He may give no explanation at the time. He simply wants us to trust Him.²⁸¹

Now then, tell my servant David. This is an honored title, but at the same time a reminder to David that, though he is king, and surrounded by those who serve him, he too has a servant role in relationship to his God. It is worth remembering that it was the role of a servant that Yeshua was most profoundly foreshadowed in the TaNaKh (see the commentary on Isaiah Ho – The Servant of God the Father). If David had his eyes on greatness, it would begin with submission and service to ADONAI.²⁸² The most important thing is, how we react when God says, “No.” In David’s case, the LORD’s refusal became the source of tremendous blessing.

ADONAI-Tzva’ot reminded David to keep in mind that day when he had been taken from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed ruler over God’s people Isra’el. David had been known as a great general, but God reminded him, “I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.” This is exactly what YHVH promised Abram (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse). And I will provide a place for My people Isra’el and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning, and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over My people Isra’el. The words I will also give you rest from all your enemies (Second Samuel 7:8-11a; First Chronicles 17:7-10a) are taken word-for-word from Deuteronomy 12:10. The near historical fulfillment was during David’s reign and the far eschatological fulfillment will be during the messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom).

The Covenant: ADONAI’s first announcement of the coming of the Savior was given in Genesis 3:15, informing us that the Savior would be a human being and not an angel. Then Genesis 12:3 tells us that He would be a Jew who would bless the whole world, and Genesis 49:10 that He would come through the tribe of Y’hudah. In this covenant, the LORD announced to David that Messiah would come through his family, and Micah 5:2 prophesied that He would be born in Beit-Lechem, the city of David (Matthew 2:6). No wonder the king was so elated when he learned that Messiah would be known as the son of David (Mattityahu 1:1).²⁸³ Moreover, ADONAI declares that YHVH Himself will establish a house for you. David wanted to build a house for God; instead, ADONAI would build a house for David (First Samuel 7:11b). Then the Ruach ha-Kodesh gives us two different ways that this dynasty will be built.

First, the promise will not be negated by David’s death. When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, an expression that suggests fellowship beyond the grave, I will raise up your near historical offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish His Kingdom. The word offspring is singular indicating one generation. Solomon was the one who would build a house for ADONAI’s Name (Second Samuel 7:12-13), and this would fulfill the promise of YHVH listed several times in (Deuteronomy 12:11-12, 21, 14:23-24, 16:2, 6, 11, 26:2).

Secondly, Nathan prophesied about Jesus Christ. When your days are fulfilled that you must go [to be] with your fathers, I will set up [one of] your far eschatological descendants after you, who will be of your [ancestors]. The word descendants is plural, indicating several generations. In fact, Messiah would not descend from Solomon but from Nathan the ancestor of Miriam, the mother of Yeshua (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary). And I will establish His Kingdom (First Chronicles 17:10b-11).

He is the One who will build a house (dynasty) for My Name, and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom forever (First Chronicles 17:12). Obviously, this could not be Solomon because when he died the monarchy was torn in two (First Kings 12:1-33). Here the Ruach ha-Kodesh is referring to Yeshua Messiah and His Millennial reign, and Eternal State (see the commentary on Revelation Fq – The Eternal State).

God promises not to remove His covenant love, but there will be discipline for disobedience. The relationship between the LORD and David’s descendants, and Solomon in particular, will be: I will be His Father, and He will be My Son (Second Samuel 7:14a, and this phrase is included in First Chronicles 17:13). When He does wrong, I will punish Him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands (Second Samuel 7:14). Now this phrase is not found in First Chronicles 17:13 because again the Samuel passage focuses on Solomon where there was a possibility of sinning, but the Chronicles passage focuses on Christ where there is no possibility of sinning.

Now the promise: But My love will never be taken away from [Solomon] because he was part of an unconditional covenant, as I took it away from Sha’ul, whom I removed from before you because Sha’ul was not a part of an unconditional covenant (Second Samuel 7:15; First Chronicles 17:13). This is a very good example of an unconditional covenant. Both Sha’ul and Solomon were sinners. What was the difference in their sins? Actually, Solomon’s sins were far greater. Sha’ul offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings that he was not authorized to do because he was from the tribe of Benjamin and not a Levite (First Samuel 13:9). But at least he offered up his sacrifice to the True God and not a pagan one. But Solomon was guilty of idolatry. After building the Temple to the True God he built three more temples to pagan gods, the gods of the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites. The first commandment reflects the severity of this sin (see the commentary on Exodus Dk – You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me). Yet, YHVH did take away His loving kindness from Sha’ul, but not from Solomon because Solomon was part of an unconditional covenant and Sha’ul was not. Therefore, we must realize that because our salvation is part of an unconditional covenant we never have to worry about losing it (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).²⁸⁴

Moreover, the ravages of time will never wear out this promise. First, let’s look at the Samuel passage: Your house (dynasty) and your Kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever (First Samuel 7:16). But in the Chronicles passage, aside from affirming the same three eternal things of the Samuel passage, it promises a fourth eternal thing . . . an eternal descendant. And a final summary of the prophet’s message, ADONAI declares: I will set Him over My house (dynasty) and My Kingdom forever; His throne will be established forever (First Chronicles 17:14). The point is that Messiah will be a descendant of David.

Then Nathan told David all the words and described the entire vision (Second Samuel 7:17; First Chronicles 17:15). At this time Nathan was speaking from divine revelation, not personal opinion.

God’s covenant with David promised eight things:

First, God promised David an eternal house or dynasty.

Second, one of David’s own sons, Solomon, would be established on the throne after him.

Third, Solomon would be the one to build the Temple.

Fourth, YHVH promised David an eternal throne.

Fifth, Solomon would be disciplined for disobedience, but the LORD would not remove His loving kindness from him (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed).

Sixth, the promised Messiah will be a descendant of David. Christ is called the Son of David (Mattityahu 1:1, 12:23, 21:9 and 15, 22:42); Yeshua is called the root of David (Revelation 5:5, 22:16); Jesus is called the offspring of David (Revelation 22:16); He is called the key of David (Revelation 3:7). In fact, David will have a special role in the Messianic Kingdom in that he will be the co-ruler with Christ over Isra’el (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom).

Seven, God’s house, throne and Kingdom are to be established forever.

Eight, YHVH promises an eternal descendent, Jesus Christ.²⁸⁵

I am quite sure that in heaven David will have the glory for the building of the Temple – not Solomon. If you want my authority for that, I would refer you to a passage in the book of Revelation, where in the very last chapter the risen Lord Jesus speaks of Himself: I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16). No mention of Solomon. As mentioned above, Jesus did not come from Solomon’s line at all. I am sure on that great day David will have credit for the Temple, and I am equally sure on that day, some life who had a dream unfulfilled, to whom God said, “No,” will be credited also.²⁸⁶

Later, Solomon talked about his father’s desire to build a Temple for God: My father David had it in his heart to build a Temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Isra’el. But ADONAI said to my father David, “You did well to have it in your heart to build a Temple for My Name. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the Temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood – he is the one who will build the Temple for My Name” (First Kings 8:17-19).

Did you catch that? YHVH told David, “You did well to have it in your heart.” Even though David wasn’t going to be able to accomplish his goal of building the Temple, God still appreciated and honored David’s intentions.

ADONAI never says “No” coldly; He whispers into the heart that is attentive to His word: You did well to have it in your heart. Encouraged by this, David gave himself passionately to the task of gathering the materials (Fd – David Provided the Resources for Building the Temple). This man, who had been denied the fulfillment of his vision, instead of sulking about it, gave himself completely to the task in the best way he knew how, preparing that which he himself would never be able to complete.

If you cannot build, you can gather the materials; if you cannot go, you can send somebody else. If Ha’Shem has said “No” to you, you can make it possible for someone else to fill that place on which you have set your heart. The vision need never be in vain, even though it remains unfulfilled, for God’s refusals in life are loaded with immeasurable possibilities of blessing. It all depends if you sulk or seek. If you seek you’ll find that the LORD is right there will blessing such as you have never experienced before.²⁸⁷

When we try to do something big for ADONAI and we fail and our plans don’t work out, I’m thankful to know that we serve a God who says: You did well to have it in your heart. Realize that you are going to fail in this life. Your results won’t always match up with your intentions and your plans. But our God is an awesome God who sees our hearts and appreciates our best efforts. With that in mind, let us attempt great things for Him!

Ministering Before the Ark
First Chronicles 16: 4-43

Ministering before the ark DIG: How is David’s kingdom further strengthened by giving thanks to ADONAI with this psalm of thanks? How would this psalm bring the twelve tribes closer together as one people? In the song’s first stanza (verses 8-12) what does David urge us to do and why? What memories for Isra’el are evoked by reference to God’s wonders and miracles or judgments? In the second stanza (verses 13-18), who are His chosen ones? What news about God do you suppose Jacob heard from his parents and grandparents? In the third stanza (verses 19-22) who are those esteemed by God? How are they protected? In the majestic fourth stanza (verses 23-33), what actions are we instructed to take? Who or what is called upon to participate and why? Why all the earth? What will happen? In the benediction (verses 34-36), what common human needs are addressed? How will YHVH meet them as no one else can? What familiar names appear after the benediction of this psalm? How does David organize them for worship?

REFLECT: The occasion for this psalm was the return of the ark of God and the establishment of David’s reign. How could you use this psalm today? What qualities of YHVH mentioned in this psalm or praise are you most comfortable with? Are there any you are uncomfortable with? Why? Which divine attribute can be applied to a problem you are going through right now? How is the worship in this psalm multi-racial or multi-lingual? What multi-tunes do you hear? What message would that bring to your culture?

1000 BC

Once the Ark had arrived in Yerushalayim and been placed in the tent prepared for it, some of the Levites previously involved in the procession were appointed to continue the worship in music. It goes without saying that it was not the Ark itself that was being worshiped, but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is YHVH, the One who came to rescue His people from slavery in Egypt and to make them His own through the encounter at Sinai. Therefore, He was, and is, the object of the continual praise of Isra’el, and once more the Ark is the focus of this praise. It is called the ark of the covenant of God.²⁶⁹

It is no surprise that the multi-talented genius of King David included music and poetry. He set the tone (no pun intended) for worship in God’s holy place through all the years to come. David’s appointment of the Levites to minister in music and praise to YHVH was a significant advance in the history of Isra’el’s worship. His previous arrangements for music had been planned for just one occasion (to see link click Cr – The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim); but now a continuing service was envisioned (see 16:37-42 below). For with the Ark permanently enshrined in Jerusalem, those Levites who had formally been charged with its transport could then be reassigned to other appropriate duties.²⁷⁰ Then He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to extol, thank, and praise ADONAI, the God of Isra’el. Asaph was elevated to the chief position probably because of personal ability (Asaph and his descendants composed Psalms 50 and 73 through 83), and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of covenant of God (First Chronicles 16:4-6).

From this point on, we have a model psalm of thanksgiving that has, with only slight modifications, been adapted from three different psalms as follows: Verses 8-22 = Psalm 105:1-45; verses 23-33 = Psalm 96; and verses 34-36 = Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

The first stanza: That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to ADONAI in this manner: Give praise to the LORD, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, to testify publically to His greatness, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. His treatment of Isra’el is a lesson and a warning to all the Gentile nations, and it is for Isra’el to spread this knowledge among the goyim. Glory in His holy name because holiness is the essence of ADONAI’s nature; let the hearts of those who continually seek the LORD rejoice. Look to YHVH and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done (see the commentary on Exodus Bj – The Ten Plagues of Egypt), the judgments He pronounced (see the commentary on Exodus By – At Midnight the LORD Struck Down all the Firstborn in Egypt), and His miracles (First Chronicles 16:7-12). The wonders of old summarize the message of Psalm 105:1-15.

The second stanza: You His servants, the descendants of Isra’el, His chosen ones to spread the knowledge of God and His Torah, the children of Jacob. He is ADONAI our God; His judgments are in all the earth and all the Gentile nations are subject to His rule (Genesis 18:25). He remembers His covenant forever, the promise He made, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham (see the commentary on Genesis Eg – I am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land), the oath He swore to Isaac (Genesis 26:3). He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree (Genesis 28:13), to Isra’el as an everlasting covenant, “To you I will give this land of [Palestine] as the portion you will inherit” (First Chronicles 16:13-18). Although the Hebrew patriarchs wandered without a home of their own, they had been promised Palestine, though it was only their descendants, who were David’s contemporary audience, who received it (Hebrews 11:9).

The third stanza: When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land that was not yet theirs, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. A famine drove Abraham to Egypt (Genesis 12:10) and Isaac to the Philistines (Genesis 26:1), while Jacob was compelled to flee to Haran (Genesis 28:10). He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake He rebuked kings, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm” (First Chronicles 16:19-22)! Nowhere in the Bible (other than here) are the patriarchs called anointed ones or prophets, because those titles are usually only reserved only for kings and/or priests; but here the patriarchs are also called prophets in the sense of being recipients of God’s special revelation. Psalm 105:16-45 then continues Isra’el’s history on into the time of Joseph.²⁷¹

The fourth stanza: Since Psalm 96 is cited in its entirety, the changes introduced are of special significance. Two clauses of Psalm 96 are absent from this context: 96:10c: He will judge the Gentile nations fairly and 96:13b: He will judge the world rightly and the Gentile nations with His faithfulness. Although not adjacent, these verses share a similar idea; their absence would, therefore, seem to result from the wish to link Psalm 96 more closely to its new context. The universal judgment of the Gentile nations, and the world at large, is not the immediate concern of David’s psalm of thanksgiving.²⁷²

Sing to ADONAI, all the earth; proclaim the Good News of His salvation day after day (First Chronicles 16:23; Psalm 96:1-2 CJB). The Ark had come to Tziyon, a new song (Psalm 96:1) was needed . . . a fresh outburst of praise to YHVH.²⁷³

Declare His glory among the Gentile nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples (First Chronicles 16:24; Psalm 96:3 CJB). The people of God must provide leadership by giving praise to His Name, day after day. Thus, the Gentile nations and all peoples will hear the Good News that the Ark had found a home in the City of David.

Having told us what we are to do in Psalm 96:1-3, the psalmist now tells us why we are to do it in verses 4-6. For ADONAI is great and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared more than all gods (First Chronicles 16:25; Psalm 96:4 CJB). David’s new song was based on His great God, who is most worthy of praise. Moreover, He is to be feared. This sense of fear includes a sense of awe before His supreme, almighty power (Psalm 111:10).

For all the gods of the Gentile nations are idols, but ADONAI made the heavens (First Chronicles 16:26; Psalm 96:5 CJB). YHVH alone is God, and all other deities are fakes. They cannot be gods, because Ha’Shem alone has made heaven. The pagans may claim that their gods have power over the heavenly realms, but ADONAI negates that claim with one of His own, namely, that He alone created the heavens.²⁷⁴

Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place (First Chronicles 16:27; Psalm 96:6 CJB). David’s expression “in His dwelling place” represents a change from the original phrase, “in His sanctuary”, in Psalm 96:6. “In His sanctuary” is appropriate enough when the Tabernacle was at Gibeon (First Chronicles 16:39), but not appropriate now that the Ark was in its new location at Yerushalayim.

The God of the universe had come to Tziyon, the center of the universe: Give ADONAI His due, all you families of the Gentile nations, give ADONAI His due of glory and strength (First Chronicles 16:28; Psalm 96:7 CJB). In this call for universal worship of YHVH, David remembered what the LORD had said to Abraham, through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed (Genesis 22:18).

What are we to offer God in worship? Give YHVH the glory due to His name; bring an offering, and come into His presence (Psalm 96:8 says courtyards instead of presence). The Presence of ADONAI is an allusion to the Ark. Worship, surrender, bow down, to ADONAI in the splendor of His holiness (First Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 96:9a CJB).

Tremble before Him, all the earth (Psalm 96:9b CJB)! The world is firmly established, immovable (First Chronicles 16:30; Psalm 96:10b CJB). The idea of men trembling before Him took on a fresh reality with the arrival of the Ark, over which the Sh’khinah glory rested between the two cherubim (Numbers 7:89).

Once again, worship turns to witness. Let the heavens rejoice; let the earth be glad (Psalm 96:11a CJB); let them say among the Gentile nations, “ADONAI is king” (First Chronicles 16:31; Psalm 96:10a CJB)! The confession challenges all other gods, all other rulers and authorities. There is only one King, and He dwells above the cherubim.

With the coming of the Ark to Jerusalem, all nature is called upon to celebrate! Let the sea roar, and everything in it; let the fields exult, and all that is in them. Then the trees in the forest will sing before ADONAI, because He is coming (Hebrew: bo) to live among His people (First Chronicles 16:32-33; Psalm 96:11b-13a CJB). While earlier messianic prophecies had foretold of our Lord’s universal, millennial reign (Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; First Samuel 2:10), these words – He is coming – may be the first in all of written Scripture (Job 19:25 may well have been spoken earlier) to set forth the doctrine of the glorious Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).

The benediction: The song ends with the opening and closing words of Psalm 106: 1 and 47-48, as a personal cry in which the singers of David’s day take hold of the covenant relationship for themselves: Give thanks to the LORD; for He is good, for His compassion endures forever (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed). Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the Gentile nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, and glory in Your praise.” We have praised You for all that You have done and said in the past; now we ask You to act and speak on our behalf also!²⁷⁵ Praise be to ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, from eternity past to eternity future” (First Chronicles 16:34-36).

Then David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of YHVH now in Jerusalem, to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements. He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers (First Chronicles 16:37-38). Hosah had not been mentioned previously. He was another doorkeeper, though of the clan of Merari (First Chronicles 26:10-11), compared to Obed-Edom of Kohath (First Chronicles 26:1-4). Obed-Edom’s father is also named for the first time and is not to be confused with Jeduthun (alternate name for Ethan) the chief musician in First Chronicles 16:41-42, because Ethan belonged to the clan of Merari. Obed-Edom continued in his dual role of both musician and doorkeeper.²⁷⁶

David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the Tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon to present burnt offerings to ADONAI on the bronze altar (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build an Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze) regularly, morning and evening in accordance with everything written in the Torah in connection with the services of the Tabernacle, which He had given to Isra’el (First Chronicles 16:39-40). The reference to Zadok as priest of the Tabernacle at Gibeon reveals the reason for the retention of two high priests. Zadok, of the Aaronic line of Eleazar (First Chronicles 6:4-8), was in charge of Tabernacle at Gibeon, while Abiathar, of the line of Ithamar (First Chronicles 24:6), officiated at the new temporary tent in Yerushalayim. The origin of Gibeon as the site of the Tabernacle is not known but it must not have been deemed unsuitable since David appointed Zadok as priest there and later on Solomon offered sacrifices there with God’s approval (First Kings 3:4-10).²⁷⁷

While Asaph was with Abiathar in David’s temporary tent that housed the Ark, Heman and Jeduthun (also called Ethan in First Chronicles 6:44 and 15:17) functioned with Zadok at the Tabernacle at Gibeon with the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, “for His love endures forever.” Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The main purpose of the tradition of the Tabernacle at Gibeon is to present a line of unbroken continuity in the religious establishment of Isra’el from its inception by Moshe to the United Kingdom of David and Solomon.

In the development of the orders of priests there were probably exchanges from the singers, to the gatekeepers and vice versa. Just as the Korahites were definitely singers, according to Psalms 42:1, 44:1, 45:1, and so on, they eventually became gatekeepers (First Chronicles 9:19 and 26:1-19), so one may assume that Jeduthun and his sons also served in this dual role.

Then the two stages of transferring the Ark were then completed with blessings; the first stage with the blessing of Obed-Edom and his household (First Chronicles 13:14), and the second stage with David blessing his household after the successful accomplishment of the task he undertook. Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family (First Chronicles 16:41-43). Furthermore, this closing verse serves as an excellent basis for the following chapter, which begins: After the king was settled in his palace (First Chronicles 17:1a).²⁷⁸

The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim
Second Samuel 6:1-23;
First Chronicles 13:1-14, 15:1-29, 16:1-3

The ark brought to Yerushalayim DIG: How and why was the ark of God being moved? How had God prescribed that the ark be moved? And by whom (First Chronicles 15:13-15; Numbers 4:15)? How was Uzzah’s act irreverent? What does such burning anger reveal about God’s holiness? About Yeshua our High Priest? What experience does Obed-Edom bring to this (13:13-14)? How did he likely feel about getting the ark out of his house after three months? As the ark was being moved to Jerusalem, what is the response of the people? Of David? Three months later, how cautious was David in moving the ark? How did he show reverence to YHVH? Why was Michal bitter? What did her bitterness have to do with her father? What does David’s reply tell us about his character?

REFLECT: Does the presence of ADONAI ever move you? What would a worship service led by David look like in your place of worship? How would he be received? What would he have to wear? Why? In your private worship, do you address God as Ha’Shem (Sir) or ADONAI (Daddy)? Are both appropriate at different times? When is that? When have you slipped, like Uzzah, and acted irreverently? How does Christ the Mediator intercede for you when you fall?

1000 BC

The ark of the Covenant was to be kept in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace) for it symbolized the throne of God (Psalm 80:1 and 99:1). For many years – during all the time of Samuel, Sha’ul’s reign of 40 years and the first years of David’s reign, the Ark had been absent from the divine sanctuary at Shiloh. The Philistines captured it when Eli was judge (First Samuel 4) and then returned it to the Jews because ADONAI judged the Philistines. First, the Ark was sent to Beth-Shemesh and then was taken to Kiriath Jearim and guarded in the house of Abinadab (First Samuel 5:1-7:1).²⁵⁸

It was unthinkable that the Ark should remain in the obscure house of Abinadab on the border of the Land. Once Jerusalem had become the City of David, the king proposed that Tziyon should be the city where ADONAI should dwell among His people. By enshrining the Ark, the symbol of God’s presence, there, David transformed the old Jebusite stronghold into the place where YHVH could make Himself known at the center of the earth, the site of His throne, the connecting link between earth and heaven.²⁵⁹

But there were other reasons why David wanted the Ark in Yerushalayim. Yes, he wanted to honor YHVH and give Him His rightful place as King of the nation. But David also had a secret desire in his heart to build a sanctuary for Ha’Shem (Psalm 132:1-5), and the first step would be to place the Ark right in the capital city. David knew that the LORD desired to put His Name there for His dwelling (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11 and 21, 14:23-24, 16:2, 6 and 26:2), and David hoped ADONAI would let him build it. David’s dream didn’t come true, but he did buy the land on which the Temple was built (Second Samuel 24:18-25), and he provided the Temple plans and the wealth and materials needed for its construction (First Chronicles 28-29). It was also David’s hope that past divisions and tribal differences would be forgotten as the people focused on the LORD. David’s intentions were good. However, one thing was missing: There is no record that David sought the mind of God in the matter. Relocating the Ark seemed like a wise thing to do and everybody was enthusiastic about doing it; however, the king didn’t follow his usual pattern of asking ADONAI for His direction.²⁶⁰

The First Stage: According to the Chronicler, only the idea and initiative was David’s, while the people as a whole took up the actual decision. This necessitated a long and rather complicated process. David again conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousand and commanders of hundreds. He had previously gathered his chosen military leaders when he marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites (Second Samuel 5:6). So once again he gathered his military leaders, showing his great regard for the ark of the Covenant. He then said to the whole assembly of Isra’el, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of ADONAI our God, let’s send messengers to the rest of our people in the land of Isra’el, and also the priest and Levites who are with them in their own towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. Let us bring the ark of God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Sha’ul.” The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people. The people were full partners in the consultation and the decision-making. From this point onward, the transfer of the Ark was not only David’s responsibility, but also that of the people, who seem to enjoy an independent position in relation to the king (First Chronicles 13:1-4).²⁶¹

So David assembled thirty thousand able young men of Isra’el, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. The extremely high number reflects the pageantry that the military procession, the orchestra and the choir contributed to this historic event. The Ark had last been mentioned in connection with the family of Abinadab, whose son Eleazar had taken care of it at Kiriath Jearim (First Samuel 7:1-2), but since then nearly fifty years had passed.²⁶² Therefore, David’s fetching of the ark was a fulfillment of Deuteronomy 26:1-4. There, YHVH said that He would choose a specific place in the Land for a dwelling place for His Name. Now that specific place was revealed. It was Jerusalem. He and all thirty thousand young men went to Ba’alah in Y’hudah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, YHVH, the name of ADONAI-Tzva’ot who is enthroned above the cherubim on the Ark (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace).

Then we are told about the procedure of carrying the Ark. In Exodus 25:14, the LORD commanded: Inset poles into the rings on the sides of the Ark to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this Ark – they are not to be removed. And Numbers 1:47-53 state it was only to be carried by Levites. More specifically, the Kohathite clan was responsible for the care of the ark of God. They could not touch the Ark, they could only carry it on the poles. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death. This process is explained three times in the book of Numbers (Numbers 3:20-31, 4:15, 7:9). Moshe, then, gave the Israelites a careful, detailed, procedure for carrying the Ark.

However, contrary to God’s Word, the Israelites set the ark of God on a new cart (First violation, not carried by poles) and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on a hill. Eleazar, to whose care the Ark had been committed is not mentioned here. Instead, his brothers Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it. The slow pace of the cart permitted David and all Isra’el to celebrate with all their might before YHVH, with all kinds of musical instruments made of cypress-wood, including harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles and cymbals. The scene is that of a crowded procession, the Ark in the middle surrounded by the people and the king, mobbing forward with singing and dancing. But the joyous celebration came to a tragic end. When they arrived at Nakon’s threshing floor, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God to steady it (Second violation, not to be touched). But ADONAI’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; and He struck Him down because he put his hand on the Ark. So he died there before God (Second Samuel 6:2-3 and 5 CJB; First Chronicles 13:7-8).

Up to this time, everything had been going well for David. But then he reacted angrily because the LORD’s intervention and the wrath had broken out against Uzzah. Therefore, he renamed the place Perez Uzzah, or the breach of Uzzah. Humiliated, David blamed God for the incident and decided against taking the Ark to Jerusalem at that time because he was afraid of YHVH that day. He said: How can the ark of God ever come to me? Implying that it had been better where it was. If Uzzah, Abinadab’s son, couldn’t handle the Ark, could anyone else? He was not willing to take the Ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite, a Levite of the Kohathite clan (First Chronicles 26:1 and 4-8). Entrusting the Ark to Obed-Edom was a clear sign of David’s resignation to the will of ADONAI. The ark of ADONAI remained in the house of Obed-Edom for three months, and God blessed his household and everything he had (Second Samuel 6:6-11; First Chronicles 13:9-14).

After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Having come to terms with the fact that he had presumed upon his relationship with God by failing to observe the regulations laid down by God’s Word, David took them seriously. Then David said: No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God because ADONAI chose them to carry it and to minister to Him forever (Deuteronomy 10:8 and 18:5; First Chronicles 15:1-2).

At the beginning of new eras in biblical history, ADONAI sometimes displays His power in judgment to remind the people that one thing has not changed: God’s people must obey God’s Word. After the Tabernacle was erected and the priestly ministry started, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for willingly trying to enter the sanctuary (Leviticus 10). When Isra’el entered the land of Canaan and began to conquer the Land, God had Achan stoned to death for disobeying His commandments and taking that which was set apart for destruction from Jericho (Joshua 6-7). During the early days of the messianic community, Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to YHVH and His people (Acts 5). Here, at the start of David’s reign in Tziyon, the LORD reminded His people that they were not to imitate other nations when they served Him. All they needed to know was His Word.

The congregations of God need to heed this reminder and return to the Word of God for an understanding of the will of God. No amount of unity or enthusiasm can compensate for disobedience. When God’s Word is done in mankind’s way and we imitate the world instead of obeying the Word, we can never expect the blessing of God. The crowds may approve what we do, but we serve an audience of One! The way of the world only leads to death.²⁶³

The Second Stage: King David was told, “The LORD had blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” News that Obed-Edom had experienced ADONAI’s blessing was a sign to David that he could go back and retrieve the Ark. There was no sin in moving it. The wrath had passed and it was not a result of the Ark. Therefore, David was then determined to do God’s work God’s way, he assembled all Isra’el in Yerushalayim to bring up the ark of ADONAI to the place he had prepared for it. He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites (Second Samuel 6:12a; First Chronicles 15:3-4).

Eight hundred and sixty-two Levites belonging to six different families were summoned to David to transport the Ark under the direction of six of their leaders and two priests. From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel was the leader and 120 kinsmen. According to Exodus 6:18 Kohath had four sons, Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. In the list below of Levitical descendants, Amram is represented by Uriel in this verse and by the priests in 15:11 who were descendants from his son Aaron (First Chronicles 15:5). Kohath Levitical descendants:

Eldest son of Levi (Exodus 6:16): From the descendants of Gershon, Joel was the leader and 130 kinsmen (First Chronicles 15:7).

Brother of Kohath and the third son of Levi (Exodus 6:16): From the descendants of Merai, Asaiah was the leader and 220 kinsmen (First Chronicles 15:6).

A leader of Kohathite clans at one time (Numbers 3:30), Uzziel may be represented by his son Elizaphan. From the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah was the leader and 200 kinsmen (First Chronicles 15:8). 

Third son of Kohath (First Chronicles 15:9): From the descendants of Hebron, Eliel was the leader and 80 kinsmen.

Fourth son of Kohath (First Chronicles 15:10): From the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab was the leader and 112 kinsmen.

Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. Only the two chief priests are named here. The remainder are detailed in verse 24 below. He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and keep away from all defilement: wash your bodies and clothes, abstain from sexual relations (Exodus 19:10 and 15), and bring up the ark of ADONAI the God of Isra’el, to the place I have prepared for it (First Chronicles 15:11-12).

The death of Uzziah caused David to reflect on the reason why he had died. It was because you, the Levites (the term also includes the priests), did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of Him about how to do it in the prescribed way. So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of ADONAI. David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians and to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals (First Chronicles 15:13-14 and 16).

So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, who was a son of Samuel the prophet; from his kinsmen, Asaph son of Berekiah, and from their kinsmen the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah, Jaazeil, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Minkneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeil, the gatekeepers (First Chronicles 15:17-18).

When the arrangements for a proper carrying of the Ark were complete, David’s attention turned to the organization of music that would accompany it. The three divisions of the musicians and singers: The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth, which is the superscription of Psalm 46. Alamoth may mean young women and the most probable explanation is instruments with a high-pitched tone. The suggestion that the reference is to a female choir cannot be entertained because nowhere is such a choir ever mentioned. And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom (Obed-Edom was a gatekeeper (First Chronicles 26:4), but in recognition of his faithful care of the Ark during the preceding three months, he was honored with a place among the harp players.²⁶⁴ Jeil and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith, which is the superscription of Psalm 6 and 12. The literal meaning is upon the eighth, meaning a lower octave or in the bass. Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it (First Chronicles 15:19-22).

Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasia, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. These were different than the shofar, which is a curved ram’s horn; the trumpet was a long, straight silver tube with a mouth like a cornet. The shofar was used mainly in war (Amos 3:6), and the trumpet on joyful occasions and feast days (Numbers 10:8). Obed-Edom and his brothers were also to be gatekeepers for the ark (First Chronicles 15:23-24).

So David, the elders of Isra’el, the officers of the army, and a great multitude of people (Psalm 132:7-8) took the ten mile trip (twenty miles total) up and back, to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders as Moshe had commanded. When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken the first six steps, they knew that they were carrying the Ark in the proper manner and that YHVH was pleased with what they were doing. When the procession reached the tent in Jerusalem, the Levites sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams as sin offering, and a fatted calf as a fellowship offering (Second Samuel 6:12b-13; First Chronicles 15:15 and 25-26).

Now David was wearing a white linen ephod as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. The ephod worn by the priests was a much simpler version of the ornate ephod worn by the high priest (see the commentary on Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet Yarn). It normally consisted of two pieces: first, a white linen cape that rested on the shoulders in front and behind, and secondly, a white linen sash fastened around his waist. However, David only wore the linen sash. He was the King of a Kingdom of priests, so he could wear the linen sash on this special occasion. He seemed to have removed the outer cape and danced (Hebrew karar meaning whirling) before YHVH with all his might in his sash while he and all Isra’el were bringing up the ark of God with shouts and the sound of trumpets, shofar’s, cymbals, lyres and harps (Second Samuel 6:14-15; First Chronicles 15:27-28). David apparently used an old ritual dance in agreement with all the obligations of the Torah. His dress was especially fitting for the festival ceremony. There was nothing immodest about the priestly white linen sash. David fought and won the battle against pride when he choose to humble himself in wearing the priest’s sash when he could have chosen to be dressed in kingly royal robes. Greater than defeating an army militarily is a humble heart.

Today many messianic synagogues use Davidic dancing to enhance their worship to ADONAI. It is a beautiful, majestic offering; the sweet aroma of worship from a grateful people to their God. Davidic dancing got its name when David danced before the LORD when bringing the Ark to Tziyon, but dancing as a form of worship predates David. When Ha’Shem destroyed Pharaoh’s army in the Sea of Reeds, Miriam the prophetess took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing (see the commentary on Exodus Cl – Then Miriam the Prophetess Took a Tambourine in Her Hand), and also see dancing in Judges 11:34; Jeremiah 31:13; Psalms 150:3-4 and Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 4.

At the moment of David’s triumph, when the Ark had successfully entered Tziyon, his wife Michal took exception to all the excitement. As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Sha’ul was watching from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before ADONAI, she despised him in her heart because she mistook his holy zeal for exhibitionism (Second Samuel 6:16; First Chronicles 15:29). David danced humbly before ADONAI. Not in underwear, but in the simple linen girdle that everyone serving YHVH would wear. This was a humble person’s attire, not sinful or shameful. Michal accused David of dancing like a common man and beneath his station in life, with no robe or crown to set him off as more important than others. The simplest servants of God wore a white linen ephod. She despised him for the very qualities that made him great, namely devotion to the LORD and spontaneity of worship. Could that have been the real reason she was so displeased? We shall see.

They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, a temporary tent structure, while the Tabernacle itself (see the commentary on Exodus Ex – The Tabernacle) remained in Gibeon (First Chronicles 16:39). Only after Solomon had built the Temple was the Tabernacle, the Ark and all the sacred furnishings brought to Jerusalem (First Kings 8:4). But from this point forward in David’s reign the presence of the ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem ensured that the City of David was where worship should be offered because it was where the LORD, God of Isra’el, was pleased to make His Name known.²⁶⁵

And David sacrificed burnt offerings (see the commentary on Exodus Fe – The Burnt Offering) and fellowship offerings (see my commentary on Exodus Fg – The Peace Offering) before YHVH. After David had finished sacrificing, he blessed the people in the name of ADONAI-Tzva’ot, claiming for them all the blessings that ADONAI had pronounced on His covenant people (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6-11). Then he gave a loaf of unleavened bread (used only in a sacrificial context as seen in Exodus 29:2; Leviticus 2:4; Numbers 6:15), a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman. All these were ritual in nature and showed the people that they were participating in a religious feast. And all the people went to their own homes (Second Samuel 6:17-19; First Chronicles 16:1-3). What a wonderful day for David so far.

The Estrangement of David and Michal: After David blessed the people of Isra’el, he returned home, full of all the joy of achievement and of the excitement of future blessings for his family and city, only to be greeted by his disapproving wife. But Micah daughter of Sha’ul came out to meet him and said: How the king of Isra’el has distinguished himself today, going around uncovered in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would do (Second Samuel 6:20)! This seemly exchange reminds us of Job’s wife’s less than confirming comment to her husband: Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die (Job 2:9). But that wasn’t the real reason Michal was upset.

David did not mince words in his reply. Instead of being blessed, she was cursed. He knew the real reason she was mad and said to her, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when He appointed me ruler of YHVH’s people (Second Samuel 6:21a). The derogatory reference to her father and family, though true, were sure to hurt, with the insistence on the contrast between Sha’ul and himself. And the LORD said to David, “You will shepherd My people Isra’el, and you will become their ruler” (Second Samuel 5:2; First Chronicles 11:2). This election promise, precious to David and the people of Isra’el, was, however, the real source of conflict for Michal. She could not accept the divine promise, which the slave girls joyously celebrated. So like her father before her, she found herself working against God.²⁶⁶

David did not regret what he had done. Therefore, he said: I will celebrate before ADONAI. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” There are times to be calm, and times to be enthusiastic; but would it be a good thing to give all your coldness to Messiah and all your enthusiasm to the world? Their relationship was irrevocably broken. David apparently separated from her and Michal had no children to the day of her death (Second Samuel 6:21b-23). So there was no succession to the throne from the house of Sha’ul. The next king could have been her son . . . now it will be Bathsheba’s son.²⁶⁷

There is nothing more important in any life than the constantly enjoyed presence of ADONAI. There is nothing more vital, for without it we shall make mistakes, and without it we shall find no joy. Without the sense of His abiding presence and a place of constant communion and fellowship, how far wrong we will go.²⁶⁸

David’s Powerful Reign
Second Samuel 6:1 to 8:18

As the story of David’s accession to the kingship over Y’hudah (Second Samuel 1:1 to 3:5) parallels that of his accession to the throne of Y’sra’el (3:6 to 5:16), each concluding with a list of his sons (3:2-5 and 5:13-16), so the account of his powerful reign (5:17 to 8:18) parallels that of his court history, each concluding with a roster of his officials (8:15-18 and 20:23-26).

The narratives seen here is especially representative of those early chapters of Second Samuel that describe David and the blessing of ADONAI. A key verse in that regard, highlighting the blessing of the LORD on David and his reign, is Second Samuel 7:29, containing the final emphatic words of David’s prayer: So may it please You to bless the family of your servant and thereby cause it to continue forever in Your presence. For You, Adonai ELOHIM, have said it. May Your servant’s family be blessed forever by Your blessing.

A. David Defeats the Philistines (Second Samuel 5:17-25)

B. The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim (Second Samuel 6:1-23)

C. The LORD’s Covenant with David (Second Samuel 7:1-17)

B. David’s Prayer to ADONAI (Second Samuel 7:18-29)

A. David’s Victories (Second Samuel 8:15-18)

Children Born to David in Yerushalayim
Second Samuel 5: 13-16;
First Chronicles 3:5-8 and 14:3-7

Children born to David in Yerushalayim DIG: How many sons did David have in Hebron? How many in Jerusalem? Why weren’t the daughters recorded? Why weren’t the sons and daughters of his concubines recorded? How many children do you think David had?

REFLECT: The Torah commanded the king of Isra’el: Do not take many wives, or your heart will be led astray (Deuteronomy 17:17a). How do you think David rationalized God’s Word? Why do you think the Ruach ha-Kodesh put it there to begin with? Have you ignored verses in God’s Word because you didn’t want to obey? How did that work out for you? ADONAI wants all of you. He wants you to trust Him with your sex life, your checkbook, your thoughts, with everything you own or have. Are you still ignoring verses of the Bible? Why don’t you make a list of the things you still won’t surrender to His will? Are you willing to take your hands off the steering wheel of your life and put Yeshua in the driver’s seat?

The mention of David’s royal palace and his alliance with Hiram (to see link click Co – David Conquers Yerushalayim) offered the narrator an opportunity to mention David’s family. Deuteronomy 17:17 prohibited Isra’el’s king from taking many wives, but David continued to disregard this commandment, as did Solomon after him (First Kings 11:1-4). Both paid dearly for their disobedience. David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters. This was in addition to the seven wives and six sons, and unknown number of daughters he already had in Hebron (see Ch – Sons Were Born to David in Hebron). No mention is made of the concubines because their sons would not have been eligible in the succession to the throne, and no mention is made of his many daughters except Tamar (see Dh – Amnon and Tamar) because they also would not have been eligible.

David’s first six sons were born in Hebron, and thirteen more were born in Yerushalayim. These are the names of the sons born to him there. Four sons were born from Bathsheba: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. From the line of these last two sons come Joseph and Miriam. Nathan was the ancestor of Miriam, the mother of Jesus, who is named in the genealogy in Luke. Solomon, who succeeded David as king, was the ancestor of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus in the genealogy in Matthew (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary). 

David’s other wives, who are not named, bore him thirteen more sons: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada (otherwise known as Beeliada) and Eliphelet. David ended up with nineteen named sons and an unknown number of daughters. Fathering so many children meant that David’s focus may have often turned to intimacy with his wives. All these were the sons of David, besides an unknown number of daughters born to his wives, and an unknown number of sons and daughters born by his concubines in Hebron and Jerusalem. David could have easily had fifty or sixty children. Tamar is mentioned in the biblical account only because she will be prominent in the story of the disintegration of David’s family (2 Samuel 5:13-16; First Chronicles 3:5-8 and 14:3-7).

David had a lust problem. It started at Hebron about 1010 BC and culminated with his sin with Bathsheba (see Dc – David and Bathsheba) about 984. So it would merely be the climax of something that had gone on in his life for about 26 years. His passionate nature had great potential for both good and evil. His many wives in Jerusalem were merely a foreshadowing of things to come.

David Conquers Yerushalayim
Second Samuel 5:6-12,
First Chronicles 11:4-9 and 14:1-2

David conquers Yerushalayim DIG: Who were the Jebusites as portrayed in Judges 1:21 and 19:10-12? How close was that era to this? Do they show similar characteristics? What? How did David react? Why was David so successful in conquering the city? For whose sake?

REFLECT: If you had absolute assurance that “ADONAI was with you,” how would your life be affected? What fears would be eliminated? What new ministry would you start? What old habits could you break? How has God blessed you to be a blessing?

1003 BC

On that day ADONAI made a covenant with Abram and said: To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and the Jebusites (Genesis 15:18-21).

Although Judah seems to have gained a temporary occupation of at least part of the City, the Jebusites had not been dislodged from the citadel and gained possession of it until their defeat by David. Standing on a rocky plateau, surrounded on three sides by deep valleys and fortified by deep walls, Jerusalem was considered by the Jebusites, and later by the Hebrews, to be virtually unconquerable. The old Jebusite city of Jerusalem lay outside the walls of the present city, on a ridge known as the Ophel that extends southeast of the ancient Temple. Far and away the most important city in the Bible, Yerushalayim is mentioned there more often than any other. Geographically and theologically it is located in the center of the nations (Ezeki’el 5:5).²⁵³

David Conquered Jerusalem: Joab son of Zeruiah, one of David’s nephews, climbed up through a tunnel that led from a subterranean water shaft outside the City (to see a video of how David conquered Jerusalem, click here). Known as Warren’s Shaft, discovered in 1867 by British engineer Sir Charles Warren. It’s a tunnel about 230 feet in length that runs from the spring of Gihon (Second Chronicles 32:30) to the top of the hill on which the ancient fortress of Tziyon must have been situated. This network of natural channels and shafts in the limestone and sedimentary rock lay beneath Tziyon. The purpose of the tunnel was to enable the garrison to draw water from the spring in the event of siege. Therefore, it was not through primary planning, but by means of skillful adaptation of these pre-existing natural features that Yerushalayim was ensured of a dependable water supply, yet at the same time, provided Joab a means of entering the city and conquering it.²⁵⁴ The Israelites made their way through it into the fortress and surprised the Jebusites.

David and all the Israelites marched to Yerushalayim to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites were one of the minority peoples of Canaan, frequently mentioned in connection with Jerusalem, which was also known as Jebus (Judges 19:10). The Jebusites considered themselves to be impregnable. They boasted to David, “You cannot get in here; even the blind and lame can ward you off (Second Samuel 5:6; First Chronicles 11:4-5a). Capturing Tziyon was something that neither Joshua (Joshua 15:63) nor the Judges who followed him had been able to do. Judah temporarily captured Jebus (Judges 1:8) and it was later given to the tribe of Benjamin, but Benjamin failed to take it (Judges 1:21). Many think that Jerusalem is within the tribal territory of Judah, but it is actually in the tribal territory of Benjamin. It was a city that even Benjamin could never conquer.

The overconfident Jebusites, however, did not reckon with the skill and determination of David and the power and might of David’s God. Against all odds, God enabled David to capture the fortress of Tziyon (not to be confused with modern Mount Tziyon, which is further to the west) – which is the City of David (Second Samuel 5:7; First Chronicles 11:5b). This verse makes it clear that originally the site of Tziyon was identical with that of the Jebusite fortress on the Ophel ridge. The name was afterwards transferred to that part of the ancient city of Jerusalem north of the Ophel on which stood the Temple and the royal palace built by Solomon.

This is the first occurrence of the name and word Tziyon in the TaNaKh. Originally, the word Tziyon was applied to Mount Ophel, where the Jebusite Jerusalem was located. The word Tziyon was later extended to the mountain behind Mount Ophel, or Mount Moriah, and still later extended to the whole City. The narrator goes onto say that Tziyon is also called the City of David because it was his private property by right of conquest. It belonged to the family of David and his successors. As a result, it was independent of any tribe, and avoided any tribal jealousy over the sight of the capital. Likewise, in America the White House is in the District of Columbia and not in any particular state.

Having established the most important fact . . . that David made the City his own, the narrator allows himself a brief account on how the stronghold was captured. On that day David had said: Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft [see Warren’s Shaft above] to reach the Jebusites and whoever leads the attack will become commander-in-chief. Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command of the new united army of the monarchy. Having entered Yerushalayim by use of the water shaft, David’s men overwhelmed the Jebusites, the enemies of the recently anointed king (Second Samuel 5:8; First Chronicles 11:6).

But David’s defeat of the Jebusites did not mean that he wiped them off of the face of the earth. On the evidence of the friendly negotiations between David and Araunah in Second Samuel 18-25, and David’s insistence on paying a fair price for the Jebusite threshing-floor rather than taking possession of it as conqueror, it can be suggested that there was no outright slaughter of the Jebusites or any attempt to oust them from their stronghold. Jerusalem is usually described as a city-state, and after they defeated the Jebusites, it remained a city-state. The coming of David only meant a change of city ruler. The inhabitants remained, but their fortress had become the personal possession of David and was under his control.²⁵⁵

The New Capital of the United Kingdom: The capital was then moved from Hebron to Jerusalem. David then took up permanent residence in the fortress and called it the City of David by right of conquest, which had no established connections with any one tribe. Transcending tribal rivalries, it made the unity of the nation possible. He built up the area around it to make it larger than when he first captured it, from the terraces inward. It was built at the highest point of the extreme northern end of the City of David and served as the foundation of a two-thousand-square-foot level platform that the “fortress of Tziyon was later constructed.²⁵⁶ Much later King Hezekiah would strengthen it even further in preparation for the Assyrian invasion (Second Chronicles 22:5). And even within Tziyon there was more leveling to be done in order to make building possible. Joab restored the rest of the City (Second Samuel 5:9; First Chronicles 11:7-9).

Ultimately, David’s continuing progress was not because of his gifts that were no doubt great, but to his spiritual resources. He became more and more powerful because ADONAI-Tzva’ot was with him (Psalm 46:5, 7 and 11). Hiram king of Tyre, a contemporary of David who ruled for only seven years and probably the father of Solomon’s close ally, sent envoys to David as a friendship treaty along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a royal palace for David. Then David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Isra’el and had exalted his kingdom, not for himself personally, but for the sake of the people of Isra’el (Second Samuel 5:10-12; First Chronicles 14:1-2). David kept from exaggerating his own importance (Deuteronomy 17:20) and from extravagant policies involving oppressive taxation unlike Rehoboam (First Kings 12:11), his own son Solomon and Eliakim (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Bz – Concerning Eliakim, Otherwise Known as King Jehoiakim).

David was then securely settled in his own city. This rise was God’s doing. David, in contrast to Sha’ul, became greater and greater, because YHVH had been with him every step of the way. David’s heart was set firmly on following Ha’Shem and David did not let his new power as king change his heart for the LORD. God was God . . . and David was his humble servant. In the end, it is ADONAI’s guiding providence that works in David’s favor.

If we stay inside the book of Samuel, we have come to an ending. David is now secure. In some important ways this appears to be the high point of the delight, nerve and appeal of David. He had shown great faith and trust in God in extremely hard trials that lasted for years. What would David do now that he had become king? The LORD had defeated David’s enemies, killed off the previous reigning king, Sha’ul, and twice God worked in allowing the Sha’ul’s next son in line to reign, to be killed off. It was God who orchestrated the deaths of the previous king and his family. Thus, David came to the throne with clean hands in regard to ending the dynasty of the previous king. David’s dynasty would continue on the throne of the southern kingdom of Judah for almost four hundred years, till the Babylonian exile. That is so different from the Northern kingdom of Isra’el, which had nine dynasties in almost two hundred years, with each new dynasty killing off all the inhabitants of the previous ruler.

David gave the glory for his success to YHVH. We have learned that David became famous after returning from the battle with Edom (Second Samuel 8:13a). But even when David was successful in battle, he refused to touch the glory (see Cx – David’s Victories). In Psalm 60:12, he says: With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies. David knew what to do with fame. When the people applauded his name and reputation, he brought the glory right back where it belonged, and said, “ADONAI, You have done it all.” We would do well to do the same.

David not only honored God in his humble attitude giving ADONAI all the glory for battles, but He also gave all the treasures from his victories to build God’s Temple. When David was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies, David’s thoughts didn’t turn to more buildings for himself, wisely David’s heart led him to seek to honor YHVH by seeking to build a place for the ark of God (see Cr – The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim). Though God did not allow David to build the Temple because David was a warrior and had shed blood, still David sought how he could please Ha’Shem with all of his possessions. David provided resources for the Temple of his God; gold, silver, bronze, iron and wood, as well as onyx, turquoise, stones of various colors and all kinds of fine stones stone and marble – all these in large quantities. Besides providing all these many resources, David’s devotion to God led him to give from his personal treasures of gold and silver, over above all he had already provided for the Temple: three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver (First Chronicles 29:2-5). Not only did he give of his own personal wealth, he also called on the leaders to be willing to consecrate themselves and give to the LORD. Then the leaders also gave gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones. As a result, the people rejoiced at the willing response of the leaders (First Chronicles 29:6-9). David’s wholehearted joyful and abundant giving to ADONAI was a model, which encouraged his leaders to also give willingly and wholeheartedly. His example paved the way for rejoicing. Both the people and David the king rejoiced greatly.

David reigned over all Isra’el and beyond, doing what was just (Second Samuel 8:15a). His circumstances might have changed, but David remained a humble servant of ADONAI. The Ruach ha-Kodesh is saying that, on the whole, David exercised his royal office in the proper way. He asserts the general tone, not the near perfection of David’s rule. David was doing what a godly king was supposed to do (Psalms 72 and 101). In the larger picture of biblical faith, the establishment of David in Jerusalem is not an ending but the beginning of a new life for Isra’el. The establishment of both David and Yerushalayim open up new possibilities for the future and gave Isra’el a new theological conviction about what God could, and would, do in the future.²⁵⁷

Clearly the hope of a New Jerusalem explodes beyond the realities of the Life of David. As believers, many of us travel to the City of David to walk in the dust of our Great Rabbi. But even more than that, we look forward to the Messianic Kingdom where the resurrected David will be given the dual titles of king and prince. He will be a king because he will rule over Isra’el (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezeki’el 34:23-24, 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5), and he will be a prince because he will be under the authority of Christ (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom).

David Defeats the Philistines
Second Samuel 5:17-25
and First Chronicles 14:8-17

David defeats the Philistines DIG: What did David’s victories here do to the long-range plans of the Philistines? What would have happened if David had lost these battles? What changed the Philistines view of him? What strategic steps did David take to ensure success against the Philistines? What significance for a revived Isra’el do you see in his action, prayers, speech, removal of pagan idols, and obedience to YHVH?

REFLECT: Do you inquire of the LORD when making important decisions? David’s first victory was insufficient. How do you react when “your best shot” requires a second effort? Give up? Try something new? What factors help you tune in better to ADONAI’s game plan? What idols have you gotten rid of lately? The second time the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim, David might have reasoned that he had guidance the first time, so he didn’t need to ask ADONAI again. How wrong he would have been! Ponder the implications of this for your own life.

1002-1001 BC

As long as David was only king of Judah, the Philistines were content to tolerate his rule, but when he was proclaimed king over all Isra’el and captured Jerusalem and made it his capital, he became too powerful to be trusted. At that point they stopped tolerating David’s exploits and saw him as a serious threat to their power. Therefore, they made two concerted efforts to divide his territory and weaken his effectiveness.

David’s decisive campaign against the Philistines, which freed Isra’el from all further danger of the domination, reduced the ancient foe to the status of a minor power and destroyed once and for all their hopes of dominating the Mediterranean seaboard, is briefly described. Had the Philistines been successful in defeating David at the beginning of his reign over the united tribes, it is doubtful whether he would have been able to command the allegiance that enhanced his reputation among the peoples of the region. Isaiah made a passing reference to David’s victories (Isaiah 28:21) and expected it to be immediately meaningful, more than two centuries later. For Isra’el it must have had the same emotional effect as the Battle of Britain and the D-Day landings during the Second World War.²⁵¹

The First Campaign: Once more the Philistines! Both armies relied on military intelligence reports as they deployed their forces, when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Isra’el, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold at Masada by the Dead Sea, about thirty-five miles southwest of Adullam. The Hebrew word mesuda means fortress or stronghold. (Second Samuel 5:17; First Chronicles 14:8a). But this time they knew that David was not merely a rival to Ish-Bosheth, and furthermore, the capture of Jerusalem let them know that he was no longer their vassal. As the sole ruler of Isra’el, David was challenging their control over the entire area and was their enemy. David’s retreat to Masada suggests that his tactics were to resort to the kind of guerrilla warfare that he had been accustomed.

Now the Philistines had come and spread out and raided the Valley of Rephaim, a broad upland plain extending for some three miles southwest of Jerusalem. Their purpose was to attack at the point where David’s fortifications were arguably the weakest, for this was an area that the Israelites had not yet been able to build up their defenses. Their purpose was to capture Yerushalayim and crush David before he got any stronger. So David, as always, inquired of the LORD by means of the Urim and Thummin that gave only “yes” or “no” answers (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). He asked: Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands? ADONAI answered him with a one-word answer: Yes. In effect, saying: For I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands (Second Samuel 5:18-19; First Chronicles 14:9-10).

Therefore, David and his men went out to meet them at Ba’al Perazim, and there he defeated them. The name of the place commemorates the fact that David was able to break through the enemy lines so decisively, as waters break through a dam, that it seemed to him as if YHVH had broken through ahead of him. So that place was called Ba’al Perazim or Lord of the breakthrough. In full retreat from the forces of Isra’el, the Philistines abandoned their idols there. Far from saving the Philistines, those idols couldn’t even save themselves! This time it was the Philistines leaving their gods behind, rather than the Jews leaving the ark of the Covenant behind (First Samuel 4:1-11). So David and his men carried them off the battlefield, and in obedience to the Torah (Deuteronomy 7:5 and 25), burned them in the fire (Second Samuel 5:20-21; First Chronicles 14:8b and 11-12).

The Second Campaign: On another occasion, the Philistines came up again because the first defeat was not decisive enough for them. And once again they spread out in the Valley of Rephaim to attempt to capture Jerusalem. So David inquired of the prophet Nathan. He did not take for granted that his God-given strategy in the first battle would succeed a second time, nor did he trust his own expertise. So he asked anew for guidance and ADONAI answered: Do not go directly after them, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. This surprise attack from the rear would have the advantage of cutting off the Philistine retreat route. As soon as you hear the sound of marching (the wind would make the sound of marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees), move to battle quickly, because that will mean YHVH has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army. David needed to move quickly with the Ruach ha-Kodesh if he was to fulfill God’s purpose to defeat the enemy. There was a time for waiting and a time for action. David knew the difference (Second Samuel 5:22-24; First Chronicles 14:13-15).

David accomplished what Sha’ul had failed to achieve because David did as ADONAI-Tzva’ot commanded him and triumphed once again. Obedience was the secret to David’s success just as disobedience caused Sha’ul to fail. Indeed, David was in a rare company of people, rare even in the Bible, of whom it could be said that they did as YHVH commanded them. And he struck down the Philistine army all the way from Gibeon near the Valley of Rephaim to Gezer, a distance of about sixteen miles. The defeated Philistines, knowing that their direct line of retreat westwards was blocked by David’s army, had to make a detour northwards to Gibeon before they could turn downhill towards the Valley of Rephaim and on to Gezer. This time the battle was so decisive that from that time on the Philistines ceased to be a serious menace to Isra’el.²⁵² Therefore, David’s fame spread throughout every land, and ADONAI made all the nations fear him (Second Samuel 5:25; First Chronicles 14:16-17).

Joab Murders Abner
Second Samuel 3: 22-39

Joab Murders Abner DIG: Why didn’t Joab trust Abner, while David did? What was the public reason that Joab murdered Abner? What was the private reason? Why wasn’t Abner more suspicious of Joab? Why did David feel the need to declare his innocence? What surprises you about David’s reaction to Abner’s death? What impact does David’s sincerity have on both Y’hudah and Y’sra’el? Why do you think David declined to punish Joab at that time but commanded Solomon to kill him later on (First Kings 2:5-6)?

REFLECT: When it comes to trusting others are you more like Joab or David? Why? Like Joab, where are you tempted to go against the wishes of those in authority over you? Like Joab, when have you been tempted to act in a cunning or deceitful way to gratify your need for revenge? Like David, where are you showing your sincere forgiveness of those who once opposed you? Why do we instinctively admire sincerity (as seen in David) and despise deceit (as seen in Joab)?

1010 to 1003 BC

Everything was settled between David, Abner and Isra’el. A fourth factor, however, had entered the drama. It was Joab (Second Samuel 2:18). Joab was tough, hard, and utterly loyal to David. However, he was jealous of his own role as the general of David’s army. In this scene, Joab had just come back from a raid for plunder, apparently continuing David’s earlier practice (First Samuel 27:8-12). He was a man who didn’t overthink things. He was a man of action and wasn’t much inclined to plan, bargain or negotiate. He was a man of the sword who believed that a little well-placed killing would go further than a lot of words.

Joab’s Argument with David: Just then, Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace with David’s blessing. When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told (who whom we don’t know) that Abner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace. Joab, however, did not want peace. Joab wanted Abner destroyed, not welcomed like a partner. Eliminated, not welcomed into the government in Hebron. Joab believed that his and David’s interests were the same. And moreover, he believed David didn’t need Abner.²³¹

Livid, Joab went to the king and demanded: What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Why wasn’t he executed? Now he is gone! Joab was nervous when he saw David become “soft” and prepared to negotiate. The public reason for Joab’s fury was that it was his job to protect the king and he didn’t trust Abner. Therefore, he proceeded to tell David what he thought Abner’s true motivation was: You should have known Abner came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing (Second Samuel 3:22-25). So Joab accused Abner of not really coming to make peace with David, or to make David king over all Isra’el, but rather, the only reason he came was to discover the weaknesses of Jerusalem so he could plan his attack.

Remarkably, David did not answer. Joab had never been easy to deal with (Second Samuel 3:39), and the fact that he was a relative made the situation even more difficult. The dynamics of David’s family – the multiple wives, the many children, and the various relatives in places of authority – created endless problems for the king, and they weren’t easy to solve. David’s silence wasn’t that of agreement, because he didn’t agree with his general; it was the silence of restraint and the evidence of a deep desire to put the nation back together again. David wasn’t promoting “peace at any price,” because he was a man of integrity; but he wasn’t prepared to let his impetuous general conduct a personal vendetta in his name. The sentiment of Psalm 120 could certainly apply to David’s situation.²³²

Joab’s Murder of Abner: Joab acted with speed. He left David and sent messengers after Abner (probably in the name of the king, or Abner would have been more cautious), and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. Three times David had dismissed Abner in peace and had promised him immunity. Why should he be suspicious? So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab met him at the gate and took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed Abner (Hebrew: chomesh) under the fifth rib, ironically in the same place he had stabbed Asahel. Abner never saw Joab’s dagger until it was too late – it had been hidden behind David’s promise. And he died. Hence, Joab committed the most sinister form of treachery (Second Samuel 3:26-27).²³³ David was unaware of the entire ugly mess.

Everything about Abner’s death was wrong. Abner had defended himself against Asahel in the heat of battle, but Joab violated the Torah and used deception to murder Abner (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dp – You Shall Not Murder). Hebron was a sanctuary city (Numbers 35:6-7 and Joshua 20:7-8), where an accused murderer could get a fair trial, but Joab never gave the elders in Hebron a chance to hear Abner’s case. Asahel’s death (see Cg – War Between the Houses of David and Sha’ul: The Death of Asahel) occurred in broad daylight where everybody could witness what happened; however, Abner was deceived and led into the shadows.²³⁴

Joab had a public and a private reason for murdering Abner. The public reason was that this was just not any “Abner.” He was Abner the son of Ner, a cousin of Sha’ul, who must therefore be an opponent of David. The reasoning was that Abner had doubtless come to Hebron for the sole purpose of learning everything that might well prove useful in a future attack by Ish-Bosheth.²³⁵ But in Second Samuel 3:30 we see the private reason for Abner’s assassination was that Joab and his brother Abishai murdered him because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

David’s first response to the killing was to assert his own innocence: My kingdom and I are forever innocent before ADONAI concerning the blood of Abner. The only serious threat to David’s Kingdom was bloodguilt. David could defeat external enemies, for he could manage such enemies. His danger was from bloodguilt, which was not so manageable. It was possible for blood to cry out for vengeance until it was satisfied (see the commentary on Genesis Bj – Your Brother’s Blood Cries Out to Me from the Ground). He had carefully, but not easily, avoided bloodguilt with Sha’ul twice (First Samuel 24:12 and First Samuel 26:18), and with Nabal (First Samuel 25:33). David didn’t want any part of such guilt.²³⁶

This was a public denial that he had any involvement in the murder, which is the real point of the narrative. It was necessary because Joab was the general of David’s army and it might have been assumed that he acted under David’s orders. Then as he wove the tapestry of his curse against Joab, David’s affinity for colorful language is clearly seen: May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a bodily discharge.²³⁷ Such a person would be perpetually unclean and therefore barred from worship (Leviticus 15:2), as would a person with leprosy. One who leans on a crutch implies disability, or who falls by the sword or who lacks food (Second Samuel 3:28-29). These five afflictions would be signs of the LORD’s righteous judgment on Joab’s action, and future generations would note how the curse was fulfilled.²³⁸

David’s Lament over Abner: Then David said to Joab and all the men in his army, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” Joab himself is forced to follow all of the mourning procedures. This must have been a bitter pill for the proud Joab to swallow. Because Joab and Abishai were among the official mourners, it’s likely that many of the people didn’t know that they were the murderers. David didn’t call them to trial, and it’s likely that his curse against Joab was spoken privately to his inner council. He tried to shield them as much as possible, even though they didn’t deserve it.²³⁹ This was a form of discipline on David’s part, but he did not go far enough and remove Joab as general of his army. This failure will cause David more grief later on in his rule. King David himself walked behind Abner’s casket. This showed everyone how he viewed Abner and his death. David further honored Abner by burying him in the royal city of Hebron and not taking him back to Benjamin. And the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also (Second Samuel 3:31-32).

The king sang this lament for Abner in his sorrow: Should Abner have died as criminals die? The answer was “No,” Abner died a death he did not deserve. Your hands were not bound and your feet were not fettered. Abner was not bound like a criminal, nor did he die a criminal’s death. You fell as one falls before the wicked. This was a direct reference to Joab, yet refrained from calling him a murderer. David said just enough to convey his own regret and to express public grief without incriminating anyone in a capital crime.²⁴⁰ And all the people wept over Abner again. Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying: May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets (Second Samuel 3:33-35). By the sincerity of his grief, David cleared himself of all suspicion of his involvement in the murder, not only in the eyes of the people of Judah, but also in the eyes of the people of the northern Kingdom.

All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. So on that day all the people in Judah and all the people in Isra’el knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner. But leaving nothing to chance, the words to his servants were no doubt meant for mass consumption and quotation: Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Isra’el this day.” And today, although I am the anointed king, I am weak (Second Samuel 3:36-39a). The word weak (Hebrew: rak meaning tender) doesn’t suggest that David wasn’t strong enough to be king, but that he was restrained and gentle in contrast to the harsh approach of his nephews. David had experienced God’s gentleness (Second Samuel 22:36), and he tried to deal with others as YHVH had dealt with him.

This explains why David did not punish Joab for his crime. Like Abner, Joab was the general of the army and powerful in his own right. But this was a lack of leadership on David’s part and would foreshadow problems to come. For all his discipline as a military commander David was undisciplined in his sex life (see Dc – David and Bathsheba), which he unfortunately passed on to his son Solomon (Deuteronomy 17:17), and in addition, he did not discipline his children (see Ch – Son’s Were Born to David in Hebron), which would cause him and his family no end of trouble. And these sons of Zeruiah (Joab and his brother Abishai) are too strong for me. These relatives of his took too much upon themselves, acting without the king’s authorization and against his wishes. But as he had done with Sha’ul, David looked to ADONAI to work out His justice in the matter. May ADONAI repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds (Second Samuel 3:39b).

David Anointed King Over All Isra’el
Second Samuel 5:1-5
and First Chronicles 11:1-3

David anointed king over all Isra’el DIG: What were the three reasons that the elders of Isra’el believe in David as their king? What is significant about the age of thirty? What about the number forty? What had David’s life been like since he was first anointed by Samuel (to see link click Ah – Samuel Anoints David)? And now? How would David misuse his role as shepherd?

REFLECT: Which promises of ADONAI are you still patiently waiting to see fulfilled in your lifetime? Have you ever moved to a new city to start a new life? Have you ever been abused by a tyrannical despot, posing as a shepherd? How did you react? How did you appeal for help? Was Christ your advocate? What did that experience teach you? Don’t waste your sorrows. How can you help others in that same situation?

1003 BC
David began his 32.5 year reign over a United Kingdom

Abner had already prepared the way for the elders of the northern tribes of Isra’el, including Benjamin, to make David their king (Second Samuel 3:17-19). Though Abner did not live to see the ceremony, the representatives of the tribes of Isra’el appeared to have lost no time in assembling in Hebron to swear allegiance to David.²⁴⁵

All twelve tribes of Isra’el came to David at Hebron. With Ish-Bosheth gone, there was no opposition to a united monarchy. They gave three reasons for desiring David as their king. First, we are your own flesh and blood (Deuteronomy 17:15). This was a statement of loyalty, initiating and affirming a treaty relationship and anticipated a covenant-making scene (Second Samuel 5:1; First Chronicles 11:1).

Secondly, David was Isra’el’s best military leader. In the days of the prophet Samuel, the elders of Isra’el had demanded a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles (1 Samuel 8:20). Initially, they thought that person would be Sha’ul, but now as they looked back they realized that while Sha’ul was king over us, you were the one who led Isra’el on their military campaigns over the Philistines and have proved yourself as a military leader (First Samuel 18:30; Second Samuel 5:2a; First Chronicles 11:2a).

Thirdly, and most impressive of all, they believed that the LORD said to David, “You will shepherd My people Isra’el” (Second Samuel 5:2b; First Chronicles 11:2b). Therefore, David became the model of the shepherd-king (Psalm 78:70; Ezekiel 34:23, 37:24), and it is not surprising that David’s greater son, Jesus Christ, should be introduced frequently as the good Shepherd (Yochanan 10:11), the great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20, and the Chief Shepherd (First Peter 5:4), the One who provides for His sheep everything that is needed for abundant life.²⁴⁶

Needless to say, a benevolent shepherd can change into a tyrannical despot. Forgetting that he is supposed to lead his sheep to green pastures, he can drive them mercilessly and trample them underfoot (Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezeki’el 34:1-10; Zechariah 11:4-17). It was not an accident that Nathan’s parable utilized the shepherd-sheep motif to indict David (to see link click Dd – Nathan Rebukes David). In the episode of Bathsheba and Uriah, David abused his role as shepherd at enormous cost. In the beginning David could do no wrong (Second Samuel 3:36). With the passage of time, however, his power became increasingly seductive and intoxicating – to the detriment of himself, his family, and his people.

And you will become their ruler (Second Samuel 5:2c; First Chronicles 11:2c). The title of ruler provided a convenient transition between judgeship on the one hand (see the book of Judges) and kingship on the other. David did not go north to Isra’el’s elders in Mahanaim – they came to him in Hebron. Their need for him was greater than his need for them. When the moment arrived, it was the king who initiated the covenant embodying the mutual rights and duties of the ruler and the ruled. To the Hebrews, with their love of freedom and a strong sense of personal rights, an absolute monarchy was unthinkable. When all the elders of Isra’el had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before ADONAI, and they anointed David king over Isra’el, as the LORD had promised through Samuel (Second Samuel 5:3; First Chronicles 11:3). David’s kingship was not for David’s glory, but for Isra’el’s welfare. Kingship was not an end in itself but a means to an end – the benefit of YHVH’s people. David was over Isra’el for Isra’el.²⁴⁷

As Jacob’s son Joseph had become prime minister of Egypt at the age of thirty (see the commentary on Genesis Jv – Joseph as Prime Minister), so Jacob’s descendant David was thirty years old when he became king over Y’hudah (see Ce – David Anointed King Over Y’hudah) – the approximate age of Yeshua when he began His ministry (Luke 3:23). David’s overall reign of forty years matches that of his predecessor Sha’ul (Acts 13:21), as well as that of his son and successor Solomon (First Kings 11:42).²⁴⁸

In Hebron he reigned over Y’hudah seven years and six months, from the age of thirty to thirty-seven, and in Jerusalem he reigned over Y’sra’el and Judah thirty-three years, from the age of thirty-seven to seventy (Second Samuel 5:4-5). The breakdown of the two parts of his reign shows that the writer intended the figure to be taken literally. The writer had not previously mentioned Jerusalem, but takes this opportunity of recording another far-reaching move on David’s part, the capture of this strategic city (see Cm – David Conquers Yerushalayim), which had thus far remained independent.²⁴⁹

Finally, David’s home was not Hebron with the men of Judah, nor did he settle in the north with the elders of Isra’el. David was something quite new. He must have a fresh start, not burdened by Isra’el’s old memories. That new home was Jerusalem, given to him by YHVH as his private territory. It would be David’s city. He would be unburdened, in debt to no one, and autonomous when he arrived there.²⁵⁰

Ish-Bosheth, King of Isra’el, Murdered
Second Samuel 4: 1-12

Ish-Bosheth, King of Isra’el, murdered DIG: Why would Abner’s death cause Ish-Bosheth to lose courage? What is significant about Baanah and Rechab being Benjamites (First Samuel 9:1-2)? What motivation to kill Ish-Bosheth does this reveal? What is the meaning of Mephibosheth in relation to David’s kingship? Why do Rechab and Baanah cut off Ish-Bosheth’s head after killing him? What serious miscalculation did they make in doing so? How was Rechab and Baanah like, and unlike, the Amalekite (4:5-8 and 1:1-16)? How does David’s treatment of the remains of Rechab, Baanah and Ish-Bosheth say about David?

REFLECT: “Those who live by the sword die by the sword” – how has the sword of revenge backfired on you? Where has mercy prevailed instead of such “justice” and “revenge?” David was tempted to profit from someone else’s demise, but he refused. When you are so tempted, how do you overcome such thoughts?

1003 BC

As we have observed in the opening stories of Second Samuel, in order for David to secure power in the north, people had to die. First, there was Sha’ul and Y’honatan, then there was Abner. Once Abner was dead, the end of resistance to David’s rule came quickly. Ish-Bosheth was next. His death would be a turning point for the northern Kingdom, and Isra’el as a whole. There was nothing to stop ruthless men from taking advantage of the power vacuum, and asserting their own will upon the nation for selfish purposes and Rechab and Baanah were certainly ruthless. They were so unscrupulous that they didn’t mind possibly starting a war with the southern Kingdom for personal gain. If David were to be implicated in any way in Ish-Bosheth’s death, the north would have rebelled, and he would have lost all his credibility to govern in the southern Kingdom of Judah as well.²⁴¹

An obvious fact of Second Samuel is that violence produces more violence, each killing points toward a counter killing. With Sha’ul and Y’honatan, it was the Amalekite messenger who had to die (Second Samuel 1:15-16). With Abner, Asahel died. In this chapter with Ish-Bosheth, it was the ruthless Rechab and Baanah who would pay with their lives. Their deaths were necessary for the narrator to establish the innocence of David. He caused none of these deaths. He didn’t appreciate them or celebrate them. No blood was on his hands.

The Murderers: These verses move quickly into the drama. When Ish-Bosheth, the youngest son of Sha’ul, heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage because he was a mere puppet in the hands of his general, and now that general was dead (to see link click  Ck – Joab Murders Abner). And all Isra’el became alarmed. The tribes in the north knew his Kingdom had come to an end and they no doubt expected a swift invasion by David and his army. The common people knew nothing of David’s intentions or of his recent meeting with Abner. It was a day of distress for Ish-Bosheth and his people (Second Samuel 4:1).

Now Ish-Bosheth had two men who were leaders of raiding bands under Abner’s authority. One was named Ba’anah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin – Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day (Second Samuel 4:2-3). The account of Baanah and Rechab reminds us of the Amalekite who claimed to have killed Sha’ul (see Bx – David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death). These two men were minor officers in Abner’s army who thought they could earn rewards and promotion from David if they killed Ish-Bosheth and like the Amalekite, they were wrong. Dead wrong.²⁴²

Mephibosheth: This parenthetical note has the purpose to explain that the only heir to Sha’ul’s throne was a lame boy of thirteen, and the conspirators could feel confident that their assassination of Ish-Bosheth would lead to David’s succession to the throne. Y’honatan son of Sha’ul had a son named Mephibosheth who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Sha’ul’s and Y’honatan’s death came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell, broke both feet that were never set, and as a result, became disabled (Second Samuel 4:4). His actual name was Meriba’al (First Chronicles 8:34) it was changed to Mephibosheth, meaning shame (Second Samuel 9:3-13).

The Murder of Ish-Bosheth: Ish-Bosheth appeared to have no suspicion that he might have traitors among his troops. Now Rechab and Ba’anah set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth at Mahanaim, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. At this hour his guard would likewise be asleep, or at least insufficiently alert. They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat. But while Ish-Bosheth was lying on the bed in his bedroom, they stabbed him in the stomach. And after killing him they cut off his head and took it with them as a prize to show David who they obviously thought would be pleased. They slipped away and traveled all night by way of the Arabah, the dry valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea to avoid meeting other travelers. They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Sha’ul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Sha’ul and his offspring” (Second Samuel 4:5-8). Their motivation, like that of the Amalekite, was one of reward.

But they had completely misread the policy of David, who immediately disowned them. David answered Rechab and his brother Ba’anah, “As surely as ADONAI lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, when someone told me, ‘Sha’ul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave them for his news (see Ca – David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death). Now, David declared, “If the Amalekite only claimed to kill Sha’ul, how much more punishment should you wicked men receive when you have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed? Ish-Bosheth, though he was Sha’ul’s son, was not personally involved in his father’s guilt, and had done nothing to deserve death.” Then the king questioned, “Should I now not demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you?” Their guilt was clear and their cold-blooded murder deserved the same sentence. So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them.

The contrast between the treatment of the remains of the assassins and of Ish-Bosheth could hardly be more striking. They cut off their hands because they were used to assassinate Ish-Bosheth, and feet because they ran seeking a reward, and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron as a public warning. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron who had been his father’s cousin (Second Samuel 4:9-12). The murder of Ish-Bosheth removed any opposition to David becoming king over all Isra’el. After so many years running from Sha’ul, the promise that YHVH made to him was about to be fulfilled.²⁴³

The murder of Ish-Bosheth is another example of the interference of opportunists who prevented David from carrying out the desires of his heart. Nevertheless, the LORD blessed him and extended his Kingdom to include all Isra’el, uniting the northern Kingdom of Isra’el and the southern Kingdom of Judah. Evidently David was cleared of any suspicion in connection with the death of Ish-Bosheth and, in the absence of any suitable survivor from the house of Sha’ul, he was the obvious choice to be the king.²⁴⁴