Day 143 – David Defeats Jerusalem & the Philistines

• Well, we’ve made it. David has finally become the king over the entire nation of Israel. At last they have a king on the throne who trusts God and seeks His wisdom! That said, God’s earlier warnings – remember them in Deuteronomy? – about having human kings still apply. The years of David’s reign, as we’ll read over the coming days, and some of Solomon’s reign afterwards, are some of the highest moments in the history of God’s chosen nation.
• What city does David conquer today? It has several names but they all mean Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. What does it get re-named to?
• The passage in 1 Chronicles mentions that Joab, who you will remember from yesterday’s passage, turns from villian to hero as he leads the battle to take Jerusalem. It’s worth pointing out that despite being further on in the Bible order, the passage in 1 Chronicles refers to the same events as those in 2 Samuel 5, and were probably written at a similar time.
• When the Philistines came attacking (they did love attacking Israel, didn’t they!), what did David do each time? Did God respond the same both times? What can this tell us about making assumptions about God or not continually coming to Him in prayer?
• What does the passage in James say we should do when we don’t know what to do? How does James say we should pray? When you pray, do you genuinely trust in God for His response?
• James also mentions trials and temptations. David had many of them. So do we, in different ways. We might find them frustrating, or difficult, or think that it is God pushing us. But how does James tell us to consider trials and testings? Can your attitude to the hard things of the Christian life be changed by what James says, especially in verses 2-4?

David will continue to dominate our readings for another week or so, and we get a good sneak peak at his kingly characteristics in today’s verses.

David’s greatest attribute is his undoubted faith in God. We’ve seen it in the events involving Goliath and Saul, and today we read how he came to God in prayer in several situations, including the impending battles against the Philistines. A little earlier, in 2 Samuel 5:12, we are also reminded that David knew exactly who put him on the throne; something that he might have been tempted to ignore now that he had the powers afforded to a king.

But in these early days we can also spot undesirable characteristics. Why, in 2 Samuel 5:13, does he take multiple wives and concubines (these are like lovers who he wasn’t married to)? What was David’s issue with the “blind and lame” in verse 8 all about? Soon we’ll also read of another poor decision in regards to his handling of the Ark of the Covenant, too.

God is with David and is giving David strength and victory. David is showing himself as a man of faith, but nevertheless still a flawed one. And why would we expect anything else? David is human, with all the sinfulness and frailty of other humans. Only Christ would live a perfect sinless life; one where the “blind and lame” were, of course, warmly welcomed.

The great encouragement of today’s verses is that we can see God choosing to bless sinful people as long as their hearts were turned towards Him. That – I hope – describes you. Nobody expects perfection from you, nor could you ever achieve it, but God does ask you to strive for holiness, and to keep your eyes focused on Him, whether you’re doing well or going through a tough time.

Follow David’s example and focus your heart on Christ!