In the first part of David’s life, Samuel anoints David as King followed by David spending the next 10 years fleeing from Saul. Like the Greater Son of David, King David undergoes humiliation before his exaltation.
In the second part of David’s life we are invited to look at his 40-year reign as King over Israel.
Like Saul, David is an unlikely choice. Also like Saul, David is given the Spirit after his anointing. David’s triumph over Goliath is also reminiscent of Saul’s early reign. But there are some important contrasts between David and Saul also.
Saul is a Benjamite and the Benjamites are known for their skill with a sling (Judges 20:15-16). Here David is more of a Benjamite than Saul – who has become like Goliath – a man of the spear.
Saul loses the Kingdom in part because of his impatience. David wins the kingdom by his patience (Hebrews 6:12). David does not try to seize the throne, even when he has two opportunities to do so.
In between these two opportunities to kill Saul we have the story of Abigail, a Saviour in a skirt.
Amidst all David’s adventures, this story and the story of David bringing the Ark into Jerusalem are the two stories of his life that I am going to focus on because both point to the same thing. Namely, that God will build for David a mighty nation and a House that is not only big enough for David and all Israel but which is big enough for the world.
At one point in his exile, David finds himself protecting Nabal’s property from invasion. Nabal was a rich man whose name means fool. His wife Abigail, by contrast, is described as beautiful and wise (1 Samuel 25:3).
When David’s men get hungry, they ask Nabal for some food. To which, Nabal says no. But, he doesn’t just say no, he says…
Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where? (1 Samuel 25:10-11).
To which David replies…
Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword (1 Samuel 25:13).
Now, we all know what 400 hundred men armed with swords intend to do. Fortunately, Nabal has a wise servant and a smart wife who intervene. But the disaster was not so much the threat to Nabal but the threat Nabals actions would have on David’s Kingship.
So far, David has been patient. He has had the opportunity to kill Saul and has not done it. David won’t take a shot at the Lord’s anointed, but he is ready to liquidate a private citizen. What follows are the wise words of Abigail who goes out to meet him with a truckload of food.
She readily admits that her husband is a meathead and he will get his comeuppance in due course. But if David strikes down Nabal he would become like Saul who slaughtered the priests at Nob.
The story, therefore, is not a witness to David’s righteousness but to the kindness of God who intervenes through Abigail and prevents the slaughter of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:26-34).
Abigail goes home and over breakfast tells Nabal about his narrow escape from the hand of David. A week later Nabal dies. God did not require David’s huffing and puffing. God was quite capable of taking care of Nabal.
From this, we are reminded of the “kindness of the Lord” which sometimes interrupts our plans. Looking back, we see that these interruptions to our little plans were in fact, great salvations!
David’s life provides Christians with an important lesson on the purpose of God’s interruptions.
Like David, we must learn to give thanks when mercy sends frustration. Mercy sometimes holds us back and sets up roadblocks to our plans – for our own sake.
God restrains David by a woman, whom he later marries: and through whom he inherits Nabals Estate. In restraining David, the Lord also gives David a Promise. ( 1 Samuel 25:28).
Moving on to David’s reign and with this promise in mind, one of his first victories is over the city of Jerusalem.
Once David has taken over the city he decides to establish the Throne of God – the Ark of the Covenant. This is an important moment in restoring what was torn down during the days of Eli. Here, in Jerusalem, David will build a new house for the Lord, though here again, David is met with some frustration.
David goes to Abinadab’s House where the Ark has been slumped in a corner of a paddock for 40yrs. In trying to move the Ark, Uzzah is put to death and David temporarily drops his plans and leaves the Ark for 3 months at the house of a guy named Obed-edom (2 Samuel 6:1-7).
Now, the writer wants us to know who this guy is and repeats his name about 5 times (2 Samuel 6:9-12). So, who is he? He is a Gittite from Gath. Do you remember Gath? Obed-edom is a Philistine! A Philistine now following the one true God and now living in Israel with the Ark at his house.
And so, David builds a Tabernacle for the Lord and Places the Ark in Jerusalem. A tabernacle like the one Moses built – but with a couple of significant developments.
When David establishes the Tabernacle with the Ark in Jerusalem, he reorganises the Priests. But the biggest difference between the Tabernacle of Moses and the Tabernacle of David is music.
The sacrifices are still going on and are re-instituted in David’s day, but the choir and the orchestra are now front and centre. (with Obed-edom is among the singers).
David’s Tabernacle is the place of worship that is being described in most of the Psalms. When David sings, ‘How I long to dwell in your courts”, and “In your Holy Temple, I meditate day and night”, He is talking about the Tabernacle he built.
It’s understandable, having built this Tabernacle, that David might be inclined to build a House. But the Lord tells David that though the House of God will be built, it will not be by David, but by David’s son.
The subsequent promises made to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 are an important event – not only in Israel’s history but also in the history of the world. David understood that, and so David’s words in 2 Samuel 7:19, “Is this your way with all mankind?”, which are in response to God’s promise, can be translated, “Is this is your charter with all humanity?”
What was happening here was for the Obed’s of the World – you and me – not just Israel.
Through David, God was establishing a House and a throne by which He would rule the world. All the promises given to Abraham were now going to be tied to David’s household. David, like Abraham, will have a great name. Like Abraham, David’s household will bring everlasting peace. And like Abraham, David’s seed will bless the nations.
But there will also be a further development. Where Abraham was a pilgrim, those of David’s Household will be permanent residents when God comes as the Greater Son of David and the everlasting tabernacle among men.
This tabernacle, this house, the Lord Jesus Christ, suffered humiliation as He patiently awaited His exaltation to the throne of David at God’s right hand.
Today, by His resurrection, God is now revealed to the whole world through the church, which is His body and the visible representation of His presence. And like the kingdom of David, that church is often marked by the same frustration and humiliation that God’s kindness sometimes brings into our lives.
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