OVERVIEW:
David is anointed as the king over all of Israel; the strong hold of the Jebusites (Jerusalem) is captured by David; David brings the ark of God into Jerusalem; the Davidic Covenant; David’s prayer of thanksgiving; David’s victories over the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, and the Edomites.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
David had reigned over the tribe of Judah for 7½ years in Hebron. In chapter 5, he is anointed king over the entire nation of Israel, and did so for 33 years, making his entire reign forty years.
With the extension of his kingdom, He now needed a more centralized location from which to rule, and chose Jerusalem to be the capital city. The only problem was, the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem and Israel had not yet found a way to capture this strong hold of the enemy. (Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21) The Jebusites were so cocky about their ability to maintain their strong hold they defied them saying, “The lame and the blind could defeat you!” Yet, David, and his men, defeated the Jebusites and Jerusalem even came to be called “the city of David!”
Like David, our King, the Lord Jesus Christ, has been anointed (Messiah) of God to rule from the throne of our hearts over our entire life. We must allow Him to remove any and all “strong holds” that the enemy has established. Second Corinthians 10:3-6 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
But notice in 2nd Samuel 5, that just as soon as the strong hold had been defeated and David had been established in Jerusalem, the old enemy, the Philistines, show up! Recognize, that until we receive our glorified body, we’re never going to be “out of the woods”, and that one of the key times Satan will attack us, is when he thinks we have been “lulled by the blessing” of a recent victory.
Note also, that as the Philistines were in pursuit, David sought clear direction from the word of the Lord and victory was granted. As the enemy (the Philistines) attack a second time, David didn’t assume another victory, but once again sought clear direction from the Lord. (These are key principles to file in the forefront of our understanding concerning spiritual warfare!)
In chapter 6, David is about to do something monumental: return the ark (representative of God’s presence among His people) to its rightful place! The ark has been in the possession of the Philistines for 20 years, and sadly, no one seemed to miss it, or be impassioned to see it returned! The return of the ark was an incredibly exciting and worshipful experience for all involved. The spiritual atmosphere was electric! A great lesson is to be learned, however. God is never interested in self-styled worship. Good intentions and proper motivation mean nothing if there is not complete obedience to God’s word. In David’s zeal to see the ark returned, the method of carrying it (on a new cart) was in violation of how God had clearly instructed Israel to carry it. (See Numbers 4:15; 7:9) When the oxen pulling the cart stumbled on Nachon’s threshingfloor and well-meaning Uzzah reached forth to keep the ark from falling off, just as God had warned, he was immediately zapped! Don’t ever forget, “God says what He means, and means what He says!” (Numbers 4:15) The whole incident caused David to search his heart to determine whether returning the ark was what he really wanted. In the meantime, he at least temporarily disposes of it at the house of Obededom, and it stayed there for three months. After seeing how the ark brought such blessing to Obededom and his entire family, David thought it might be advantageous to return it to Jerusalem after all.
In chapter 7, God established the Davidic covenant. This key unconditional covenant promised that David would have a child that was yet to be born who would succeed him and establish his kingdom. This son (Solomon) would build the temple instead of David, and the throne of his kingdom would be well established forever, even in spite of the sins he may commit. It further promised that David’s house, his kingdom, and his throne would be established forever.
David was deeply moved by God’s covenant of grace, and he humbly came into God’s presence and offered the prayer of thanksgiving recorded in 7:18–29.
In chapter 8, David consolidates the kingdom by defeating, in rapid succession, the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, and the Edomites. The key to these conquests is found in 8:14b, “And the Lord preserved David withersoever he went.”
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
Through DAVID, THE ANOINTED KING OVER ISRAEL — 2nd Samuel 5:3 (Psalm 2:2; John 1:41 — Christ is the Lord’s Anointed. Note that “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah” which means “anointed one”.)