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You can turn in your Bibles to 
2 Samuel chapter 5. 2 Samuel chapter 5. 2 Samuel 5, we'll begin reading 
in verse 1. Then all the tribes of Israel 
came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, Indeed, we are your bone 
and your flesh. Also in time past, when Saul 
was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought 
them in. And the Lord said to you, You 
shall shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over Israel. Therefore, 
all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and king 
David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and 
they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years 
old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron 
he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem 
he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. And the king and his men went 
to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, 
who spoke to David, saying, You shall not come in here, but the 
blind and the lame will repel you, thinking David cannot come 
in here. Nevertheless, David took the 
stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. Now David 
said on that day, whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft 
and defeats the Jebusites, the lame and the blind, who are hated 
by David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Therefore, 
they say, the blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 
Then David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the City of David. 
And David built all around from the Melo and inward. So David 
went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with 
him. Then Hiram king of Tyre sent 
messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons, 
and they built David a house. So David knew that the Lord had 
established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted 
his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. And David took 
more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come 
from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters 
were born to David. Now these are the names of those 
who were born to him in Jerusalem. Shammuah, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 
Ibar, Elishua, Nephag, Japhia, Elishama, Eliadah, and Eliphilat. Now when the Philistines heard 
that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines 
went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went 
down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and 
deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired 
of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will 
you deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go 
up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand. 
So David went to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. 
And he said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me 
like a breakthrough of water. Therefore he called the name 
of that place Baal-perazim. And they left their images there, 
and David and his men carried them away. Then the Philistines 
went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 
Therefore David inquired of the Lord and he said, You shall not 
go up. Circle around behind them and 
come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall 
be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry 
trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will 
go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines. And 
David did so, as the Lord commanded him, and he drove back the Philistines 
from Geba as far as Gezer. Amen. Well, we've come to the 
second major part in the book of 2 Samuel. Basically, in chapters 
1 to 4, which we already considered, we see David's reign at Hebron. There he was anointed in chapter 
2 as the king over the southern tribe of Judah alone. In chapters 
5 to 9, we see the consolidation of David's reign over all Israel. That's the section we're in tonight. 
I just read that. David is now not only the king 
over Judah, but over the entirety of the tribes of Israel. And 
in chapters 10 to 20, we will see the consequence of David's 
sin and then the close of David's reign in chapters 21 to 24. Now, as we look at chapter 5, 
we need to remember that it's not strictly chronological. It 
is not strictly chronological. It's not the case that each and 
everything in order. goes according to the order in 
time. And a couple of illustrations 
of this. If you notice in the first place, 
the invasion by the Philistines in verses 17 to 25 probably takes 
place prior to the conquest of Jerusalem. Because if you notice 
in verse 17, the Philistines search for David, David heard 
of it and went down to the stronghold. He wouldn't have done that if 
he was already in the stronghold at Zion. So probably the invasion 
by the Philistines spoken of in verses 17 to 25 happened right 
after the anointing of David prior to the conquest of Jerusalem. As well, the building of David's 
house, verse 11. It's a palace. It's the king's 
palace. This would have occurred later 
in David's life. And then, of course, the multiplication 
of concubines and wives from Jerusalem and sons and daughters 
indicated in verses 13 to 16 would have happened later as 
well. So, essentially what we have 
in chapter 5 of 2 Samuel is what Dale Ralph Davis calls a kingdom 
collage. It's a collection of glimpses 
of David's kingdom when he consolidates power over both the house of 
Israel and the house of Judah. So we'll look at the three aspects 
or three observations tonight. First, the anointing of David 
over all Israel in verses 1 to 5. Secondly, the conquest of 
Jerusalem in verses 6 to 16. And then the protection of Israel 
by David in verses 17 to 25. Many of the things that we'll 
look at tonight as we conclude the study, we'll see the typical 
significance of this in terms of Christ's kingdom. David is 
functioning not as Jesus does ultimately, but certainly David 
is functioning as a type of how Jesus would indeed conduct His 
rule over His kingdom, but note first the anointing of David 
over all Israel, verses 1 to 5. The tribes addressed David 
in verses 1 to 2. Notice, then all the tribes of 
Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, Indeed, we 
are your bone and your flesh. So at this point, remember that 
Abner is now dead and Ish-bosheth is dead as well. So the northern 
tribes are without a king, Ish-bosheth, and they are without the power 
behind the king, Abner. And so now they come to David 
and they want to engage in him being king over them. We might 
ask the question why they didn't do that before. They knew, as 
we read on in this particular section, that David was destined 
to be the king over all of Israel. Nevertheless, at the death of 
Abner and Ish-posheth, they now come to David in this particular 
instance. Notice they appeal to the ethnic 
relationship. Indeed, we are your bone and 
your flesh. This is in accordance with Deuteronomy 
17.15. When God gave instructions for 
the king in Israel in Deuteronomy 17, He said specifically, you 
may not set a foreigner over you who is not a brother. So the fact is that David and 
these tribes in Israel are kin. They are ethnically related. Notice as well they appeal to 
the fact that David has established proven leadership. Verse 2, also 
in time past when Saul was king over us, you were the one who 
led Israel out and brought them in and the Lord said to you. 
So they had seen David's proven leadership. So this was a win-win 
for these northern tribes because Ish-bosheth was simply a puppet 
king. Abner was the power behind him. 
Both of these men are dead. They know that David is a proven 
leader so they come to him at Hebron and they essentially say, 
we want you to rule over us. We want you to be our king. We 
are ethnically related to you in terms of blood as well. We 
know your proven leadership and we also know the fact that you 
are God's promised king. The Lord said at the end of verse 
2, you shall shepherd my people Israel and be ruler over Israel. Now there were various promises 
made concerning Davidic kingship. Begins all the way in chapter 
13 of 1 Samuel when God tells Saul he's going to take the kingdom 
from him. We see in chapter 16 in 1 Samuel 
that David is anointed as king. We see in 1 Samuel 18 and again 
in chapter 24 and 26 that Saul is conscious of the reality that 
David is the one whom God has determined will be on the throne 
over all Israel. As well, Jonathan knows this 
in chapter 23 in 1 Samuel. Also, Abner knows this according 
to 2 Samuel chapter 3. So everybody knows this. The 
tribes now appeal to David on this particular, and note the 
particular language that's used here in verse 2. You shall shepherd 
my people Israel and be ruler over Israel. There's a great 
lesson concerning leadership in this particular chapter, both 
in terms of ecclesiology, church leadership, but as well in terms 
of political leadership. David was to shepherd the people 
of Israel. Now a shepherd cares for the 
flock. A shepherd tends to the flock. 
A shepherd makes sure that the flock is fed. The shepherd as 
well protects the flock from any sort of enemy invasion. Drop 
down for just a moment to verse 12, notice it says, so David 
knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that 
he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. So David is exalted, David is 
put into this position of authority, not for David's fulfillment, 
not so David can add a missing piece to his already complete 
life, but it is for the sake of the people of Israel. Rulers 
are not in their places of authority for their own well-being. Rulers 
are not over a people for their own pride, or for their own vanity, 
or for their own prestige, or for their own money. Rather, 
rulers are over people for the good of those people. Now, this 
may seem an elementary truth, but when we look at the current 
political climate and when we look at the ecclesiastical climate, 
this isn't always the case. What we find are political leaders 
and at times church leaders that are more about what they can 
get out of their position of authority. They're more in tune 
with the money they'll make, or the prestige that they'll 
receive, or the benefits that will accrue to their accounts, 
rather than them being servants to the people under them. Whether 
it be political, whether it be church, the purpose of rulers 
are for the good of people. So, we ought to consider when 
we look to appointing leaders, are these persons out for the 
benefit of those over whom they rule? Or are they only in it 
for themselves? If they are only in it for themselves, 
then it would be very wise of us not to select them as leaders. David was to shepherd the people 
of Israel. David was to be the ruler over 
Israel in a manner that was consistent with God's plan. As well, what 
they say at the end of verse 2 indicates the consistency with 
Deuteronomy 17, 15. Again, we'll refer to that passage 
a few more times tonight because it's absolutely crucial. If you're 
not familiar with Deuteronomy 17, it is the place where God 
gives instruction concerning the future king in Israel. And 
one of the things that the Lord says specifically in verse 15, 
you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. It is to be the one whom the 
Lord your God chooses. And that was indeed the case 
with Saul. Now it is indeed the case with 
David. Now notice in verses 3 to 5, 
the elders anoint David. This is the third time that David 
was anointed. He was anointed in 1 Samuel 16 
by Samuel the kingmaker. He's anointed in 2 Samuel 2 verse 
4 when he becomes king over Judah. And now he's anointed a third 
time. And Calvin has a good explanation. They are not here saying what 
happened previous is of no concern. Basically, they are affirming 
or confirming or ratifying these other anointings that had already 
occurred. So they anoint David, and now 
notice that David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the 
Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. This was a 
holy proceeding. They covenant together, David 
as the ruler over the people, and certainly the people would 
covenant fealty or submission to David in his rule. And all 
of this is done before Yahweh. It is a solemn ratification for 
David's ascent to the throne. And then it gives us some time 
frames concerning David and his age. He was 30 years old when 
he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years. In Hebron he reigned 
over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned 
33 years over all Israel and Judah. So that would put him 
about 38 at this point, when he becomes the king over Judah. So he's a relatively young man 
with great authority at this particular time. Now notice, 
secondly, the conquest of Jerusalem, verses 6 to 16. Now this is very 
important. Jerusalem becomes the political 
capital of Israel here in chapter 5. In chapter 6, the Ark of the 
Covenant is brought to Jerusalem, and now it will become the religious 
capital of Israel as well. If you look at a map, you can 
see that this is a very strategic place. It's about dead set in 
the middle between the northern and the southern tribes. This 
makes a great deal of sense. As well, there's a lot of natural 
fortifications around the city that makes it somewhat impregnable 
to enemy forces. That's why the Jebusites were 
able to hold on to the property for so long. So there's several 
things we ought to consider in verses 6 to 16. In the first 
place, we ought to remember the promise made to Abraham. The 
promise made to Abraham. If you turn back for just a moment 
to Genesis chapter 15. We see in this particular chapter, 
2 Samuel 5, God's faithfulness over time and in spite of great 
opposition. David becomes king according 
to the promise of God in spite of much opposition. David was 
opposed greatly on his ascent to the throne and yet the word 
of God is faithful and what God had determined, God brings to 
pass. When God promised to Abraham 
that Abraham's descendants would possess the land, it took some 
time. You see, God's Word is faithful 
even though it takes some time. So 2 Samuel 5 tells us the Word 
of God is sure in spite of chronological distance and in spite of violent 
opposition. We need to be assured and we 
need to be encouraged that when God promises something, it comes 
to pass. Notice in Genesis 15, very specifically 
verses 18 to 21, you remember the scene. This is a covenant 
ratification ceremony where God the Lord gives Abraham great 
encouragement. Notice, very specifically, chapter 
15, verse 8, after God has promised to Abraham that all these good 
things are going to come to him. Verse 8, he said, this is Abraham, 
Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it? How shall 
I know that I will receive the blessings that you have promised? 
How shall I know that we will receive the land that you have 
said? And that's when this covenant 
ratification ceremony comes to pass. The Lord God tells Abram 
to bring him all of these animals, to cut the animals into two pieces 
and to put them on either side of each other. This was a covenant 
ratification ceremony and the significance is seen in this. 
The two parties in this ceremony would walk between the two animals, 
you know, half the deer here or half the bull rather here 
and half the bull over here. You all get that. You cut the 
animal in half, you put one on this side and one on the other 
side. So you've got a path of animal parts on either side. And the two parties involved 
in the covenant walk between those animals. And the significance 
of this particular ceremony is to say that if I renege on my 
obligations in terms of this covenant, then may what happened 
to these animals happen to me. Okay? May I be cut in two, may 
I be disemboweled, may I be pulled apart if I breach the covenant 
that I have sworn to uphold. Now the beauty and the significance 
of the Genesis 15 passage is that Abram's asleep and only 
Yahweh passes between these animals. What's the significance there? 
God the Lord will keep covenant. God the Lord swears fidelity 
to this covenant. God the Lord is saying that if 
I fail to make good on this promise, then may what happened to these 
animals happen to me. Now, if you trace this out through 
redemptive history, it is intriguing that according to Galatians 3.13, 
Jesus became a curse. You see, the party that Jesus 
represents, in terms of the covenant of grace, does fail. So, this covenant ceremony is 
enacted, and Jesus suffers that fate. Jesus is cut in half, as 
it were. Jesus is sacrificed. Jesus has 
become the curse. because of us having breached 
the covenant. But that's a bit of a different, 
you know, train of thought. Anyways, this is what God does 
with Abram. He gives him this covenant to 
ratify to him or evidence to him that indeed he is going to 
receive the promise made. Now notice in verse 18, on the 
same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, to your descendants 
I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great 
river, the river Euphrates, the Canites, the Canazites, the Kadmonites, 
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the 
Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. Those Jebusites come up very 
often. They come up again several times 
in Exodus. In Deuteronomy 7, the Jebusites 
were one of the cities that were told, God told the nation of 
Israel to go in and utterly dispossess them and destroy them. Jebus 
or Jerusalem where the Jebusites inhabited was chief or prime 
geography. Now up to this point, the time 
of David, Israel was unable to break the back of the Jebusites 
occupation of Jerusalem. We see that in the book of Judges. 
They went in, but they couldn't dispossess the city of the Jebusites. So there's a statement in chapter 
1, verse 8, and then again in verse 21, that the Jebusites 
inhabited there alongside of the Israelites. It's not until 
this particular time David is crowned king over all Israel. 
They go to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants 
of the land, and David and his men conquer the city. Now, note 
specifically Jebusite defiance in verse 6. It says, they spoke 
to David saying, you shall not come in here, but the blind and 
the lame will repel you. Now, 6 and 7 and 8 are difficult 
verses. The grammar The language, there's 
some things in there that's beyond my pay scale. When the guys I 
read say this is tough grammar in Hebrew, then I believe that 
they're right. But I think the main point is 
pretty easy to surmise. The Jebusites are jeering or 
taunting David. As I said, the city is equipped, 
the city of Jerusalem is such that it's sort of a natural fortress. The fact that the Jebusites had 
been there so long, they believe and they suppose that there's 
no way that David and his men are going to dispossess them 
from the city. When they say, you shall not 
come in here but the blind and the lame will repel you, the 
idea is probably Because our city is so strong and because 
you and your men are so inept, our blind men and our lame men 
would be able to keep you away. It'd be sort of like a childhood 
taunt, a 15-year-old boy telling his schoolmate, my grandmother 
could take you. You know, if the one boy is threatening 
the other, don't mess with me, my grandmother could take you. 
It's probably in that vein that the Jebusites are taunting David. 
It's probably along that line. They're jeering David and his 
men, essentially saying the blind and the lame will repel you, 
thinking David cannot come in here. Now notice verse 7. Nevertheless, 
David took the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. This is the first time in the 
Bible that Zion is mentioned. We'll notice what Zion signifies 
in just a moment, but this is the first time. You read through 
the Psalter, you read through the Prophets, you read through 
the Scripture, you see many, many references to Zion. Well, 
this is the first time in Scripture. Nevertheless, David took the 
stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. Now, note specifically 
the method involved. Now, David said on that day, 
whoever climbs up by the way of the water shaft and defeats 
the Jebusites. Now, scholars suppose and they 
surmise that what's going on is that there was a pretty intricate 
water system below the city. I think we've explained this 
before, that cities in the ancient Near Eastern world would have 
water tunneled in. And that was such that if the 
city was under siege, they would be able to have water. Their 
water supply would be outside the city gate, they would have 
pipes that would bring the water into the city, so that in battle 
they would not be without water. And so what David is referring 
to probably means that somebody would go through the water pipes 
into the city. Now, 1 Chronicles tells us that 
this was indeed Joab that did this. Or it might be the case 
that they just sat there and cut the string to the bucket 
every time the Jebusites wanted to bring water into the city. 
That'd be another way to take care of business with the Jebusites, 
you take their water supply, but most likely they came up 
through that water tunnel system. The next clause, the lame and 
the blind who are hated by David's soul, difficult, he shall be 
chief and captain, that comes, notice it's supplied in the New 
King James, that's from 1 Chronicles 11.6, and then this proverb arises, 
therefore they say, the blind and the lame shall not come into 
the house. Difficult passage, but the bottom line is, is that 
David and his warriors defeat the Jebusites. They seize the 
city. Zion slash Jerusalem slash the 
city of David now belongs to David. You remember when I was 
preaching in Matthew 21, I referred to this passage. Remember Jesus 
heals the blind and the lame in the temple. And it might have 
been the case that there was this tradition based on 2 Samuel 
5 that the lame and the blind were not allowed into the temple. Okay, that's tough. The lame 
and the blind. I've made one sort of group of 
people there. All that to say, David and his 
men defeat the Jebusites, they seize the city, and then notice 
the establishment of the city of David in verses 9 and 10. 
Then David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the city of David, 
and David built all around from the Melo and inward. The Melo 
might have been some sort of fortress, something like that, 
some sort of fortification for the city. And then note verse 
10, so David went on and became great. You see, David is ascending. David is being exalted. The fame 
of David is spreading. He is becoming great. But it's 
very crucial that we get the last part of verse 10. And the 
Lord God of hosts was with him. It's not that David was a great 
guy, it's that David served a great God. It's not that David was 
an accomplished warrior, it's that God, the divine warrior, 
was with David. It's that God was with him. That's 
what's underscored and that's what's important. That's how 
David can be the shepherd over his people Israel. That's how 
David can be exalted for the sake of his people Israel. This 
is the mark of David's success. It's not that he was a great 
guy, but that he served a great God. And that great God was with 
him. And as I said, this was politically 
advantageous to get the city of Jerusalem and there is as 
well theological significance. Vannoy comments, from a political 
standpoint, Zion was ideally situated for a new seat of government. It was centrally located, positioned 
on the border between Judah, David's tribe, and Benjamin, 
Saul's tribe. It couldn't have been a better 
place to set up the capital. He goes on to say, and it belonged 
to neither. In addition, because the site 
was surrounded on three sides by deep valleys and was strongly 
fortified, it provided Israel with a nearly impregnable national 
capital. So politically, this was advantageous. David assumes authority or kingship 
over the entirety of Israel and he occupies Jerusalem. In terms 
of the theological significance, this, as I said, is the first 
mention of Zion. Now, Davis makes this observation. Verse 7 contains the first mention 
of Zion in the Bible. Originally it referred to this 
conquered Jebusite town, this city of David on the southeast, 
Hill Ophel. But it also came to designate 
the Temple Mount, right? When we talk about Zion, often 
in the Bible, it refers to the Temple. Zion also comes to mean 
the city of Jerusalem, the entirety of the city of Jerusalem. Zion 
also means the people of God. in Isaiah 49, Isaiah 51. And significantly, Zion is the 
center of Yahweh's kingdom in the age to come. You see, in 
Isaiah 2, for instance, it says that the nations will come to 
Zion to be taught the law of the Lord. That's pointing forward 
to the new covenant. That's why it's not uncommon 
for Pastor Porter or myself or New Testament authors or Reformed 
authors to say that the church is the Zion of God. This is the 
dwelling place of God. Now this is beautiful. Davis 
goes on to say, the day will come when Yahweh of Hosts will 
reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. But that rain first became visible 
in Jerusalem on a mere 11 acres of real estate. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that glorious? Doesn't 
that indicate something of the nature of God's kingdom? Doesn't 
this jive with what Jesus teaches in Matthew 13, the parable of 
the mustard seed? How does the kingdom of God begin? 
Is it this massive conglomeration that the Lord drops upon the 
earth? No, it starts off on an 11-acre parcel in this obscure 
place in Israel, way back when. And it grows, and it grows, and 
it grows. This is consistent with our Lord's 
teaching. The kingdom of God is like a 
mustard seed. It starts off small. Its growth 
is imperceptible. There's a lot of opposition, 
both internally and externally, just like what we've been seeing 
in the rise of David to power. There's been a lot of strife 
internally. There's been a lot of opposition 
to David from within. There's a lot of strife from 
without. The Philistines, there's external opposition. But what 
happens? The Lord is faithful. He has 
established that his kingdom will take place and that it will 
progress, that it will advance, that it will grow, and one day 
it will be like a great big tree that the birds of the air can 
find their nest in. This is to encourage the people 
of God in the New Covenant as we look back on what the Lord 
did in this small place, in small things, with very small beginnings, 
and yet He takes David and He brings him to a place where there 
is great reign and authority under His rule. And as we consider 
under this head, I think verses 11 to 16 indicate something of 
the nature of David's reign. And it's both positive and negative. It's both positive and negative. 
In the first place, it's positive. Verses 11 and 12. Hiram, king 
of Tyre, builds David a palace. The Lord God gave David favor 
with a pagan. And insofar as David doesn't 
compromise his religion with this pagan, David can receive 
these things from this pagan. This is a blessed thing. The 
Lord God Most High has distinguished David such, not only in his own 
kingdom, but among the kingdoms of other men. And then notice, 
we've already alluded to it, we've seen it in verse 12. So 
David knew that the Lord had established him as king over 
Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his 
people Israel. It's a beautiful statement. The 
Lord God did all this. He establishes David as king, 
the Lord God exalts his king, and the purpose for this is for 
the sake of his people. God does this. He raises up David. God protects David. God puts 
David into this place so that David will be the shepherd king 
over God's people. This is the Lord's heart for 
His people. Certainly the Lord God is omnipotent 
and He's sovereign and He rules over all, but the Lord God decrees 
and uses means. And in this instance, he uses 
David as a righteous king to rule over this particular kingdom 
to provide that protection and that shepherding to the people 
of Israel. It is a blessed statement with 
reference to the positive nature of David's kingdom. But verses 
11 to 13 or a bit of, I'm sorry, 13 to 16 are a negative commentary 
on the nature of David's kingdom. he multiplies concubines, he 
multiplies wives, he multiplies sons and daughters. It's not 
wrong to multiply sons and daughters with the life of your youth. 
It's wrong to multiply concubines, it is wrong to multiply wives. Notice the first four mentioned 
in verse 14, Shemua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon. 1 Chronicles 
3 identifies the mother of these four as Bathsheba. Now, we know 
what's going to happen in the Bathsheba narrative that comes 
up in the chapter. You see, this is a bit of a foreshadowing, 
and it does give us this sort of tinge of negativity on David's 
rule. David was the shepherd king over 
Israel. His greatness was growing. The 
Lord God was with him. But we need to understand, as 
upright and as holy and as righteous as David was, he was not a perfect 
king. And in this, as he points forward 
to his greater son, we ought to appreciate the reality that 
our Lord Jesus didn't multiply concubines. He didn't multiply 
wives. He didn't go into Bathsheba. 
He didn't murder Uriah. He didn't engage in that sort 
of wickedness and lawlessness. The Lord Jesus Christ is the 
perfect shepherd king over God's Israel. So what we see in this 
particular instance is a bit of a negative report or at least 
a negative foreshadowing on the nature of David's reign. Van 
Noy says concerning the subsequent narrative, it describes the heartache 
that came to David in the aftermath of his marriage to Bathsheba 
in connection with the behavior of his sons Ammon, Absalom, and 
Adonijah. See, after the Bathsheba incident, 
things were never the same with David and his house. That was 
not a good move on his part. Adultery and murder are never 
good things. There were consequences as a 
result of his action. The Lord God atoned for his sin, 
the Lord God forgave his sin, but the Lord God said, the sword 
will never depart from your house. There were earthly temporal consequences 
to David's rule as a result of his sin with Bathsheba and his 
sin in murdering Uriah. As well, Deuteronomy 17, you've 
heard me refer to that many times this evening. What is stipulated 
in Deuteronomy 17 for the king of Israel? He is not to multiply 
wives. It doesn't matter that all the 
kings are doing it. can hear these kings saying, 
but God, all the kings are doing it. Sort of like the 15-year-old 
boy, all the kids are doing it. Well, if all the kids were jumping 
off a cliff, would you jump off the cliff? Sure, you heard that. 
I don't think my dad was the only one who ever said that. 
If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do that? 
No, no. You see, just because the pagan kings multiplied wives, 
oftentimes for political alliances, this does not justify the Israelite 
king to multiply wives. Just because David does it, doesn't 
mean it's right. See, we can't point to this and 
say, well, David had a multitude of wives, therefore it's legit. No, David is judged. David is 
wrong in this particular instance. Here's what Calvin says. Here 
one sees how his virtues were mixed with his vices which should 
certainly be condemned and above all that this taking many wives 
is a corruption of marriage which God has chosen to consecrate 
in his name. So you see, we can't just pass 
by this and say, well, you know, Solomon, Bathsheba, that incident, 
that's just the way things go. The narrator, as he constructs 
this kingdom collage, gives us the positive. Hiram built him 
a palace. David's greatness excelled. The Lord God was with him. And 
then he multiplied concubines and wives. He doesn't give us 
a long ethical treatment. Notice he doesn't give us a long 
commentary. David shouldn't have done that. 
He shouldn't have Bathsheba. Shouldn't have killed. The reader 
expects you to make that connection and to understand that as great 
and as heroic as David was, there is one great heroic man that 
we are to worship, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. The heroes 
of Israel always fail and falter, so that we will appreciate the 
true hero of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ. Take the best of men in the Bible. They'll always let you down. 
Take the best of them. I love Samson. He wasn't without 
blemish. Japheth was a godly judge. He 
was not without blemish. Gideon. When we look at Gideon, 
he not only needed God to confirm him once, but twice with the 
fleas. Come on, Gideon. Gideon had a 
cowardice about him. He needed constant affirmation 
from the Lord God, but he's a hero. He's a champion. He is one that 
we can certainly look unto, but he faltered. The Lord Christ 
never faltered. The Lord Christ never did what 
was wicked in the sight of His Father. And all of these narratives 
ought to cause us to appreciate the champion of Israel, our Lord 
Jesus. And that's not to take away from 
David. He was a great man, a champion of a man, a heroic man, but he 
wasn't a perfect man. There was one perfect man and 
that is our Lord Jesus Christ and all of the Bible testifies 
concerning Him. Now notice thirdly and finally 
the protection of Israel by David in verses 17 to 25. It's actually by God through 
David, but notice the Philistines hear what's going on, right? They've heard that David is consolidating 
power. What does this mean? This means 
a unified Israel is going to be a lot more difficult for Philistine 
incursions. And so the Philistines figure, 
we ought to nip this in the bud. Let's get to David as soon as 
we can and let's take him out so that the tribes do not consolidate, 
so that there is not a unification process, so that we can continue 
to make forays into the land and take their stuff. We quite 
like the arrangement that we have. go in and conquer Israel 
and take their stuff, take their cities and whatnot. Kyle and 
Dalich say, the Philistines evidently resolved, as soon as the tidings 
reached them of the union of all the tribes under the sovereignty 
of David, that they should at once resist the growing power 
of Israel and smite David before he had consolidated his government. Now notice, how are the Philistines 
defeated? It is by God. Certainly David 
is the instrument, but it is by God. And it's by God under 
two ways. First is guidance. His guidance. Don't you love what David does 
when he hears of this Philistine threat? What does he do? I'm 
sure he talked to his advisors, I'm sure he talks to his military 
captains and leaders, but he first inquires of Yahweh. Verse 
19 and verse 23. This is what a godly man does. 
He seeks the Lord. Lord, what should I do? Verse 
19, So David inquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go up against 
the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my 
hand? Verse 23, In the second attack, Therefore David inquired 
of the Lord, and he said, You shall not go up. So you see, 
the point is, is that David seeks this guidance from God. But the 
larger point is, is that God gives him this guidance. In the 
first instance, go up. In the second instance, don't 
go up. There's a better strategy in 
the second instance, in the Valley of Repentance. Remember, this 
is what distinguished David from Saul. David inquired of the Lord 
every step of the way. Saul got to the point where he 
inquired of a medium. He called upon the witch at Endor 
because God would not speak to Saul. God would not give Saul 
any guidance, any direction whatsoever, so Saul invoked a witch in order 
to get guidance concerning a battle with the Philistines. The marked 
difference or contrast between David and Saul is still seen 
all the way into 2 Samuel chapter 5 when David inquires of the 
Lord God Most High. As well, this fulfills what Abner 
had said in 2 Samuel chapter 3. Remember in 2 Samuel 3 when 
Abner turns against Ish-bosheth, and Abner wants to get the people 
of Israel to submit to David. Notice what he says in 3.18, 
Now then do it, for the Lord has spoken of David, saying, 
By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel 
from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies. 
So the Lord God provides guidance. But as well, in the specific 
battles in verses 20 to 25, we see the Lord God's power. Look at the first battle in Baal-perazim, 
which literally means Master of Breakthroughs or Lord of Breakthroughs. The word Baal, before it became 
identified with the pagan deity, simply means Master or Lord. That's like Ish-bosheth. His 
name is Esh-Baal. but because of the association 
with the pagan deity, it's changed to Ish-Boshev. But Ish, Baal, 
just means a man who is a master, a man of a lord. So, in and of 
itself, Baal is not a bad thing, other than the fact that it's 
identified with this pagan deity. So David went to Baal-Parazim 
and David defeated them there and he said, ìThe Lord has broken 
through my enemies before me.î Notice that, David and his troops 
win the battle, but David ascribes the victory to God. And the victory 
is such that it's overwhelming power that is inflicted. The 
Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breakthrough 
of water. What does water do? It has the 
tendency to level things. Davis says this is probably the 
description in view. It is the awesome power of God 
in leveling the enemies of Yahweh. It's truly a glorious picture. 
Now, the Philistines weren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, 
so they then regroup and go to the Valley of Refame. But before 
we get to the Valley of Refame, notice in verse 21, they left 
their images there and David and his men carried them away. 
Remember, Israel would take the Ark of the Covenant into battle 
with them. And in 1 Samuel, the Philistines 
took the Ark of the Covenant. And remember, the Philistines 
thought that this was an indicator that Dagon was more powerful 
than Yahweh. So they take the Ark of the Covenant 
and they put it in Dagon's temple. And what happens when they go 
in there in the morning? They see that Dagon has fallen 
over. And they have to pick Dagon up, as we observe there. If you 
have to pick your god up, You've got the wrong God. The whole 
point is God picking us up, not us picking God up. Dagon was 
broken. They go back in the next day, 
he's fallen over and broken again. See, they thought that the capture 
of the Ark signified that Dagon was superior to Yahweh. Now, when this Ark was transported 
deeper into Philistine territory, what happened? People got hemorrhoids, 
people got tumors, people got sick, people started to die. And they said, we need to get 
this Ark of the Covenant out of Philistia. So they send it 
back to Israel. So they think that the capture 
of the Ark indicates that Yahweh is subject to Dagon. It was just 
the means by which Yahweh is in enemy territory, bringing 
tumors and horrific things upon Philistines. They send it back. Now, in this instance, the Philistines 
seem to have mimicked Israel. They bring their images or they 
bring their idols into combat, thinking that they will be helped 
and aided by this. Well, when David, under God, 
breaks through his enemies, like overwhelming breakthrough of 
water, they left their images and David and his men carried 
them away. The parallel in 1 Chronicles 
14, 12 tells us they burned them. So, in this, it demonstrates 
the superiority, genuinely, of Yahweh over these pagan deities. So, the Philistines regroup. 
They go to the Valley of Rephaim. David inquires of the Lord, and 
he said, you shall not go up. at Baal-perazim, go up, here, 
don't go up. Better strategy. Circle around 
behind them, come up upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 
And it shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the 
tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. Now 
note this language, for then the Lord will go out before you 
to strike the camp of the Philistines. Davis notes the verb used there. It's a very common verb. that 
the Lord will go out. That's the verb. But it's also 
commonly used in battle situations. And it's often used of Yahweh 
as the warrior going out to battle against the enemies of Israel. 
So if we look at Yahweh at Baal-perazim, we've got the leveler. Right? We look at Yahweh in the Valley 
of Rephaim, we've got the warrior. We've got the leveler warrior 
who fights for Israel to decimate his enemies. Now here Davis, 
he says, note what vigorous images the text gives us of Yahweh's 
power. I think this is most important 
because I think at times Christians in the church are embarrassed 
about God. We don't like these displays 
because it somehow makes us feel uncomfortable that our Lord would 
destroy people. And it makes us feel uneasy when 
pagans say, how in the world could you worship a God who destroys 
people? And so we concoct all of these 
arguments, and we concoct all of these defenses, and we try 
as we may to try and get God off the hook from looking like 
a leveling warrior, rather than saying, that's our God. He levels 
our enemies. He is the warrior who goes out. 
He fights against them and he smashes them. We ought to rally 
behind this God and worship Him because of that very reason. 
Davis says, note what vigorous images the text gives us of Yahweh's 
power, the leveler and the warrior. Contemporary Christians must 
not tone these down, for the text means to impress us with 
the fact that we do not have a namby-pamby godlet who is housebroken 
in line with our canon of conceivability. No, Yahweh's people have a God 
who is a smasher and a fighter, a God mighty in battle, Psalm 
24, 8, who can therefore defend His sheep and restrain and conquer 
all His and our enemies. Instead of being embarrassed, 
we ought to suggest, if you, like the Philistines, continue 
in your rebellion against our God, He will smash you as the 
divine warrior of Israel. In other words, repent, bow down, 
and kiss the sun. lest he be angry and you perish 
in his way when his wrath is kindled but a little." Isn't 
that David's instruction to the kings and the judges surrounding 
Israel vis-à-vis Psalm 2? He says to kiss the sun, lest 
he be angry and you perish in the way. When was the last time 
we heard a gospel presentation like that? All we ever hear is, 
God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. How about 
repent because the Lord Most High will crush you because of 
your sin and rebellion. Oh, well, that will scare people 
and that will make them uneasy and that doesn't make everybody 
feel good and nice. But it's the truth. And if the 
Lord God has said anything, He has said He'll bless the preaching 
of His truth. Well, brethren, that's exposition. 
Quickly, some thoughts before we close. First, the fitness 
of David as king. The fitness of David as king. In the first place, he was over 
Israel for Israel, not for his own well-being. Verse 12, I've 
already indicated that. Davis says this, Yahweh did not 
anchor David's throne so he could act like a king, but so that 
he could function as a servant toward his people. David's kingship 
was not for David's aggrandizement, but for Israel's welfare. Kingship 
was not an end in itself, but a means to an end. The benefit 
of God's people. David is over Israel for Israel. Consider that David brought peace 
in the midst of internal strife. This consolidation of the tribes 
was a beautiful thing. It was a glorious thing. You 
have one nation that's at odds with each other with two separate 
kings. And now David is able to consolidate 
this by the grace of God. David brought external peace 
through the destruction of the Philistines. Isn't that what 
you want in a leader? One who has a good domestic policy 
and one who has a good foreign policy? David fits the bill, 
brethren. Domestically, he brought unity 
to Israel. And foreignly, he brought destruction 
to the Philistines. That is precisely what we would 
want in a leader. He functioned as a true shepherd 
over God's people. He brought stability and protection 
to the people of God. And as well, he sought the Lord. That is most valuable and most 
precious when the Philistines assault, or when the Philistines 
converge, David inquires. David goes to the Lord for instruction. In the second place, we ought 
to appreciate the faithfulness of God in this passage. I've mentioned the promise made 
to Abraham. That was a long time ago, okay, 
from this particular vantage point. It was many, many, many 
years prior, or previous, that God said to Abraham, your descendants 
are going to take the Jebusites. But God's faithful. Right? Chronological distance does not 
nullify the promise of God. Think of the children of Israel 
in bondage. Think of the fact that they were 
promised that they would be a free people. Well, it didn't happen 
overnight. So I think at times, if we don't get what we want 
tomorrow, we get really upset. I think Dr. Renahan touched on 
this, this whole idea of planning for the generations. We ought 
to live like Jesus is going to come back tonight. or realize 
that Jesus could come back tonight, but we ought to live like he 
may not. Luther said, what would you do if you knew Jesus was 
going to come tomorrow? I'd plant a tree today. What Jesus does 
tomorrow doesn't change my conduct today. I'm still supposed to 
be faithful. But this whole idea of if I don't get what I want 
right when I ask it, God must not love me, or he must be mean, 
or he must be mad. Brethren, we need to be invested 
over the long haul in all of this. Calvin says this concerning 
I'm sorry, the next aspect. He fulfilled the promise made 
to David. Violent opposition does not nullify the promise 
of God. Calvin said this should serve as an example and instruction 
to us on kind of the delay and the opposition, so that if God 
delays fulfilling his promises to us, we will not lose courage, 
but will persevere to the end. I mean, even for David, there 
were a lot of years involved, wasn't there? You know, we read 
through the narrative and it can take us, you know, a half 
hour to read, well, I don't know if it was a half hour, probably 
wouldn't be more than an hour to read through 1 and 2 Samuel. 
But it took place a lot more time than an hour, right? When 
1 Samuel 16 happens till 2 Samuel 5, many years have transpired. 
David was anointed by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, and David is 
now anointed and officially serving as king in 2 Samuel 5. That is 
a period of a lot of years. But we need to take heart. Calvin 
says, this should serve as an example and instruction to us, 
so that if God delays fulfilling His promises to us, we will not 
lose courage, but will persevere to the end. For God knew when 
it was the right time to do what He had determined, and He never 
prolongs it any more than is useful for us. We need to learn. That's why God doesn't give us 
things like that. David needed to be formed. David 
needed to learn. David needed to go through things. 
Israel as a whole needed to go through things before they come 
to this particular place. Brethren, that's one of the other 
reasons why we ought to be reading our Bibles, because we see in 
this the life experience of God's people. that they persevered, 
that they endured, that they pressed on by hope, that they 
didn't just ask on a Monday and get everything they wanted on 
a Tuesday. And if that's the case with the 
King of Israel, it's probably going to be the case with us, 
such that if we ask on a Monday, we may not get it on Tuesday, 
and we might need to persevere, and we might need to be a hope-filled 
people. God was with David in his reign 
and was the reason for David's greatness, and God fought for 
Israel as leveler and warrior against the Philistines. And 
then finally, the typical significance of David's kingdom, the internal 
strife. I mean, I think we can jump from 
2 Samuel to the church. Sometimes the biggest problems 
aren't outside the church, they're inside the church. Right? Internal 
strife, division, lack of peace, lack of unity, bickering, and 
fighting, and whining, and complaining, and grumbling, and not doing 
what God says to do. God gives us many commands in 
the New Testament in terms of one another. Next time you read 
through the New Testament, you have your notepad and a piece 
of paper, write down every verse that has one another. in the 
New Testament epistles. You'll be shocked at how many 
one-anothers there are in the New Testament. What do those 
mean? It means my conduct toward one 
another. I need to love one another. I 
need to be hospitable to one another. I need to give preference 
to one another. There's a whole host of one-anothers 
because God says that the church ought to function peaceably and 
righteously and with unity. So you see it's not just Israel 
in this particular time frame that suffers internal strife, 
it is the Israel of God today that if she is not prayerful 
and watchful and careful will suffer internal strife. And at 
times that's more of a decaying agent than the external. At least 
we know what to deal with, with the Baal worshipers. At least 
we know what to deal with, with the pagans. At least we know 
how to face that threat. What is most difficult is when 
we've got to deal with people who profess faith in Jesus Christ 
that carry on like knuckleheads. It is internal strife, more often 
than not, that is far more difficult to weather in the church. But 
as well, we see the external opposition. Should we be shocked 
at the way the church is under attack today? No, look at Israel 
of old. I mean, Philistines are making 
incursions into Israelite territory to kill people and take things 
and take cities. I mean, brethren, it's been that 
way from the beginning. God imposed antithesis from Genesis 
3. The Lord says, I will put enmity 
between you and her seed. God imposed this antithesis. We ought not to be shocked that 
the world hates the church, and they will manifest it in a whole 
host of ways. As well, we ought to appreciate 
in terms of the typical significance, the gradual growth of the kingdom. There's ebbs and flows. It goes 
forward, it goes backwards, it goes forward, it goes backwards. 
Sometimes it goes backwards, it goes backwards, it goes backwards, 
it goes backwards. But by God's grace, it does go 
forward. And that is much like the church 
today. And finally, the shepherd king 
who rules over the kingdom we've already seen. David was nevertheless 
tinged with an imperfection. but the Lord Jesus Christ, David's 
greater Son, rules most perfectly and according to His sovereign 
purposes. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word and for the lessons that we learned 
from a passage like 2 Samuel 5. We thank You for Your faithfulness 
and for the fact that what you promised to Abraham and what 
you promised to David, you brought forth. In spite of time, in spite 
of opposition, you nevertheless execute your word. And in this 
we greatly rejoice, Lord God. We thank you that we are a part 
of your kingdom. We thank you that we are a part 
of your church. We pray for the continual preaching 
of the gospel, the growth of the church, your protection over 
her, And we pray that you would just be pleased to do a great 
work in our generation of saving sinners and strengthening saints 
and bringing glory to the Lord God Almighty. And we pray these 
things through Christ Jesus. Amen.