David’s Story: The Forever Promise

2 Samuel 1-10

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. DAVID. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

While fleeing from Saul, David took refuge in Philistine territory and settled in Ziklag, where he found favor with Achish, one of the five Philistine kings. Later, when David and his men lined up with the Philistines–the enemy!–ready to fight against Israel–-their own people–the other four Philistine kings refused to let them join, fearing they would switch sides during combat. 

Saul and Jonathan were killed in this battle. Imagine the situation if David had actually been fighting alongside the Philistines and had come face-to-face with them; however, God graciously prevented such an encounter. When David heard of their deaths, he lamented, “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Sam. 1:19). 

After learning of Saul’s death, David and his men traveled from Ziklag to Hebron, about forty miles to the northeast. There, the men of Judah met them and anointed David “king over the house of Judah” (2 Sam. 2:4). He was thirty years old and had spent ten years running from Saul. Finally, Samuel’s promise—made when he anointed David in Bethlehem—was fulfilled.

David was king—but only in part. He was anointed king of Judah, one half of the kingdom, while another king ruled the other half.

Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was not ready to surrender what he believed was his rightful claim to his father’s throne. He reigned over Israel, the northern part of the promised land, but Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, was the true power behind the throne (2 Sam. 3:6).

For the next seven and a half years, God’s people fought against one another. As Scripture explains, “There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker” (2 Sam. 3:1). 

During those years in Hebron, David had six sons by six different wives (2 Sam. 3:2-6). David is described as a man after God’s own heart— and later we will consider what that means— yet his many wives and concubines were not part of God’s design for marriage and family (Gen. 2:24). 

The events recorded about David’s life make it easy to conclude that he would have benefited from a parenting class. When his son, Adonijah “put himself forward and said, ‘I will be king,’” David never “rebuked him by asking, ‘Why do you behave as you do?’”(1 Kgs 1:5-6 NIV). Later, when Absalom murdered his brother, Amnon, David handled the situation so poorly that Absalom eventually led a conspiracy and briefly seized leadership of Israel (2 Sam. 13-18). We will return to the details of that story later. 

Following the murder of Ish-bosheth, “all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, ‘Behold, we are your bone and flesh . . . And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ 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” (2 Sam. 5:1-3). David had reigned over “Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years” (2 Sam. 5:5). 

God continued to give David success on the battlefield and his many victories secured Israel’s borders and brought peace to the nation. Although David desired to build a temple for God, the Lord chose David’s son Solomon to build the magnificent structure because David was a man of war (1 Chron. 22:6-8). Even so, God made with David a special covenant enacting something far greater than a temple built by human hands. 

The prophet Nathan delivered the message from God that David would not be the one to build a temple. With that message came an everlasting promise: God told him, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Sam. 7:16). This promise is called the Davidic Covenant and looks forward to the Messiah, who will come from David’s line and whose throne is eternal. The prophet Isaiah provides a vivid description of the “shoot from the stump of Jesse” who will rule the nations (Isa. 11:1-10). 

In his book The Unfolding Mystery, Edmund Clowney notes, 

The glory of God’s covenant with David remains a theme of the praises of Israel (Ps. 89; 132). That promise continued to be remembered by the prophets before the exile (Amos 9:11; Mic. 5:1-5; Isa. 9:5-6), on the eve of the exile (Jer. 23:5-6; 30:9), during the exile (Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:21-25), and after the exile (Zech. 12:8).[1] 

In the New Testament, Matthew opens his Gospel by introducing “Jesus Christ, the son of David” (Matt. 1:1). Jesus also declares himself to be the “root and the descendant of David” (Rev. 22:16). As Clowney puts it, “David would not build God’s house; rather, God would build David’s house. He would establish his Son’s throne forever” (2 Sam. 7:11, 16).[2]  

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on 2 Samuel 1-10. Where do you need to trust God’s timing instead of trying to force outcomes in your life?

Talking to God: Ask God to give you patience to wait on him. 

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