Introduction:
A. The story is told of a time when the Pope had just finished a tour of the Napa Valley and was taking a limousine to San Francisco.
1. As the Pope talked with the chauffeur, he admitted that he had always wanted to drive a limo, but had never had the chance.
2. The chauffeur decided to give the Pope the opportunity, so he pulled over, hopped in the back and let the Pope take the wheel.
3. As the Pope was proceeding down the highway, he decided to see what the limo could do.
4. As the limo neared 100 MPH, suddenly the Pope noticed the red and blue lights of the highway patrol in his mirror.
5. He pulled over and the trooper came to his window.
6. When the trooper saw who was in the driver seat he said, “Just a moment please, I need to call my superior.”
7. So the trooper ran back to the patrol car and called the police chief, saying, “I just pulled over a very important person. What should I do?”
8. The chief asked him, “Is it a Senator?”
9. “No Sir!” replied the trooper, “This guy’s more important.”
10. The chief then asked, “Is it the Governor?”
11. “No! Even more important!” replied the trooper.
12. “Is it the President?” asked the chief.
13. “No! Even more important!” replied the trooper.
14. The chief was now very frustrated, who can be more important than the president. “Who is it then?” screamed the chief.
15. The trooper replied, “I don’t know Sir, but he’s got the Pope as his chauffeur.”
B. I thought you might enjoy that little chuckle as we get started.
1. As we continue our study of the life of David we have to keep in mind that although King Saul was a very important person, and David was perhaps an even more important person, neither were more important than God.
2. No one is more important than God. The greatest people of all time, just might be worthy of being God’s chauffeur.
3. We may become God’s faithful servants, but God is the Almighty.
4. Today we will see the changing of the guard in Israel.
5. Israel has a new king, but most importantly, they have the same Lord.
C. In our study today we come to the continental divide of this series on the life of David.
1. It is a good time for us to look back at some of David’s yesterdays, and look forward to some of his tomorrows.
2. Without this kind of perspective, we might miss the full impact of David’s life and the lessons we need to learn from it.
3. David’s life was sprinkled with a mixture of accomplishments and disappointments which are worth noting.
4. David’s life gradually built toward a peak at the time of his sinful encounter with Bathsheba, and then it was all downhill after that.
5. One commentator described David’s life like a roofline slanting progressively upward in triumph.
6. Bathsheba is at the peak of the roof, and then the rest of his life is a downhill slide of one tragedy after another.
7. Nevertheless, in spite of David’s public and personal victories and defeats, God still saw him as a man after God’s own heart.
D. The verses we read as the Scripture Reading from Psalm 78 do an amazing job of wrapping up David’s 70 years in three short verses.
1. God chose David and took him from the sheepfold to the palace.
2. David shepherded Israel according to the integrity of his heart and with his skillful hands.
3. The first part of his life and reign were a model of integrity and character, but sadly, and unfortunately, he wandered off the path of integrity and suffered numerous tragedies as a result.
E. Let’s spend a few minutes looking at how David became the king.
1. How did he take the throne?
2. Did David storm into the role and demand that everyone submit to him and his rule?
3. No, David was a sensitive man and a man after God’s own heart and he allowed God to bring all Israel under David’s leadership in God’s time.
4. You remember that David was not a usurper, even though he had had numerous opportunities to take Saul’s life, but he refused to do so.
5. Samuel anointed David to be the next king, but David has had to wait close to 15 years for that to come into fruition, and a lot of those years were spent running for his life as a fugitive.
6. God has been working and preparing David to be a great king.
The Story:
A. Our story today begins in chapter 1 of Second Samuel.
1. Last week the sad, sad story of Saul came to an end as the Philistines won a great victory over Israel.
2. Saul’s three sons died in the battle as had been prophesied.
3. Saul was critically wounded and lay there dying.
4. He asked his armor bearer to finish him off, but the man refused to do so.
5. So Saul rose up and fell on his sword and died.
B. Meanwhile, David had left the battle scene before the commencement of the battle.
1. You remember how the Philistines had questioned David’s loyalties to Israel and didn’t want David to go into battle supposedly on their side?
2. So David went back to his home at Ziklag only to find it destroyed, and then ran off with his men to fight the Amalekites and recover their families and possessions.
3. It is on the third day after Saul’s death that David hears the tragic news – remember there was no CNN or Fox News for him to watch – so news was slow and hard to come by.
C. The Bible says, “On the third day a man arrived from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor. ‘Where have you come from?’ David asked him. He answered, ‘I have escaped from the Israelite camp.’
‘What happened?’ David asked. ‘Tell me.’ He said, ‘The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.’
Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’ ‘I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,’ the young man said, ‘and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him. When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, “What can I do?” ‘He asked me, “Who are you?” “An Amalekite,” I answered. ‘Then he said to me, “Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.” ‘So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.’” (2 Samuel 1:2-10)
1. We know that the Amalekite is an opportunistic schemer and a liar, but David does not know that.
2. The Amalekite presents himself as a tragic figure – torn clothes, dirt on his head, a survivor of a terrible catastrophe.
3. He presents David with what he assumes is good news, and he offers David the insignia of royalty – Saul’s crown and armband – that he just happened to grab as he ran for his life from the battlefield.
4. The lie’s success is short-lived.
5. David’s initial response must have chilled the heart of the Amalekite.
6. The Bible says, “Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” (1:11-12)
7. I’m sure the Amalekite must have thought to himself, “Why is David not celebrating? David’s longtime enemy is dead. Why isn’t David putting on the crown and armband and acting like a king?”
D. Next comes David’s decisive judgment, the Bible says, “David said to the young man who brought him the report, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite,’ he answered. David asked him, ‘Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?’
Then David called one of his men and said, ‘Go, strike him down!’ So he struck him down, and he died. For David had said to him, ‘Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, “I killed the LORD’s anointed.” ’ ” (2 Sam. 1:13-16)
1. The Amalekite expected to receive a great reward from David, and expected to set off a victory celebration, but all he initiated was his own execution and David’s lament.
2. Take a look at the song David wrote and required the Israelites to learn. (1:17-27)
3. Catastrophe has struck Israel, its king is dead and his body has been desecrated, and such a reality must be treated with reverence and dignity.
4. Amazingly, after all that Saul has done and tried to do to David, Saul is not slighted in any way in the lament, but the most poignant moment is saved for Jonathan, David’s lifelong friend.
5. The line “How the mighty have fallen” is repeated three times and is first attributed to Saul, then to Jonathan, and then it is repeated a third time emphasize the catastrophe.
6. David’s lament is truly a beautiful tribute to Saul and Jonathan and Israel.
7. And so David grieves for Saul and Jonathan, and David acts decisively against the Amalekite for the sake of Saul’s honor – David has the man executed on the basis of the man’s own testimony.
E. The story continues, the Bible says, “In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. ‘Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?’ he asked. The LORD said, ‘Go up.’ David asked, ‘Where shall I go?’ ‘To Hebron,’ the LORD answered. So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” (2 Sam. 2:1-4)
1. We see from these verses that David didn’t rush to the throne and take charge.
2. He waited patiently on God for further instruction. He makes no move without God’s approval.
3. God revealed His plan to David. He said, in effect, “Begin your reign in Hebron.”
4. You can see on this map where Hebron is in relationship to Jerusalem (south west).
4. Why Hebron? Perhaps because it was a central city in Judah, and was the ancient burial plot of Abraham and therefore a city rich in sacred tradition.
5. It is also the area where David had been making his earlier raids and had shared his plunder.
F. How long did David remain a king in the limited capacity of Hebron?
1. The Bible says, “The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.” (2 Sam. 2:11)
2. So immediately following Saul’s death, David didn’t become king over the whole nation, but has a limited reign over the people of Judah for 7 and ½ years.
3. Nevertheless, David does not complain. He doesn’t appear anxious. He has learned to wait on God.
4. During that period there were some satellite kings trying to unify Israel, including Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth, whom Abner, Saul’s former Army commander, had made king.
5. But David waited patiently for God to take care of unifying the kingdom.
6. The Bible says, “The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” (3:1)
G. In the next verse of chapter 3, we learn something about the weak side of David’s character and some decisions that he will live to regret.
1. The Bible says, “Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.” (2 Sam. 3:2-5)
2. What do these verses tell us? They tell us that David didn’t simply have six children, but that he had six children by six different wives.
3. This polygamy was one of the dark spots in David’s life that will later come back to haunt him.
4. According to 2 Samuel 5:13-16 and 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, David had many other wives and concubines who bore him children in Jerusalem. We don’t know anything about most of them.
5. There is no telling how many wives, concubines and children David had – those mentioned by name in Scripture include 20 sons and 1 daughter, but he had many more.
6. Keep that in mind, because David’s enormous family becomes an important issue later in his life.
H. There are several interesting stories going on in these first five chapters of 2 Samuel.
1. We are not going to focus on them because they have to do with those who were vying for power around David and were not about David himself.
2. When we arrive at chapter 5, we see how that David finally became king over all of Israel.
3. The Bible says, “All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, ‘We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, “You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.”’ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.” (2 Sam. 5:1-5)
4. So now David finally had the limitless reign he had been promised as God’s anointed leader.
5. David had great power and great blessing from the Lord.
6. The Bible continues, “The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, ‘You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.’ They thought, ‘David cannot get in here.’ Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David. David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David….He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him. Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.” (2 Sam. 5:6-7,9-12)
7. When the blessings began, they overflowed David’s cup.
8. Few monarchs have known such remarkable power and prestige.
I. The hand of God certainly was with David during his reign.
1. David’s accomplishments were marvelous.
2. Territorially, he expanded the boundaries of Israel from 6 thousand square miles to 60 thousand square miles.
3. David was a courageous warrior, and a brilliant planner and organizer.
4. He set up extensive trade routes that reached throughout the known world.
5. And most importantly, David unified the nation under Jehovah God and created a national interest in spiritual things.
6. He destroyed the idol alters, and lifted up the role of the priesthood so that Judaism could operate openly and freely in the land.
J. David was all these things, but David was also very human.
1. As a man, he was just as vulnerable as me and as you to temptation and failure.
2. As we continue to study David’s life, we will see that he had some major failures and heartbreaking disappointments.
3. As we come to each story in future sermons, we will give concentrated attention to the lessons we should learn from them, but for now just let me introduce them to you.
K. We will see that David became so involved in public pursuits that he lost control of his family.
1. He had too many wives and far too many children to lead and rear properly.
2. There is little difference between life on the back street and life in the king’s palace if there is insufficient parental direction and discipline.
3. A king or a queen can produce prodigals and rebels just as easily as those without wealth and rank.
L. A second failure of David’s was that he indulged himself and did not control his sexual passion.
1. That fact is evident in the number of wives and concubines he amassed in direct disobedience to God’s commands.
2. Deuteronomy 17:14-17 says, “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,’ be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.”
3. We are also well acquainted with what lust caused David to do with Bathsheba, and when we get to that chapter in 2 Samuel we will look at that story in greater detail.
M. David’s third tragic failure was the he became a victim of self-sufficiency.
1. In simple terms, David began to believe in his own track record and trust in the power of his own military prowess and strength.
2. When we trust in ourselves, rather than in the Lord, we are headed for trouble.
II. The Application
A. What lessons can we take to heart from this lesson on David as he is in this transition period and we look behind and ahead in his life?
B. First of all, we would be remiss if we didn’t again mention the importance of mourning our losses.
1. We focused quite extensively on it last week, but because we bump into it again in this text it is important to bring it up again.
2. Wise individuals, wise families and wise societies honor lamenting.
3. In times of loss it is important to slow down and take a long, hard look at life and loss.
4. Mourning keeps us in touch with our neighbors and friends, our losses and defeats, our limits and suffering – ultimately, mourning keeps us in touch with our humanity and with our God.
5. Certainly we need, at times, to mourn alone – it is a personal and private act.
6. But mourning is also an important social act – it is not sufficient to grieve alone; grieving friends are necessary too.
7. That’s why David calls on the Israelite community to help in his lament.
8. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Mt. 5:4)
C. Second, we learn from the life and failures of David the importance of cultivating a godly family.
1. There are few joys greater than a godly family – godly husbands and wives, godly fathers and grandfathers, godly mothers and grandmothers, godly aunts and uncles, godly children and grandchildren.
2. And the opposite is also true - there are few heartaches more painful than an ungodly family.
3. How awful are the wounds and damage done to family members by the ungodly attitudes, words and actions of other family members..
3. Therefore, every effort should be made by each family member to walk with God and allow God to do His transforming and empowering work in our lives that the family may be blessed.
4. Whenever my family, or your family, is experiencing great difficulty, we should access every possible resource to get the help we need.
D. Finally, one other thing we learn from the life and failures of David is that gross sin is a culmination of a process, not a sudden act.
1. Most of us won’t wake up one day and say, “Today I’m going to walk away from God and throw myself into a life of sin.”
2. No that move happens gradually, almost imperceptively – like slowly turning up the heat on the frog in the pot of water.
3. The move away from God begins with little changes – the dropping of helpful practices here and there, like prayer, Scripture reading, worship, fellowship and service, and the accepting of compromising, wrongful attitudes and actions.
4. James clearly writes about that process, saying, “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15)
5. It is so important for us to recognize that process in our own lives and in the lives of others, and to stop the slide away from God before it is too late.
E. Thankfully, our God is merciful and forgiving.
1. At any point this side of death we can stop what we are doing and turn to God in confession and repentance, and we will find grace and mercy.
2. Unfortunately, although God may cleanse us and take away the guilt of our sins, He does not always remove the scars and consequences of our sins.
3. David and Bathsheba were forgiven, but the child’s life was not spared.
4. We may turn to the Lord and God may transform us, but our children may still suffer because of the damage that has been done and the pattern that was set.
5. Sin has terrible wages, and that’s the heartache of it all.
6. The only hope we have is daily dependence on the Living God.
7. God knows us, and God understands us, and God will provide power to change and power to persevere.
Resources:
David – A Man of Passion and Destiny, by Charles R. Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1997.
David I, by W. Phillip Keller, Word Books, 1985.
The Making of a Man of God, by Alan Redpath, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1962.
I and II Samuel, David F. Payne, The Daily Study Bible Series, Westminster Press, 1982
First and Second Samuel, J. Carl Laney, Everyman’s Bible Commentary, Moody Bible Institute, 1982.
First and Second Samuel, Eugene Peterson, Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.
First and Second Samuel, Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation, John Knox Press, 1990.
