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David at age 13:
Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David (1 Samuel 16:13, NIV).
David, King of Judah at age 30:
And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4, ESV).
David, King of Judah (and the rest of Israel) at age 37:
All 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 Samuel 5:3).
Last Monday (Interruption #1692 at GrantEdwardsAuthor), we focused on reading 1 Samuel, and today we are reading 2 Samuel. The two books can be divided by two names: 1 Samuel, focusing on King Saul, and 2 Samuel, describing King David’s rule.
The reign of Saul didn’t end well, but the reign of David continued through his heirs to Jesus. When Saul was found unfaithful, the prophet Samuel anointed David as king (while Saul was still king), which sparked the drama in 1 Samuel with King Saul trying to kill David and chasing him around the deserts of Israel.
David was about 13 years old when Samuel first anointed him, but He didn’t become king until he was around 30, and then only the King of Judah, as it took another seven years for him to be king of both Judah and the rest of Israel.
Reading both 1 and 2 Samuel, we note that both Saul and David sinned. As I read 2 Samuel and come to chapter 11 with the story of David seducing Uriah’s wife Bathsheba, and after she became pregnant with David’s child, plotting to kill Uriah, I have two questions:
What did Saul do worse than this? Why was David favored?
Self-seeking was embedded in King Saul’s soul, and when caught in sin, he made excuses and blamed others; but when King David was confronted by Nathan the prophet about his sin with Bathsheba, he humbled himself and sought forgiveness.
Because of David’s meekness, we have one of the best grace-receiving psalms in history with Psalm 51 — a psalm that reflects the God-seeking nature of David. How many of us have read this psalm after stumbling? I have, we all should.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin! (Psalm 51:1-2)
Reading 2 Samuel, we find two sections: part one, the time before Bathsheba, and part two, after David’s sin with Bathsheba. While David went from victory to victory before the sin with Bathsheba, he endured betrayal after betrayal after Bathsheba, with David then constantly dealing with family intrigue, his son Absalom stealing David’s kingdom for a period of time, and a worthless man named Sheba leading another rebellion.
Yet after David died — believe it or not — Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, became king and continued the Davidic lineage until the birth of Jesus. Let’s give God a huge “Hallelujah!” for His mercy.
The last story in 2 Samuel best describes David’s character.
After being instructed by God to build an altar for sacrifices to the living God, King David approached a man about a field where he could build an altar. David could have just taken the land, and the man offered to give it to King David at no cost, but David replied …
But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24a, ESV).
Nothing for the Lord without personal cost — David’s heart, the attitude of Jesus too (Philippians 2:5-11), and the way our souls should be as well …
Present your bodies a holy and living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
Jeremy spoke on Psalm 51 yesterday in case you missed it.