David’s Song

David’s Song

2 Samuel Chapter 22

At the end of last week’s lesson we learned that King David had finally come back to Jerusalem.

David had been restored as King but as we know once there is a civil war it takes many years for all the scars to heal.

Chapter 21 through 24 gives us an epilogue of the life of David after these days.

We should not forget that David was the Lord’s anointed King.

And King David was the recipient of the Lord’s covenant promises.

And we will see today where King David takes the time late in life to express his thanks to the Lord his God.

What had David learned in all these years?

Number one: The Lord is the true source of all military successes and all personal successes.

Number two: It takes faithfulness in the Lord to enjoy the Lord’s favor!

And number three: The Lord’s covenant promises to David will be fulfilled despite all his weaknesses and all his failures.

We have already seen much of the fulfillment of the promises made to David.

We know the Messiah has come and we know him as the Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not know if David saw the church in the future. We do know that David knew a great deal of God’s salvation plan.

The one thing that we should know for sure is that no matter how dark the days are and no matter how painful the memories, we can always praise the Lord for what He has done!

So let’s begin:

*****2Sa 22:1 And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

When King David wrote this song, this verse tells us that he was not referring just to the deliverance from Absalom and being restored as King of Israel.

David wrote this song as this verse states because he had been delivered so many times from the hands of all his enemies and that included being delivered safely from King Saul.

The main thing that David had realized in all his years that he has not giving God the praise that He deserves.

King David has now realized that God does as He pleases, and all things are done according to His perfect will!

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

And we all should realize that God cannot ever do things that are not in harmony with His nature!

The most important of these things is that God cannot go back on His Word.

2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

God speaks the truth because God cannot lie!

In fact if we had another name for God, the name should be Truth!

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

It is only the Lord God Almighty who can deliver us from this evil world!

Psa_31:15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

From the moment we are born until the day we die, we are in the hands of our Deliverer.

The choice to be delivered is given to each of us and this is the most important choice we have to make all of our days!

We must answer that question which is, “just how important is our God to us”?

*****2Sa 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
2Sa 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

We can see that David just could not find enough words to describe our God.

We can search to the ends of this Earth and in every language possible and we could not find the right words to describe our God.

He must certainly be our Rock!

Moses wrote that God is our rock!

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

We must certainly know that the Lord our God is a faithful. God and he keeps his covenant and shows mercy to them that love him and keep his commandments.

We must all claim the Lord Jesus as our “Rock”, just as David did and we must all drink from this same “Rock” just as the children of Israel did in the wilderness!

1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Because that “Rock” is The Lord Jesus Christ!

It is only then, that the Lord can be our “Fortress” in times of trouble.

We can be sure as long as we are in these bodies of flesh, we will have some troubles

It is only then that the Lord can be our “Deliverer” from all our troubles.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the God of our “Rock”!

It is in the Lord Jesus Christ in whom we must “trust”!

When we “trust” the Lord Jesus Christ then He becomes our “Shield”!

In other words when the Lord Jesus Christ is our “shield”, no weapon formed against us can prosper.

Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD”.

When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, He becomes “the horn of our salvation”!

When the Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to that cross He replaced all those meaningless sacrifices that had been tied to the “horns” of the altar.

We can grab on to our own salvation because those same “horns” are the emblems of power and dominion and glory in the sacrifice of the “Lamb of God”!.

It is when the Lord is in full “glory” when we see Him at His best!

And He then also becomes our “Hightower”!

A Hightower is a place that the enemy just cannot reach!

Therefore our Hightower then becomes our “Refuge”!

Jesus Christ becomes our “Hiding Place”, our “Refuge”, and the place where we can ride out the storms of this life, unseen by the enemy!

We are “saved from the violence coming to this world” after the “Rapture of the Church” during the Tribulation Period!

But we must first “call” on the Lord!

None of these things can take place without “Salvation”!

*****2Sa 22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: “so shall I be saved from mine enemies”.

We must have that personal relationship with our God and in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus said:

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

We could call on Buddha but we would get no help!

We could call on Mohamed and we would certainly get no help!

We could call on any other name under Heaven and there would be no help!

There’s only one name to call and there is only one way to reach Heaven!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We must cling to this truth because this is His “truth”!

It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can be saved from our enemies and from our sin!

And why should we call of the Lord?

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*****2Sa 22:5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
2Sa 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
2Sa 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Once we become aware we are living in the “waves of death” we can begin to see “the floods of ungodly men” that surround us.

We are foolish not to be afraid!

Death and Hell are two separate things but they have joined forces against God’s people.

In the book of Revelation we read these words:

Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Death may be the end of misery in this world, but Hell should be a reminder that that misery is eternal without the “Real Life” that is in the Lord Jesus Christ!

We will not know “Real Life” until we are glorified with a body like that of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is in the misery of life on this earth that brings such a distress.

And we have His promise that He will hear our voice and His Temple will become Our Temple!

But He cannot hear us if we have sin in our heart!

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

But there will still be some terrible times to be faced.

*****2Sa 22:8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
2Sa 22:9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
2Sa 22:10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

These things that David has written, go far beyond any poem that describes David’s own personal deliverance.

If we remember the very moment that the Lord Jesus Christ said “it is finished”, we should remember the great earthquake, and midday darkness at the scene of the cross.

But even these things are just a taste of what is coming in great day of judgment, when God will shake the earth and the sea and the dry land, all at the same time.

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

When will these things happen?

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

We would have to be dead in our own graves, or completely blind, to not realize that we are living in these days!

We can see Noah and David are both “types” of the Lord Jesus Christ our Creator!

And all these things describe the sufferings of Christ and the glory that will follow.

These are some of the prophecies that the Apostle Peter wrote about:

1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

As Noah and his family, a total of eight were delivered, and as David was also delivered, so it will be for the Church of the Living God!

*****2Sa 22:11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

The cherub were mighty angelic beings. In fact Cherubim are the highest order of the angelic beings.

Cherubim had extraordinary appearances.

Eze 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
Eze 1:6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
Eze 1:7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
Eze 1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Eze 1:9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
Eze 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Proof:

Satan himself had once been a Cherub.

Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

But when we see pictures of the cherub today we see pictures of babies with wings, or toddlers with wings and bows, not a picture of the Cherub that the Bible describes.

The cherub are always associated with the presence of God in the Bible and there are many babies in Heaven but neither babies nor anyone else that make it to Heaven become angels or cherubim.

Angels are spirit beings “who do not have bodies as we know bodies” and are not subject to death!

Angels are another created being that go back to the first verse in the Book of Genesis.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

God gives us a description of what He created on this Earth but God also created all the things in Heaven at that same time.

Heb 1:14 Are they not all “ministering spirits”, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Angels are ministering “spirits”!

Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Angels cannot die and a glorified Saint of God can die no more when they have received the eternal glorified body like that of Jesus. There will be no “second death” for the child of God!

*****2Sa 22:12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
2Sa 22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
2Sa 22:14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

There should be little doubt that David knew these things from the 5 Books of Moses.

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Exo 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

When God speaks in the end, the entire world will understand Who is speaking!

*****2Sa 22:15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
2Sa 22:16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

There should also be no doubt that many these things happened in the time of Noah to include what Moses had also seen at the Red Sea.

But only in modern sea exploration have we learned about the “Channels of the Sea”!

In fact we may know more about outer space than we do about the depths of our own oceans!

We can see that God was expecting scientist to see His creation using modern scientific methods and be amazed at such creations but foolishly most of them reject Our Creator!

What are the “foundations of our world”?

The foundations of our world are the everlasting love, the everlasting wisdom, the everlasting power of God, in which all the Persons of the Godhead are in God’s great design blended together and concurring with each other in unity and seen through the person of Lord Jesus Christ!

There is no foundation beyond these things!

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, “and by him all things consist”.

It is this same Creator who is also Our Great “Deliverer”!

*****2Sa 22:17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
2Sa 22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
2Sa 22:19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
2Sa 22:20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

The Lord “prevents” because “He goes before us” and there is nothing evil that can get up, over, or around Our Almighty God!

24 times in the Gospels, Jesus says “follow me”.

That large place is His purpose for each of us and in the end “His Own Place”!

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

And the Lord will then reward us according to how we have fulfilled His purpose for us.

*****2Sa 22:21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
2Sa 22:22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
2Sa 22:23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
2Sa 22:24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
2Sa 22:25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.

Remember we have no righteousness in our selves! Our righteousness is as filthy rags!

We also have no cleanness in our selves, “we must be washed” in the blood of Jesus!

Job said:

Job 9:20 If I justify myself, “mine own mouth shall condemn me”: if I say, I am perfect, “it shall also prove me perverse”.
Job 9:21 Though I were perfect, “yet would I not know my soul”: “I would despise my life”.
Job 9:22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

We must keep the Word of the Lord.
We must not depart from, nor forsake our God.
We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

It is only then that we can reap “the rewards” of salvation!

David had this same feeling when he had been delivered from all his enemies!

Jesus Christ is our Light in this dark world!

*****2Sa 22:26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
2Sa 22:27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
2Sa 22:28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. 2Sa 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.

The Lord is faithful to those that trust Him.

In fact, the Lord is faithful to all His Written Word!

2Th 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

But the Lord is unsavory to those who have twisted morals and reject Him.

Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

And what is the greatest thing we realize as the children of God?

*****2Sa 22:30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
2Sa 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

For Jesus Christ is my God!

Joh 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

When you find the Lord Jesus Christ you have found God!

*****2Sa 22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
2Sa 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
2Sa 22:34 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
2Sa 22:35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
2Sa 22:36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

If we can remember the covenants God has already made with His people, we should begin to realize that God is always doing great things for His people!

There is nothing else in all God’s creation that is like Our Lord, He is the Rock by which we exist!

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

When we know the Lord our Savior we can never fail!

*****2Sa 22:37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.

It is a fact that true life in Heaven will be a glorious thing but even in this life there is joy in salvation!

Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

There is great joy in salvation!

And God is always busy behind the scenes, doing great things for His people!

We can have many blessings while we yet live in this flesh, and more gifts by His hands, but there will only be One Jesus Christ who paid our sin debt.

But when we know Our Savior, we will also know The Lord Jesus will return in judgment!

*****2Sa 22:38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
2Sa 22:39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
2Sa 22:40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
2Sa 22:41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
2Sa 22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
2Sa 22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
2Sa 22:44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
2Sa 22:45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
2Sa 22:46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

There is no doubt that David was looking back and had recalled how the Lord had helped him during his difficult times.

But these words cannot apply to just to David or any other man.

God has always rewarded those that follow in His ways and has always punished the evil in this world!

These words also speak of the Second Coming of the Messiah.

Yes, The Lord will return because we serve a Living Saviour!

*****2Sa 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
2Sa 22:48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,
2Sa 22:49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up
against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
2Sa 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
2Sa 22:51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for
evermore.

Our God is alive!

He is active in our lives the moment we call on Him to save us!

God has given us the ability to choose and the choices we make have a great affect our lives as we live and certainly on the life we will have after the death of this flesh.

Along with “choice” God has also given us the ability to “trust”!

It is necessary to “trust” to exist as a society.

But is is Our God who must be the object of that “trust”!

Psa 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

Until Holy Spirit conviction came to us to convict us, we were not seeking God, we did not desire God, and we went about our days not thinking about God!

But while we were yet ungodly, God sent His Son to save us, “because He is merciful”!

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

It is that “trust” that comes with salvation where we can begin to please Our God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The major theme of David’s song is “the Lord’s protection and His deliverance”.

The Lord is our protector and our deliverer!

Verse 51 closes with “He is the tower of salvation”.

The Anointed One is the “Messiah”, the promised seed of David!

But also like David, God is active in our lives both on happy occasions and more so those times when we are sad, if we only ask Him.

God has a specific purpose for each of us!

Just as we should rejoice knowing the Lord as Our Savior, God rejoices more, to be a part of our lives.

The gentle hand of God is molding and making us every moment we live in His Name.

Because just like Jesus, we that know God, are his sons!

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Abba still means a father of tenderness.

That is Our Savior!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

David’s Repentance

David’s Repentance

2 Samuel 12; 1 Chronicles 20

When we last left King David, he had committed grievous sin, not only against the Lord, but also against a loyal man he had known for many years and we should not forget also against his own nation Israel.

All our actions will most every time affect the safety and livelihood of those around us.

What had God told Adam?

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof “thou shalt surely die”.

Some will say that Adam did not die but the truth is that such a change took place not only in his physical condition but also in his mind and heart.

Adam truly began to die this day of his sin!

He began to die because he was no longer innocent.
He began to die because his hope of a pure life died.
He began to die because his peace died.

God has said to us:

Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

King David would be restored by the “Grace” of God “BUT” King David could not escape the punishment of God.

The Prophet Nathan returned again to King David with another message from Jehovah God.

*****2Sa 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Thanks to a ruthless, self-serving general in King David’s army and a wife who was silent for many reasons, it appeared that King David would get away with adultery and murder without it being common knowledge but God was not deceived by King David’s actions.

Num 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: “and be sure your sin will find you out”.

After David repented to God of his sin, he wrote these words:

Psa 52:7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

When we trust in the things of this world we will fail!

Nathan began to remind his king a of “The One” who had much greater authority than he had.

It would not be easy for Nathan to stand before this King and confront him with this thing that through murder and deceit had been kept so secretly for nearly 9 months.

It was easy for David to understand a rich man, poor man story, because David had been both poor and had become rich so Nathan continued.

*****2Sa 12:2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
2Sa 12:3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

If we believe another song that David wrote then we must believe that King David had spent this 9 month period under heavy conviction but he still could not bring himself to repentance.

Psa 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
Psa 32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

Uriah had only one wife Bathsheba and not many animals are much cuter than a baby lamb!

David on the other hand had many wives and even more concubines who he could have had at any time he chose.

As David listened to Nathan, he was living in this example of this rich man.

And Nathan continued.

*****2Sa 12:4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

Who was this traveler?

1) This traveler was Pride!

David had exalted himself above the Word of God.

When we think we know better than God, we have made our own selves gods!

When we reject the Word of God, we are saying that we know more than God does.

2) This traveler was also Temptation!

Who is the Tempter?

Satan!

Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

When Satan understood that the Messiah would come from the line of David, he did everything he could to stop that from happening.

Satan knows the Word of God!

Listen as Satan quotes scripture but he also takes scripture out of context as much of this world does.

Mat 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: “for it is written”, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

In this instance King David was also a “type” of Christ but we will see David’s failure, where the Lord Jesus Christ succeeded and had no sin.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

This also would not be the last time that Satan would tempt King David.

1Ch 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

Satan will never quit bringing his temptations but when we yield to his temptations it just makes it easier for him to return with more stuff to hinder our relationship with God!

God says:

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, “to stand”.

God also says:

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Satan can be a frightening thing but the child of God, filled with the Holy Spirit “is his master” and Satan must flee if we resist him!

We resist him by getting closer to the Lord!

Snuggle up to Jesus and Satan has no power at all!

Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

King David had failed in his temptation.

King David had been under conviction for almost 9 months.

This story(not a parable) that Nathan was saying made King David very angry.

Anger still came before repentance as David was still hiding his secret sin.

*****2Sa 12:5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
2Sa 12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

We should notice that even under conviction for his own sin, King David was more ready to judge another man’s sin and this judgment was much greater than God’s Word.

Exo 22:1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

It was the adulterers who was to die.

Lev 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Fourfold would have been 16 animals.

And David adds, “because he had no pity”, it was King David who had had no pity on his fellow man!

David had forgotten the truth in the Word of God:

Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

King David’s pronouncement of a fourfold restoration would soon came back on his own house.

1) In our lesson today we will see that this child born to Bathsheba will die.
2) Tamar, the virgin daughter of David will be raped by her half-brother Amnon.
3) Absalom would then murder Amnon out of revenge for his sister.
4) Absalom later would be killed by Joab, when he was already captured alive as he rebelled against his father King David.

David had been greatly blessed by God and was a man after God’s own heart, but even the godliest men, especially those placed in a position to influence God’s people, will be chastened because of the willful sin of disobedience.

And Nathan said.

*****2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
2Sa 12:8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

King David had put much effort into hiding this sin from all of Israel but he had not been able to hide it from God!

King David was now brought face to face with his sin. It was in his hands to confess and repent that sin to restore his fellowship with the Lord.

All sin can be forgiven but one and that is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ as our One and Only Savior!

By God’s “Grace” He forgive our sin but we will always suffer the consequences of that sin!

The purpose God had for King David would continue because of God’s covenant with him but David would now struggle his remaining years.

King David could not now reach his full potential in his service for the Lord!

What did Job say?

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Nathan’s word from God was, “If you have a need come to Me”.

God tells us this:

Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, “because ye ask not”.

If we have a specific need we must go to the Lord “and not ever” go against the Lord!

Wherefore means “Why, for what reason”.

Why had David failed?

*****2Sa 12:9 “Wherefore” hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Amnon.

King David had placed himself above the Word of God!
King David had committed adultery with another man’s wife.
King David had committed murder even if that weapon of murder was not in his own hands.
King David had stolen the life and the future of a national hero but more so he had stolen this life from Jehovah God.

BUT, the thing that was the worst was that King David had despised the Word of God by forsaking the commandments of God!

It did not matter that is was an Ammonite who had actually slain Uriah, God knew King David was the cause of Uriah’s death!

Where ever there is a “wherefore” you will always find a “therefore”!

“Therefore” means for this reason and answers the “wherefore”.

*****2Sa 12:10 Now “therefore” the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

1) There is no sin beyond the mercy of God to the believer!

Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”:

2) God has the “Mercy” and “Grace” to forgive our sin but we will still suffer from the results of that sin.

When God chastises it is not vengeance!

God does not take vengeance on those that love Him and repent of their sin!

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

King David had broken the purity of a family relationship, one that God honors the most, “the marriage of one man to one woman”.

All God’s Word is true but this one standard of the family, “the husband/wife relationship”, is very dear to Our God.

God said:

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

And God still says:

Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

God had told King David that he could not build the Temple because he was a man of war.

For the rest of King David’s life he would war not only with the enemies of Israel but also within his own house!

And the Lord describes some of these things and King David finally repents of his sin.

*****2Sa 12:11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
2Sa 12:12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
2Sa 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

What did we learn from the Book of Job?

Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

What will happen to King David?

God will remove that hedge of protection from around King David!

God said He would permit these things to be done because of David’s unrepented sin!

And had David remained “faithful” none of these things would have happened that are mentioned here!

King David had judged his own sin to be four times worse because he had had no pity on Uriah!

David had tried to hide his sin.

All these things that God has mentioned through Nathan the Prophet, would in the open for all of Israel and all the world to see!

David finally repents of his sin, God forgives him, and because of His covenant, this sin will not be the cause of David’s death.

But there are always other things that happen around us when we sin!

And all sin is ultimately against the Lord!

Our testimony is usually first affected.

David had given a great occasion to the enemies of God, to blaspheme Him!

Jesus tells us this:

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

David had allowed his light to grow dim before the enemies of God!

If you call yourself a Christian, there will always be some one observing you to see how you live.

The way we live our Christian lives is our greatest witnessing tool in this world!

This child from this adulterous relationship would also die.

We will soon see that God took this child to Heaven.

It is not punishment for this child to go straight to glory and miss out on life in this sin filled world!

*****2Sa 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
2Sa 12:15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

It is not said that God brought on this sickness, it is only said that this baby was very sick.

This could have been from the stress that Bathsheba had gone through in this sinful relationship!

What do we know for sure?

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

And Nathan went back to his own home and when Solomon was born, we will see that this Nathan would be in charge of his education.

*****2Sa 12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

We can pray anywhere but there is just something special about that altar in the House of God!

King David went to the Tabernacle of David and did what was needed!

This is exactly what we all should do for those that are sick!

Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

It was a merciful God that had forgiven King David and David sought for God’s mercy on this child.

In the end this child got a complete healing because of God’s mercy and the Lord did raise him on up to Heaven.

*****2Sa 12:17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
2Sa 12:18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
2Sa 12:19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
2Sa 12:20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.

This baby was 7 days old when the Lord took it on to Heaven. David’s servants were afraid to tell their king that the baby had died but some how we just know these things by the actions of others.

To their surprise David rose from his mourning.

Not only that but cleansed himself and went to the Tabernacle of David.

There in that place, King David submitted himself to the Lord. King David had been forgiven of his sin but he still knew his chastisement was still ahead.

The prophets tell us this Tabernacle of David will be raised again in the end times for this same reason. That that those that repent and humble them selves before the Lord can cleanse themselves and present themselves before the Lord.

Act 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Act 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

When King David returned to his palace his servants had not understood these things and David would explain to them the truth of the “Gospel”!

What is the truth of the “Gospel”?

Salvation is real!

Heaven is a real place!

Our real home is in Heaven and we can get there!

*****2Sa 12:21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
2Sa 12:22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
2Sa 12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

To the Hebrews, when death occurred when life was just beginning, it was considered a curse.

King David had realized the truth of the Word of God and this would show in the Psalms he wrote after these all things had come to pass.

God had allowed the death of this child but God did not cause the death of this child!

This son of David, died before he could discern right from wrong and even at this time “was safe in Jesus Christ”!

This child was already together with all others who died in true “faith”!

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

These all would have been located in what is called Abraham’s Bosom.

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

All the Saints of the Old Testament and those up to the time of the Lord’s resurrection were located in Abraham’s Bosom because they had Abraham’s “Faith” awaiting the coming Savior.

The Lord Jesus cleared out Abraham’s Bosom when He rose from the dead!

We could think that King David could not know these things but we would have to ignore at least 50 of the Psalms of the Old Testament.

King David knew that one day at his own death, “he could go to that child but that child could not return to him”.

It is in these things that we can have peace while still living, for those that go on before us in Jesus Christ.

2Co 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

David then comforted his new wife with all these things that he knew.

*****2Sa 12:24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
2Sa 12:25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

King David had been told by the Lord, he would have a son who would be a man of peace and his name would be Solomon.

1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
1Ch 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

Nathan the prophet would be in charge of Solomon’s education and Nathan called Solomon by a new name, Jedidiah.

Jedidiah means “beloved by Jehovah”! Jedid also means “akin to David”.

During all this time, at least two years, Joab had kept Rabbah the Capitol city of Ammon under siege and the food and water was running out and the city was ready to fall.

*****2Sa 12:26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
2Sa 12:27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
2Sa 12:28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.
2Sa 12:29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.

King David knew that Joab would take advantage of every situation now, because of Uriah, but King David still was a man of war and he finally took his rightful place with his military and claimed the victory.

*****2Sa 12:30 And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
2Sa 12:31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

Though this may sound like genocide it was not!

David placed this nation under a forced hard labor.

Instead of using the instruments of war, they would use the saw, and the axe.

Instead of the manufacture of war instruments, they would labor at the kilns making brick for building materials.

Instead of war machines they would use harrows and ploughs and use farm machines.

Ammon is now called Jordan and up until this day Jordan has never been a great military power in this region.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

King David’s Reign

David’s Reign

2 Samuel 5; Chronicles 11; 12

Today we will begin a short study of King David. We have just completed a short study in the Book of Mark and we know the true and coming King, King Jesus.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

And we also know the “raptured” saints, the Bride of Christ, will return with Him.

It is these that are the called, and chosen, and faithful!

The lesson we should learn is that God is at work in all the governments of this world.

Although there are still some men recognized as kings, there are are actually no working governments that are ruled by a monarchy today in our world.

When rulers in the governments are wise they realize that there exists a higher power and if God rules in their lives, their governments will succeed and prosper.

No single human being is in ultimate control of their own lives though most do not agree, though we all do have that freedom of choice.

When we see the human side of the Lord Jesus Christ we can find these words that describe Him.

Isa 11:10 And in that day there shall be “a root of Jesse”, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

And these:

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, “the Root of David”, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And these words of Jesus.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. “I am the root and the offspring of David”, and the bright and morning star.

With these things said it is easy to see we need to study the life of David.

Until the Lord Jesus returns to this earth the second time, David will still remain the most honored King of Israel.

Another thing we should realize is that the God is always seeking men who will be faithful to the work of The Lord.

No one can know the day or the hour when God passes by, seeking earthly men who will be faithful in godly things.

How was David chosen?

1Sa 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: “the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart”, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

It is foolish for Christians to think they have no place in the political structures of our governments as God is seeking those who will serve Him and then also the people of His creation.

God is always excited when He finds such a person.

Psa 89:20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
Psa 89:21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
Psa 89:22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

We can see that God is serious when He finds those that will serve in our governments and God will help those that stick to His Word!

Let’s begin:

*****2Sa 5:1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, “we are thy bone and thy flesh”.

Israel’s first king, King Saul, had failed to meet God’s standards as a ruler of God’s people. At the death of King Saul, Israel was a divided kingdom.

David was made king over the tribe of Judah but a son of Saul, Ish-Bosheth was made king over the other 11 tribes. This division had lasted for 7 years.

We should have a clear understanding. God is guiding this world into a completion of His purpose and it is God who puts all rulers in place to fulfill His purpose.

God has given America guidelines to use to select a president. Of the signers of the Constitution of the United States at least 50 claimed to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.

God had given Israel guidelines for her kings but these guidelines were from the Holy Inspired Word of God that required no man to sign.

Deu 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, “whom the LORD thy God shall choose”: [one from among thy brethren] shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

God had not chosen Ish-Bosheth to be king and his government only lasted 7 years. God had chosen David to be king of Israel. God not only chose David to rule all of Israel but God also chose Jerusalem to be the capitol city of Israel.

2Ch 6:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

God even made a covenant with David and his descendants.

Psa 89:3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Psa 89:4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

When we as Christians use our power of the vote to elect godly people, God will make a way for His purpose to be fulfilled. BUT, when Christians use that vote to try to sustain their own needs by electing people who care not for the things of God, then we will get what we deserve.

This what we see in America today!

God’s purpose will never change and we will continue to struggle with the problems of this world!

As Christians, we already have a our provider, why would we trust the government to do the job better than our God!

God may use that government to provide for His people but He may also use some other method!

For 7 years the northern tribes of Israel had been ruled by Ish-Bosheth and they had been harassed by the Philistines while Judah under King David had prospered.

When Ish-Bosheth was assassinated, and Abner, the general of Saul’s army had been killed by Joab, those 11 tribes realized that they needed God’s man, David, and they went to Hebron seeking something better than they had.

They realized that God had purposed and placed all 12 tribes of Jacob on the land and it would be best to do things God’s way.

These people had a blood relationship with each other through Abraham’s son, Isaac and then his son Jacob!

As the “born again” children of God, we all have a blood relationship and a blood covenant, because we are washed in the “blood of Jesus Christ”, Our Savior and Our King!

These 11 tribes of Israel began to remember some of the things David had done when Saul was their king.

*****2Sa 5:2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

David was blood kin to all of Israel and not some foreigner.

David had been Saul’s greatest general until Saul had left the will of God.

David was a man after God’s own heart.

David had been anointed by God’s man Samuel.

If these people were to have a king, then it would be foolish not to choose David as King of all of Israel!

God had taken a shepherd and made him a king!

Psa 78:70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
Psa 78:71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
Psa 78:72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

How does God describe the True Shepherd, The Lord Jesus?

Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Jesus Christ has a flock of “peculiar” people who He will lead to the throne of God.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, “a peculiar people”; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, “but are now the people of God”: which had not obtained mercy, “but now have obtained mercy”.

So David was made king of all Israel.

*****2Sa 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.

Things will take place just as God has designed!

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will”:

God had a purpose for all of Israel and not just the one tribe of Judah.

God had made a covenant with all of Israel and not just with the one tribe of Judah.

God had given these words to all of Israel.

Deu 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Deu 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

And later repeated by Solomon.

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

David was still a young man at this time but he had gained much wisdom in his early years.

*****2Sa 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
2Sa 5:5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

The future was now bright for Israel. As long as they were battling with each other, they had no strength as a nation.

This is the place we find America in today, as it seems that America is a divided nation and moving farther away from God.

The Jebusites were enemies of God but they could not be overcome by Israel until Israel was united under one government.

God’s people will never have real power until we are all united in one accord under the power of God!

God only has one Church, not cluster of separate denominations pulling in opposite directions!

There is only one Word of God and there is only one interpretation of that Word!

The Word of God is simple.

1) Man has sinned.

2) That sin has separated us from the Living God.

3) That sin can only be forgiven by faith in and on the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is Satan that has made up all these other rules to cause confusion!

It is only the Living God who can unite any nation!

*****2Sa 5:6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
2Sa 5:7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.

Abner had establish Mahanaim as the capitol city for the 11 tribes.

David had chosen Hebron as his capitol partially because of the legacy of Caleb.

Neither of these places would be suitable for the united kingdom because God had chosen Jerusalem!

Jerusalem sat on a hill which could be well defended, it was the wise place for a capitol city. Jerusalem was also on the border of tribe of Benjamin, (Saul’s tribe) and Judah, (David’s tribe) and had never belonged to any of the tribes, therefore a place to seek peace.

The whole Earth will seek peace in Jerusalem one day soon!

Psa 48:2 Beautiful “for situation”, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, “the city of the great King”.

It can be said that God chose Jerusalem many years earlier.

Jerusalem was located on Mount Moriah and Mount Zion. Golgotha is a little hill on Mount Moriah and the exact place God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

And Mount Zion is known as the city of the Living God.

Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and “unto the city of the living God”, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

But on this day it was known as the “city of David”.

And how did David defeat the Jebusites who had withstood Israel since they entered into Canaan Land?

*****2Sa 5:8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

These Jebusites had been so arrogant that they boasted that even “the lame and the blind” could defend Jerusalem from King David’s army but they were pagans and they did not know God.

Sometimes we just cannot imagine the fine details that God put into His creation.

Isa 40:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Isa 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

It is God who sits on the throne of His Creation!

And let’s just throw this in, it is God who decides if He wants to warm up this Earth or make it colder. No amount of legislation can change that. Climate change is in the hands of God!

And it is God that chose Jerusalem!

2Ch 6:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

It is God that provided this gutter when He designed His creation not only for water but for King David to take control of Jerusalem.

Listen as God scolds Hezekiah.

Isa 22:11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: “but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago”.

God’s plan is so precious and so perfect that not one detail is left out!

That gutter was an underground water course fed by the Gihon Spring and it has been discovered and excavated in Israel.
Now we may never know how Joab made this discovery but we do know who created it and this was part of the purpose of it at this time of King David.

Those blind and lame Jebusites who were on the walls of Jerusalem did not observe Joab as he led David’s army into the conquest of Jerusalem.

As Joab took on the Jebusites, David established the new capitol of Israel.

*****2Sa 5:9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

David moved into the castle of the last king of the Jebusites.

Millo means “filling”. This describes to us a stone terrace system built to protect the city of Jerusalem.

That word Millo describes the extensions built to the city of Jerusalem, started by King David and improved on by Solomon and Hezekiah.

This extension of Jerusalem included Mount Moriah, the site of the future Temple.

The walls were extended to include Mount Moriah where the first Temple would be built by Solomon.

*****2Sa 5:10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.

David who was once a lowly shepherd boy had become King of Judah by the age of 30 and King of all Israel at the age of 37.

David now has the responsibility of a nation on his shoulders.

How did King David and Israel prosper at this time?

Psa 101:1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
Psa 101:2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
Psa 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Psa 101:4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
Psa 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Psa 101:6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
Psa 101:7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
Psa 101:8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

These things were noticed by other nations.

*****2Sa 5:11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.

Hiram was a pagan king who did not know the Lord God of Israel.

The name Hiram has the meaning “brother of the lofty one” but that name can also mean “a destroyer”.

Hiram may have become a great friend of King David and also of Solomon but when we see the evil influence he had on these two men of God, he was more like an enemy.

None the less Hiram brought great commerce to the city of Jerusalem, which is what he was after, and he built David a new palace.

We can immediately see the influence this man had on King David.

*****2Sa 5:12 And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.

Why had God made David King of Israel?

1Ch 11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
1Ch 11:2 And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, “Thou shalt feed my people Israel”, and “thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel”.

King David and his government had these commandments of God.

1) David was to feed God’s people.

This was more than to just provide food. This was to be as a shepherd and lead God’s people into prosperity and safety. Not only this but David was to be like a “Pastor” to the flock of Israel!

God had already commanded any king of Israel to do these things.

Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

2) David was to be a ruler over God’s people.

David was to stand at the front of God’s people and lead them in every way as a “mediator”.

David was to lead Israel in civil things!

David was to lead Israel in military things!

And most important of all, David was to lead Israel in godly things!

This is the purpose of every leader.

Now we can compare David as a “Type” of Christ.

a.) David was 30 years old when he began to reign. The Lord Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30.

b) David was anointed as King of Israel. The Lord Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows.

c) David reigned for 40 years. 40 being a perfect number. The Lord Jesus will have a perfect reign. He will reign until He hath put all His enemies under His feet.

d) David was mocked by the Jebusites when he came to rule in Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus was mocked and ridiculed at His false trial and more noticeable on the cross.

e) David advanced more and more. When the Lord Jesus returns every knee will bow to Him.

f) A new house was built for David. The Lord Jesus said He had no where to lay His head so He laid the foundation of His own house and now the Church is the House of God therefore the Body of Christ!

g) The enemies of Israel banded together against David. The world has banded together against the Lord Jesus Christ.

But thank God, if you know the Lord, “You Are On The Winning Side”!!!!!

David was an illustrious king of Israel but the Lord Jesus though recognized as “The Son of David”, and “The King Of The Jews”, is also “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” to all who believe upon Him!

What influence did Hiram, King of Tyre have on David?

*****2Sa 5:13 And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.

King David ignored the commandments of God!

Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

David allowed his lust for women to come between himself and the Living God.

Many children were born of these women, both male and female.

*****2Sa 5:14 And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
2Sa 5:15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
2Sa 5:16 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet.

God does thing in order so the first sons written for our knowledge were the sons of Bathsheba. (These were not the first sons born to David).

We notice the name Solomon but we should also pay attention to the one named Nathan. Joseph was a descendant of Solomon but it is this Nathan who has a descendant we know as Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Luk 3:31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,

This is important in the prophecy of the Messiah and a lesson for another time.

At this time the main enemy of Israel, the Philstines, began to test this new king and this new alliance of the tribes of Israel.

*****2Sa 5:17 But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
2Sa 5:18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

The Philistines had remained quiet while David and the house of Saul had battled hoping they would weaken each other.

But the Lord God of Israel, was not about to allow this enemy to prosper at this time.

Psa 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

The “hold” was a place where David had used to gather his army in the time of Saul and a place that his army was familiar with.

The Philistines gathered all five of their principalities in a combined strength to put an end to Israel as they still do today, now called the Palestinians!

David realized that he needed to talk to the Lord.

*****2Sa 5:19 And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
2Sa 5:20 And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim.
2Sa 5:21 And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.

It is probable when we read these words “enquired of the Lord”, it means David went to the High Priest.

At this time the High Priest of Israel would have been Abiathar.

In the time of Saul, Doeg, Saul’s hit-man was sent after David, and Doeg had executed all the priests and the High Priests and only Abiathar had escaped.

Abiathar was the 10th High Priest from the time of Aaron and he had joined David at the cave of Adullam. Abiathar was later deposed in favor of Zadok by King Solomon, again a lesson for another time.

The High Priests used what are called the “Urim and the Thummim” that was kept in the “Ephod” in these times of enquiry.

David had 2 questions.

1) Shall I go up to the Philistines?

2) Lord, wilt thou deliver the Philistines into my hands?

When the High Priests put on the spiritual clothing, the design of which was given to Moses from the Lord, the High Priest became a “type” of Christ.

By wearing the breast-plate and in the breast-plate the “Urim and the Thummim”, meaning “lights and perfections” these High Priest are also a “type” of the true believer, who are all clothed with the robe of Jesus’s righteousness.

God tells every believer these things:

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Just as David did, in every step we take, we must enquire of the Lord!

Just as David realized we must also realize that we have enemies!

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Now we cannot determine much of anything about the “Urim and the Thummim” but what we do know is that by the uses of these, were the means that were divinely given to the High Priest to impart wisdom and direction to God’s people.

What we do not have to guess about is the Urim means “lights” and the Thummim means “perfection” and with the “Light” of Jesus, He will one day soon bring “Perfection” into our lives.

The Bible says:

1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

But only if we ask for His wisdom:

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

How did the Urim and Thummim respond or better yet, how did the Lord respond to David’s request?

a) Go.

b) I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

David knew that Israel had been established by the Lord!

David knew his throne was established by the Lord!

David knew that from the time he was a young shepherd the Lord had guided his life!

But David also knew that even though he was now a king, we all need the Lord’s guidance every moment of our lives!

James had these words:

Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

David who was much less than perfect in his life made the right choice this day.

But the results are always the same, when we follow the Lord Jesus Christ we will always have victory in the end!

You see the Philistines had brought with them there portable, man-made, gods but these false images had not helped them, for that was impossible!

Israel had made this mistake and had tried to use the “Ark of the Covenant” in this same way and even in this day it had not been returned to the Tabernacle.

God is not in images and man-made things!

The Bible says.

Isa 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

David and his men burned those false things and there was nothing disrespectful about it!

But our battle with evil will not end until we pass on, or the “Rapture” comes.

David would have to battle the same enemy over again!

*****2Sa 5:22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
2Sa 5:23 And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

Again we see the enemies of God’s people will keep coming.

The Jewish historian Josephus said this time the Philistines came with an army 3 times the size of the last army.

And again David had the good sense to enquire of the Lord.

But the Lord had a different response this time.

It seems that God almost never works these things the same way.

We are always on God’s training ground but the Lord will sometimes teach the enemy a valuable lesson that they should also learn.

David was told not to advance straight to the enemy but to circle around and stay in the tree line, unseen by the Philistines and wait on the Lord.

The hardest lesson for us to learn is on “patience”.

But sometimes we just need to wait on the Lord!

*****2Sa 5:24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
2Sa 5:25 And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

Now we can think what we may but the truth is still in the Word of God!

If we can just wrap our minds around the fact “that it is the Lord who governs the things of this world”, it would make our life a whole lot simpler!

We do not know if the sound that came from those trees gave a sound of a large approaching army.

We cannot even guess of what took place.

I know from experience in combat that a low flying attack jet coming in at tree top level will scare the socks off of you if you are not prepared for such things.

What we are to do is to believe that the Lord will go out before us in many battles we have in this life!

When we know the God of all creation, and the Lord of all the heavenly armies on a personal basis, we should have no fear God’s enemies.

Every time we win a battle in this life we must accept that it is the Lord who gave us that victory!

So, David did what the Lord had said.

*****2Sa 5:25 And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

David chased these Philistines back into their own land and to their own door steps without firing a shot.

And, David realized a very important thing.

Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

In America and in the rest of the world, we have forgotten this truth!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!