David's Moment and a Few Words About Your Own
David's time has finally arrived. Though the demise of Saul's reign came through bloodshed, jealous rivalries and betrayal, God used the evils of men to produce the king He planned. Now in 2 Samuel 5, David is set over the entire house of Israel.
2 Samuel 5:1–3 (ESV) Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
We note first that the tribes came to David. They knew he was the one. They understood that their successes under Saul were really because of him. They also knew the Lord promised this for David. For them, this was the fulfillment of both the obvious realities and the promises of the Lord. The two can and do go hand in hand.
We often over-spiritualize the plans or dreams of our lives. I meet a lot of people who are dreaming far beyond reality. They claim God spoke to them about something that is so out of reach you feel compelled to tell them but it requires letting them down. David has both the promise of God AND the evidence of reason here which lead him to this moment. He was THE military hero. He was THE successful general. He was visibly and spiritually appointed for this. Note the commentary the text gives:
2 Samuel 5:12 (ESV) And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
Finding our purpose occurs a lot more often in these terms. God aligns our natural realities with His spiritual destiny. This is good news. Because it means we can get a hint at what we're called to by simply opening our eyes and being ready to work where we are with what God gives. It also means we can stop day-dreaming of pie-in-the-sky hopes that have no bearing in our reality and may actually work against us to fulfill our genuine purpose. Then we can get to work in our purpose on behalf of God's people and not simply for our own glory.
David does not waste any time after his installation. He goes to Jerusalem to capture it and make it his city.
2 Samuel 5:6–7 (ESV) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
David is a picture of faith for Israel. The original command given to Joshua, now long ignored by a nation which grew comfortable and complacent among the neighboring pagans is watching David do what they failed to accomplish. In this sense, David is a picture of Christ at work for Israel much later. He finally puts away sin and brings righteousness to the nations.
He is also a picture of Christ's work in our personal lives. Like Israel, we fall into complacent attitudes where we only rise to a certain level of faith and spiritual conquest. The Lord Jesus, however, refuses to let our complacent spirit rule the day. He fights in us and for us. He makes our personal transformation a work of His grace and power. "He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24.
Sadly, as David's power and influence grew, so did his lust for women.
2 Samuel 5:13 (ESV) And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.
While David is a picture of Christ, he is still a man with serious flaws. The truth David exemplifies for us is that while we may grow in stature, there are also seeds of future disruption trying to take root in our world should we allow them. What David does here will come back to bite him. It's a warning for us. Let us beware that sin can grow relatively benign for some time in our lives but eventually cost us big-time.
For this reason, we are commended to look beyond the hero that is David and fix our eyes solely on Christ who never sinned and yet is able to associate with us in our weakness and intercede for us before the Father. The power of Christ's grace makes it impossible for sin to have the last word in our lives.
1 John 2:1–2 (ESV) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
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