Death Reigns (4) David Vulnerable

When Saul became king, neither he nor Samuel did anything to return the covenant box to the tabernacle. On one occasion, Saul tried to take it into battle, but he was prevented from taking this dangerous action (1 Sam 14:18). This continued separation meant that the tabernacle sacrifices lost some of their efficiency, so Death was not satisfied by them but was free to continue operating amongst the people.

Saul seemed to have an attraction to violence, which left him vulnerable to the spirit called Death. Saul drew Israel together by cutting up a pair of oxen and sending the pieces throughout the land, a very violent way of sounding the trumpet (1 Sam 11:7). He nearly had his son Jonathan killed after making a rash vow to his armies. Jonathan was saved by his fellow soldiers because he had won a great victory. Saul’s curse of death made trouble for the country (1 Sam 14:24, 29, 43-45).

David also seemed to be vulnerable to the spirit called Death. The early part of his life was focused on fighting, and the latter part of his life was disrupted by fighting and death amongst his supporters.

• David was proud of having killed a lion and a bear. He was very brave but seemed to have a propensity for violent war (1 Sam 17:34-36).

• David took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head after he was dead. When he returned to Saul, he was still holding Goliath’s head (1 Sam 17:50-57).

• When David came back from battles, the people said that he had killed tens of thousands of people (1 Sam 18:7).

• David killed 200 Philistines, so he could present their foreskins to Saul to obtain his daughter Michal as his wife (1 Sam 18:24-27).

• Death seemed to stir up constant trouble amongst David’s military leaders producing many unnecessary deaths of men who served David.

  • Abner killed Asahel ((1 Sam 2:23).

  • Joab killed Abner (1 Sam 3:27).

  • Joab killed Amasa (2 Sam 20:10).

  • Benaiah killed Joab (1 Kings 2:34.

• David killed two rebels and cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies on a tree to warn others against rebelling (2 Sam 4:12).

• David brought the covenant box to Jerusalem and put it in a tent that he had placed there (2 Sam 6:1-18) while the tabernacle and its equipment remained at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4). There is no suggestion in the OT account that God told him to perpetuate this separation. God had instructed Moses how the Tabernacle should function to provide spiritual protection to the children of Israel, and especially to deal with the spirit called Death.

  David liked having the covenant box in Jerusalem because he loved to worship God, but by separating it from the Tabernacle, he undermined the spiritual protection God had provided. This allowed Death to keep on attacking Israel and its leaders when he should have been defeated by the giving of the law. When dealing with the spiritual powers of evil, worship cannot compensate for following God’s instructions that provide for spiritual protection.

• David murdered Uriah the Hittite because he coveted his wife Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:14-17).

• David did not deal with disputes between his children. Absalom killed his brother Amnon (2 Sam 13:28-29). Absalom died after rebelling against his father (2 Sam 18:9). Solomon killed his brother Adonijah (1 Kings 2:24-25).

• David counted his fighting men without consulting God, bringing a plague that annihilated 70,000 people. This was the work of Death.

The law and the tabernacle should have protected David from attacks by the spirit called Death, but the mistake left him vulnerable, resulting in unnecessary death and bloodshed. David seemed to know that he was trapped by death. In his song of praise, he said,

The ropes of Hades entangled me; the snares of Death confronted me (2 Sam 22:6).

The cords of Death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me (Psalm 18:4-5).

And God frequently rescued him.

Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from Death (Psalm 68:20).

You have delivered me from Death and my feet from stumbling (Psalm 56:13).

The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to Death (Psalm 118:18).

You Lord have delivered my soul from death (Psalm 116:8).

God frequently rescued David from Death, but he never fully escaped the power of this evil spiritual power. And he passed it on to his son Solomon.

Effective
Christians mostly study the tabernacle as a type of Jesus, looking for details that represent his ministry. However, this misses an important point. God does not make mistakes. The tabernacle was not a failure the Jesus had to correct. God instructed Moses to build it to provide spiritual protection for the children of Israel. And it actually worked. When they were on the backfoot following the Exodus, the spiritual powers of evil had agreed with God that they would accept animal sacrifices in return for giving up the right to attack his people. They tabernacle was the vehicle for making this happen.

David seemed to put his desire to worship ahead of obedience to the commands of Moses, so he shifted the covenant box to a tent in Jerusalem, while leaving the tabernacle at Gibeon. This provided him with a place for worship, but unfortunately, it destroyed the capacity of the tabernacle to provide spiritual protection for the people, and they were attacked ruthlessly by the spirit called Death.

Many modern Christians have a fascination with the tabernacle of David as a symbol of fervent worship in their church building. Unfortunately, this has blinded them to the spiritual protection that comes through obedience to Jesus’ instructions about how we should be his disciples. This disobedience has allowed the spirit called Death to elbow his way into the church and establish a terrible stronghold there. Obedience, not praise, brings power and protection.

Solomon

David's son Solomon began his kingship by killing people who had opposed him, even though some had been very loyal to his father David: Adonijah, Joab, Shimei (1 Kings 2). This gave Death a place in his kingship.

Solomon built the temple and reunited the covenant box and the facilities for sacrifices, which should have ensured that Death was seriously constrained. However, he married so many foreign wives, who brought their own gods to Jerusalem, that he probably opened himself up to Death again.

David

Reading about King Jehoshaphat this morning, I noticed something I had not seen before.

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days (2 Chron 17:3).

God was with him, when he lived the way that David lived in his early days.

Many Christians have made a hero of David, but we need to be careful. David started really well. He loved and served God wisely as a young man.

However, at the end of his life, he made some serious mistakes. He committed adultery, and murder to cover it up. He had troubles with his children that he did not resolve. He organised a census that God did not want.

There are two lessons here.

• We must not gold-plate David. Jesus is the only one who lived a perfect life. We should model our lives on him, not on David.

• It is not enough to start well. We must all endeavour to finish with the same zeal and love for God that we had when we began. That is a serious challenge for every follower of Jesus.

David

God allowed Israel to have king, so that they would learn that political and military power is not a solution.

Saul started off as a humble honest man. He seemed like a perfect person to be king. Yet he was quickly corrupted by political power.
David was a good man with good heart. His love for God was amazing. He wrote very beautiful Psalms. He could only have done that by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

David was a successful military leader. He defeated the Jebusites and freed Jerusalem (2 Sam 4:6-10). He expanded Israel’s borders and defeated all of its enemies.

The LORD gave David victory wherever he went (2 Sam 8:14).

David was accepted as king by everyone.

David reigned over all Israel (2 Sam 8:15).

Unfortunately, military and political power usually corrupts a good person, so David was a disaster as a king.

• David took responsibility for administering justice in Israel. That was not his role, because God had entrusted justice to judges that he would raise up from among the people.
  

  David administered judgment and justice to all his people (2 Sam 8:15).

  David was a military leader, not a judge. (Some translations insert the word “fairness” or “right” in 2 Sam 8:15, but the word is not there in the Hebrew text).

  Kings like to control justice, because it means that if they harm their people, they have no legal redress, because the king decides the case, and he will not decide against himself. This is not God’s way.

  The people of Judah struggled to obtain justice while David was king (2 Sam 15:2-6). Absalom made himself popular by promising the people justice.

• David used the “forced labour” of his people to advance his building projects.
  

  Adoram was in charge of forced labour (2 Sam 20:24).

  This enforced slavery was forbidden by the law of Moses.

• David imposed harsh taxes to fund his building projects (2 Sam 8:2,6). One reason for this census was to measure the potential for raising taxes (2 Sam 24:2).

• David engaged in random killing of the soldiers that he defeated.
  

  David also defeated the Moabites. Then he made their soldiers lie down on the ground, and he measured them off with a rope. He would measure off two lengths of the rope and have those men killed, then he would measure off one length and let those men live (2 Sam 8:2).

• David’s produced a dysfunctional family. One son raped his half-sister. Another son killed the culprit (2 Sam 13). David avoided these family issues and the bad behaviour continued after his death.

• David stole the wife of one of a David betrayed a loyal soldier who was away from home fighting and committed adultery with his wife (2 Sam 11:2-4).

• David arranged for the soldier he betrayed to be murdered, so that his own sin would not be exposed. He got his victim to carry the letter with instructions to arrange his death (2 Sam 11:12-18).

• When David organised a census to count the men of fighting age, he was putting his trust his own power, rather than God. When the prophet offered him a choice in the consequences of this sin, he chose a plague upon his people, rather than harm for himself (2 Sam 24:11). Only when he saw the people suffering did he realise this was wrong, because he was the one who had sinned (2 Sam 24:17).

A president or prime minister who did all these things would be chucked out at the next election.

When people gain political power, the spiritual powers of evil come in force against them. They identify their weaknesses and turn it to their advantage. By manipulating a political leader, they amplify their power in the nation.

Gods OT Strategy (26) - David

The kingship was a failure right from the start. David was the best person to be king. He had a man with a good heart and he had a great relationship with God as can be seen from the Psalms, yet he fell into adultery and then committed murder to cover it up. Worse still, he failed totally in providing justice. His own son was able to generate a revolt by providing justice for people who had been disappointed by the King (1 Sam 15:1-8).

David did finish the job that Joshua had begun. He drove out the last of the Canaanites. This was far too late, because they had already corrupted the Israelites. However, David allowed many of the Canaanites to remain as forced labour, so the evil spirits stayed too, and quickly jumped over to the people in control.

Prophet Samuel (10) - Samuel and David

Samuel retired to his home, but there is no retirement in God’s book. He soon stirred Samuel up again.

The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king" (1 Sam 16:1).

The Lord spoke at the beginning of the action, so Samuel was in a safer mode of operation. Anointing leaders is part of prophetic business, so Samuel was acting within his calling.

Once again, Samuel nearly fell into the trap of acting on his own ideas.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:6-7).

God had to correct Samuel to prevent him from anointing the wrong person. When Samuel discovered David, the Lord spoke clearly.

He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.

Samuel heard the Lord speak clearly. He anointed a very special man and released the anointing of the Spirit on him. This was another great prophetic event. Most prophets would be happy, if they had one event like this in their lives.

History of Human Government (13) - David and Jesus

Nathan’s promise to David was fulfilled by Jesus. He descended from David through Mary. Gabriel’s prophecy to Mary was similar to God’s promise to David through Nathan.

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. (Luke 1:31-33)

Jesus would establish the Kingdom that was promised to David. He established the kingdom of God, which will last forever.

God was Jesus father and Jesus was the father’s son, just as Nathan prophesied.

I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men (2 Sam 7:14).

Solomon was not the son of God, so this promise was not fulfilled in him. However, because bible translators have assumed that this applied to Solomon, they have translated it in correctly. This was actually a messianic promise. The son of God would not do wrong, but he would be punished with the rod that should be born by all men. He would be inflicted with the flogging that all men deserve. This promise was fulfilled by Jesus before he went to the cross.

The kingship claimed by David’s descendents was actually promised to Jesus.

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever (2 Sam 7:16).

This promise was not fulfilled through Solomon and his descendents. Nathan was looking forward to the kingdom that Jesus would establish. It will endure for ever.

David had a good heart and good used him to accomplish his purposes, but he did not intend to establish a dynasty of kings through him. This was confirmed when his descendents led Israel away from God. Government by kings was not God’s plan for Israel. He used some kings, because he is gracious, but they were not his ideal government.

The Jews have never fully understood David’s calling. He was a military commander raised up to lead the nation in battle against their enemies. This was temporary role only needed when the people had repented and opened up the way for God to throw of the shackles of their oppressors (see Judges 2:10-19).

History of Human Government (12) - David's Line

God made a promise to David through Nathan the prophet that has been widely misunderstood.

The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you…..Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me your throne will be established forever. (2 Sam 7:11,16).

This passage was misunderstood by David. He thought that God’s promise would be fulfilled through Solomon and his descendants. He assumed that he was starting a dynasty like the kings in other nations.

This misunderstanding has been copied by most commentators. Christians tend to assume that God was giving the big tick to kingship, by establishing David’s descendents as kings over Israel.

God promised to love one of David’s sons and that his kingdom would last forever. This promise cannot have been fulfilled through Solomon, because his kingdom did not last forever. He turned to foreign women, so he lost the blessing of God. Half of the kingdom was wrested away by Jeroboam soon after Solomon died and his dynasty was totally broken when the Babylonians invaded Israel.

God did not establish a kingly dynasty through Solomon. This is confirmed in God’s answer to his prayer.

And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life (1 Kings 3:14).

God did not promise that his family line would continue as kings of Israel. He only promised long life to Solomon.

A Davidic dynasty was not God’s will for Israel. God actually promised that one of David’s descendents would establish his kingdom.

When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body (2 Sam 7:12).

The descendent would be raised up after he had died. Solomon came to power while David was still alive, so this rules him out. The reason is that Nathan’s promise is to Jesus, not Solomon.

Human Government (11) - David and the Temple

When David had defeated all the enemies around Israel he decided to build a house for God. That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan and he “reported to David all the words of this entire revelation” (2 Sam 7:17). God said that he did not want any king to build him a house.

Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" (2 Sam 7:7).

God did not want any king to build him a dwelling place, because unlike the God’s of the nations, he was not confined to once place.

David was told that could not build a temple because he had blood on his hands. Solomon had blood on his hands too.

Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands (1 Kings 2:46).

His actions made him unfit to build a temple for God. The truth is that every king has blood on his hands, because that is how all kings maintain their power. Therefore no human king can ever build a dwelling place fit for God to dwell in.

God never asked Solomon to build him a house. Solomon did this on his own initiative. God referred to it as “this temple, which you have built” (1 Kings 9:3). God responded graciously, because he loved Solomon, but a temple of cedar and stone was not his will. Solomon was wrong to build a temple of stone, because this promise was not for him to fulfil. That is why the stone temple eventually had to be destroyed. God would never have allowed the temple to be destroyed if it really was him home.

Jesus would fulfill the promise made through Nathan.

He is the one who will build a house for my Name (2 Sam 7:13).

Jesus built a house for God to dwell in. By dying and ascending, he opened up the way for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Every believer would be a temple of the Holy Spirit. The entire body of Christ would be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. The body of Christ is the only temple fit for the living God.

Human rulers must not control the body of Christ.

History of Human Government (10) - David as King

The Jewish people tended to look upon David as the perfect king and the ideal government. David was a great person with a good heart. His Psalms are a testimony to his good relationship with God.

Despite having a good heart, David was not a good ruler of the people. He did not handle justice well. Absalom rose to power, because David did not provide judges to resolve claims for justice. Hewas able to make a place for himself, by getting justice for people who did not believe they would get justice from King David (2 Sam 15:2-4).

The truth is that David did all the things that Samuel warned a king would do. Samuel warned that the king would take the best property for himself. David had such great wealth and property that he needed twelve overseers to organize the people who worked it (1 Chron 27:25-31). Samuel warned that the King would take their daughters. David did worse; he took the wife of one of his soldiers, Uriah the Hittite, and then had him murdered. Samuel warned that the king would take all the young men for his army. David’s worst decision was taking a census of the people to find out how many soldiers he could include in his army (2 Sam 24). This sin brought judgement on the nation, as the king was their representative.

So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died (1 Sam 24:15).

King David was just doing what kings do, but his mistake cost 70,000 lives.

David’s experience proves that kingship is not an ideal form of government. David was a good man with a good heart, but even he could not make kingship work. A human king can never escape the traps of pride and hubris.

David knew that he was not the ideal king. He honoured the true king who would come in the future.

The LORD is King for ever and ever; (Ps 10:16).
For the kingdom is the LORD’s (Ps 22:28)
For God is the King of all the earth (Ps 47:7).
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods (Ps 95:3).
Shout for joy before the LORD, the King (Ps 98:6).
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom (Ps 145:13).

History of Human Government (9) - David as Military Leader

The Lord told Nathan his purpose for David.

Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders [over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies (2 Sam 7:8-11).

The word translated as ruler is “nâgîyd”, which is a military term. It mean commander, not ruler. God did not appoint David to be a ruler or king, but as a temporary military commander to deal to the nations enemies. Israel had never fully taken the land of Canaan, so it was surrounded by enemies.

David was a very effective military leader. He demonstrated his military skills in the defeat of Goliath. He defeated the Jebusites and drove them out of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the enemies that threatened Israel. God was with David while he acted as military leader, so he was successful in war and established peace for his people.

Once David had established peace, Israel did not require a military commander any more. God would protect them, if they trusted in him. They would only need a military commander, if they turned away from God. This meant that David did not need a successor. Provided the people remained faithful to God, there was no task for David to do, because Israel was at peace. David did not understand this and started to act as a King. David failed as a king, because he was going beyond his calling from God. While he stuck to his calling as a military leaser, he was successful.