God Will Conquer You - 2 Samuel 5:1-25 Series

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Introduction

Samuel anointed David in 1 Samuel 16. Twenty-one chapters later he becomes king of all Israel. The two-state solution did not work out, and now the kingdom is united under one king. In 2 Samuel 5 we get the account of David being anointed by all the people of Israel. But that is not all we get in this chapter. It also talks about the summary of the years of David’s reign and it also talks about his wives and children. And it talks about the wars with the Philistines. And it talks about David moving his capital to Jerusalem. At first glance this chapter seems like kind of a hodgepodge of different topics.

But when you study it a little closer it becomes clear that there is a very unified message in this chapter. If you want a summary of what this chapter is all about just look at the halfway point – verse 12, and the writer himself will give us the summary.

12 the LORD established [David] as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom

In this chapter we are going to see God do two things – establish David as king and exalt David’s kingdom. That is an outline we probably could have figured out even without verse 6 because the first half of the chapter is all about David being established as king and the second half is all about his kingdom being exalted. But the mere fact that God did that is not really all that interesting – nor is that the point of this chapter. The point of this chapter is how God did it and why God did it. And understanding those two things will be extremely helpful in your daily walk with the Lord. So let’s look first at God’s establishment of David’s kingdom in verses 1-5.

God Establishes David - 1-5

Unification of Israel - 1-3

1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron

That does not mean the whole population came down – the various tribes sent their leaders and representatives. But the word “all” is significant. In fact, it is repeated a couple more times.

1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron

3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them

5 [David] reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

We tend to think of the monarchy in Israel as starting out with a united kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon and then splitting into a divided kingdom after that. But actually Israel was divided long before Saul’s time. There are many indications in the text that Judah and the northern tribes were at odds with each other and there were tensions between the north and the south even back in the time of the Judges. They were united under Saul, but there was still some division. So the emphasis here is on the uniting of the nation under David. For once the entire nation is unified as one.

And when all the leaders arrived down in Hebron they make a case for why David should agree to be their king. They give him three reasons.

1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood.

That is reason #1 – they are brothers. Under Abner and Joab brothers were fighting brothers – treating the others as though they were not brothers. They knew they were fellow Israelites but they did not care. So this statement signals the end of that attitude.

2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.

That is reason #2. Even while Saul was king it was David who was always delivering them from their enemies. He has been doing a great job as king all these years – he might as well go ahead and be the king. Those who have been faithful with little should be entrusted with more. And then reason #3:

2 … And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"

Not only are you our brother, and not only have you been doing a great job all these years, but on top of all that God said you were supposed to be king.

So they marshal this argument to try to persuade David to be their king. What they are hoping for is a covenant, and that is exactly what they get.

3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD