Week 7 (The Rise of Israel) – Day 5: King David

Day 35 – King David – 2 Samuel 5:1-7:29

2 Samuel 7 may be the most important chapter of the entire Deuteronomistic History (see earlier post on that) and is arguably one of the most important in the entire Old Testament. 

But before we look at that, a review of the skipped events is helpful (and interesting).  First, Saul and his son (and beloved friend of David) Jonathan are killed during a battle with the Philistines.  The southern tribe of Judah recognizes David as king, while the rest of the tribes recognize another son of Saul, Ishbaal, as king.  (We can date this to approximately 1005 BC.) A civil war breaks out and David finally takes over after Ishbaal is murdered.

David takes several important steps after he takes over the unified Israel.  First, he conquers Jerusalem.  Soon David moves the capital to Jerusalem and the city becomes known as the City of David.  Both the person at the center of God’s plan, David, and the place at the center of God’s plan are brought together.  David’s decision to reside in Jerusalem is shrewd, as it borders the territories of the north-south division of Israel (soon to reappear) and is neutral because the city belonged to neither side.  There are some similarities with how the District of Columbia developed as the capitol of our own country. 

David then brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  Jerusalem will become the center of not only political power but also religious power. 

We now reach the heart of this day: Chapter 7.  In this chapter God makes a covenant with David.  As with the other covenants, God initiates the action.  In fact God rejects David’s bid to initiate action by building a temple.  Instead God makes this promise to David:  When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. (2 Sam 7:12-16)

This promise has a great impact on the rest of Jewish story.  First, they become somewhat arrogant and complacent: How can something bad happen to Jerusalem and the kings who descend from David?  After the destruction of Jerusalem and the apparent end of the reign of David’s descendents, a large amount of thought goes into trying to explain this seeming inconsistency in God’s promise.  In fact much of the Old Testament achieved its final form with an eye on this very issue.  How can God’s unending faithfulness include this action?  I won’t give you the various answers provided to this question in the Old Testament.  For us, we see Jesus as the answer to this conundrum as well.

Let us not be comfortable, like the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as we enjoy the unearned unconditional grace received through Jesus, the center of God’s fulfillment of the covenant with David.

In Christ,

Randy