Day 102 – 2 Samuel 5:1-16

Scripture Review

2 Samuel 5:1-16

"Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh."

(2 Samuel 5:1)

I see all the tribes of Israel coming together to David at Hebron. They say, "Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh." They are acknowledging their close family tie to David. He is one of them. A heart after God is recognized by its own people when the LORD's time has come.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:2)

The tribes remind David of his past service. Even when Saul was king, David was the one who led Israel out and brought them in. They recall the LORD's own words to him: "Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel." They are confessing that David has always been the true leader.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:3)

The elders come to Hebron, and David makes a league with them "before the LORD." Then they anoint David king over all Israel. Samuel had anointed him years earlier in 1 Samuel 16. Judah had anointed him in 2 Samuel 2. Now all Israel anoints him. God's promise moves from private calling, to partial rule, to national recognition.

"David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years."

(2 Samuel 5:4)

David was thirty when he began to reign. He had been anointed as a young shepherd, but he did not step into the throne overnight. Between the oil of Samuel and the crown of Israel were lions, bears, Goliath, Saul's spear, caves, Ziklag, grief, war, and waiting. That number, "forty years," gives the full shape of his reign. God did not merely give David a moment. He gave him a kingdom and a lifetime of responsibility.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:5)

Many people want the larger place but are careless in the smaller place. David had to be faithful over Judah before God gave him all Israel and Judah. The smaller assignment is not wasted when it comes from the LORD.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:6)

David now turns toward Jerusalem. The Jebusites still hold it, and they mock him. It's like they are saying, "This city is so strong that even the blind and the lame could keep you out." They are laughing from behind their walls.They have a stronghold, a history of survival, and confidence in their defenses. A stronghold may look untouchable until God says the time has come.

"Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David."

(2 Samuel 5:7)

"Nevertheless" sticks out to me. It deserves a comma. The Jebusites said, "David cannot come in hither." Nevertheless, David took the strong hold. Man's boast meets God's purpose, and God's purpose wins. Zion becomes "the city of David." The place that mocked him is now named after him.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:8)

The Jebusites trusted their walls, but David saw the weakness. Pride often watches the front gate and forgets the watercourse. The "blind and the lame" here are tied to the Jebusites' taunt. David is not showing hatred toward helpless people as a class. He is throwing the insult back at the proud city that claimed even its weakest could hold him off.

"So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward."

(2 Samuel 5:9)

David does not merely capture the fort. He dwells there. He renames it. He builds it. Victory is followed by establishment. David takes the stronghold and then strengthens it "from Millo and inward." What God gives should be ordered, guarded, and built up.

"And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him."

(2 Samuel 5:10)

This is the secret, "the LORD God of hosts was with him." David grew great, but David was not the source of David's greatness. The LORD God of hosts was with him. David has just taken a stronghold. He is establishing a capital. The armies of Israel are now under him. Yet the true Captain is still the LORD.

David grows because God is with him. Human recognition came in Hebron, but divine presence made the kingdom stand.

"And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house."

(2 Samuel 5:11)

A gentile king sends messengers, cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. Hiram of Tyre recognizes David's rising throne and contributes to David's house. The shepherd from Bethlehem now has a house built with cedar. His kingdom is becoming established enough that surrounding rulers take notice. The LORD can cause provision to come from unexpected places. David points beyond himself to Christ, the Son of David, and that the enthroned king in 2 Samuel gives a picture that directs us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:12)

David "perceived." He understood what was happening. The cedar house, the conquered city, the united tribes, the growing kingdom. David saw the LORD's hand in it. Those are humble words. He perceived that the LORD had done it. "for his people Israel's sake." David understood that the kingdom was not merely for David. God exalted David's kingdom for the good of God's people. The blessing is from God, and the purpose is larger than the man receiving it.

"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."

(2 Samuel 5:13)

David takes more concubines and wives after coming from Hebron, and more sons and daughters are born. His house is growing, but not everything that grows is spiritually healthy. I have seen advertisements on how to grow your church. Growing a church without God's help never works out good for the church.

David had access to scripture. The law had warned kings plainly:

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

"And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,"

(2 Samuel 5:14)

Now the sons born in Jerusalem begin to be named. Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. Solomon stands out. He will one day build the temple. He will sit on David's throne. The son named here will later become central in Israel's story. Nathan also matters deeply in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. These names remind me that God is already working in the next generation while David is settling into Jerusalem.

"Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,"

(2 Samuel 5:15)

More sons are named: Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, and Japhia. The line continues. The house of David is expanding in the city of David.

This is one of those verses that can feel like a list until we remember that every name is a soul. Every child born into David's house will live under the weight of his father's throne, his father's victories, his father's sins, and his father's God. The kingdom is not just what David wins. It is what his children inherit. That is both blessing and burden.

"And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet."

(2 Samuel 5:16)

The list closes with Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphalet. Eleven sons are named in this Jerusalem list. David's house is visibly growing as his kingdom is visibly established.

Names are easy to rush past, but Scripture does not record them for nothing. These names sit inside the larger testimony that David's kingdom was being established by the LORD. I must remember that even in seasons of great blessing, the heart still needs guarding. David is established, but David is still a man. The LORD is the true strength of the kingdom.