Those who have the Lord of Hosts for them need have no fear what hosts of men or demons can do against them.
If we grow great and win many victories,
we can only ascribe our advancement to God’s favor with us.
II Samuel 1
1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 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.
3 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.
4 ¶ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5 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.
6 ¶ 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.
7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
8 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.
9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
11 ¶ And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.
12 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.
13 ¶ 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.
14 And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
16 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet.
17 ¶ But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
19 And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.
21 And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
22 ¶ And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
23 And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
25 And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.
II Samuel 1 – J. Vernon McGee
2 Samuel 5:1-12 – David King in Jerusalem
David was anointed thrice: by Samuel in his home, by the men of Judah, and here. So our Lord has been crowned in the Father’s purpose and by his Church. There awaits another day, when he will be recognized as King by the entire universe, Revelation 11:15, etc. The reasons for David’s coronation apply equally to our Lord: (1) kinship; (2) power to lead; (3) God’s eternal purpose.
Because of its impregnable position, it was wise policy to secure Jerusalem as the site of the capital. Here was the beginning of new prosperity for Israel, and for Jerusalem as well, which was now to become “the joy of the whole earth” (Psalm 48:2). See I Chronicles 12:23, etc. David’s influence increased by leaps and bounds, II Samuel 5:10. There broke on his mind a perception of the divine purpose, II Samuel 5:12. Often we are unable to descry this in the earlier stages of our life. We see no meaning, no purpose. But as year is added to year, God’s great scheme begins to unfold. Only be sure that any position or opportunity is intended, not for us alone, but for his people’s sake.
2 Samuel 5:13-25 – Jehovah’s Victories over the Philistines
David’s prosperity led to luxurious living and sensual indulgence, out of which sprang the troubles of his after-life, II Samuel 5:13, 15.
The Philistines watched the acquisition of Jerusalem with profound anxiety. It was against their policy for David to be the head of a united nation. It would seem that their first onset drove him back to the cave of Adullam, II Samuel 5:17. This was a startling reversal of fortune, but it was salutary that, now as ever, David should learn how dependent he was on God, and that God, who had given him so much, might at any time withdraw his gifts. Loneliness, failure, solitude are necessary for us all! Twice David sought direction as to the ordering of the fight. On the first occasion, the command was, Go up; on the second, Thou shalt not go up. In the first battle the Philistine position was carried by assault; in the second it was turned by ambush. The movement in the trees suggests the footfalls of angel-squadrons. Oh, for the quick ear to detect the goings-forth of God’s help, and grace to bestir ourselves to follow!
2 Samuel 5:13—And David took him more wives out of Jerusalem.
This is terribly disappointing! According to the ideas of the surrounding nations, the greatness of a monarch was gauged by the extent of his harem. But the law of Moses put severe restraint on the multiplication of wives, “that his heart turn not away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). It seems as though the soul of David sank into sensual indulgence and luxuriance. It lost much of its early hardihood and strength in consequence; and at this period of his life those seeds were sown, which in after years brought forth such a plentiful and terrible harvest of anguish, murder, and impurity, in his family.
Few of us realize how much our character owes to the stern discipline to which God subjects us. The only way to keep us healthy and vigorous is to send us many a nipping frost, many a keen northern blast. The bleak hillside breeds stronger natures than the warm sheltered valley. The difference between Anglo Saxon and African is largely wrought by temperature and soil. The campaign, with its strain on every power of endurance, trains better soldiers than the barracks. As David was a stronger, better man, when hunted like a coney in the rocks of Engedi, so are we braced to a nobler life, when all things seem against us.
Few of us can be trusted with unbroken happiness. God is compelled to withhold what the flesh craves. But where prosperity has shone on your path, be very careful not to abuse it. Consider it as indicating God’s loving trust in you. He would rather convey his lesson in sunshine than in storm. But walk carefully and humbly, looking to Him constantly for daily grace, and never relaxing the girdle about the loin.