Military achievements. Establishing the kingdom first of all required
defeating Israel’s enemies and setting up a perimeter of safety. As
archeological digs have shown, up to David’s time Israel was restricted to the
hilly areas of Palestine; the rich plains were in the hands of the ancient
Canaanite peoples. Then, in a series of battles (2
Sam. 5; 8; and 10),
David destroyed the power of the Philistines, Israel’s principal enemy since
the days of Samson. David’s neutralization of the Philistines was complete;
they never again posed any threat to God’s people.
In
a further series of battles, David brought Moab and Edom under his control. The
kingdom of Israel proper then extended from north of the Sea of Galilee south
to Beersheba and encompassed both sides of the Jordan River.
David’s
conquests set up a number of vassal states, which insulated Israel from distant
potential enemies. These states also made available the natural resources of
iron and coal which Israel needed to maintain military strength, and the
conquered peoples provided the skills in metalworking which were not known in
Israel. No longer would iron, the Philistines’ ancient “secret weapon,” be
unavailable to the Hebrews!
Summarizing
the position David had attained for Israel, Leon Wood (A Survey of Israel’s
History, Zondervan) notes of all the territory which acknowledged Israelite
sovereignty, “This was the area which God had promised to Abraham for his
posterity centuries before (Gen. 15:18). It did
not rival the vast territories of Egypt, Assyria, or Babylonia in their empire
days. But in David’s time, Israel became one of the larger land areas then
held, and David was no doubt the strongest ruler of the contemporary world.”
Government
organization. David quickly took
steps to maintain all military and political gains. He instituted a creative
military plan, under which 24,000 men were always under arms. The personnel
roster rotated every month, according to 1 Chronicles
27:1–15, indicating that at least 288,000 trained men were ready for
immediate service if needed. Yet David’s structure enabled most of his army to
devote most of their time to civilian pursuits. The core of David’s military
organization was 600 key commanders, his “mighty men.” Over these he had, in
turn, a smaller general staff.
David
apparently set a governor over each of the 12 tribal areas and also established
a cabinet for the central government. Members’ duties included supervision of
his treasury, various agricultural departments, etc. (cf. 1 Chron. 27:25–31).
Centralization. Since the days of Joshua, the people of Israel had
thought more in terms of tribal than national identity. As king over the whole
nation, David acted quickly to centralize the government. A key step was to
choose a suitable site for the capital. The city David selected was so strongly
fortified that its inhabitants boasted that the lame and the blind could defend
it against David (2 Sam. 5:6). But David’s army
took the city by storm, overcoming those “lame and blind” defenders.
The
city of Jerusalem was located on the border between Judah and the northern
tribes. Jerusalem then became David’s capital. When David finally moved the ark
of the covenant to that city, Jerusalem became the center of Israel’s religious
life as well.
Through
David, God selected a city foretold in the Law. Jerusalem was “the
place the Lord your God will
choose from among all your tribes to put His name there for His dwelling” (Deut. 12:5). From that time on, Israel was to offer
sacrifice only at Jerusalem and to appear there before the Lord at the time of
the three special religious festivals.
Structuring worship. David’s organization also showed itself in his impact
on Israel’s religious life. chief priests were members of David’s cabinet. The
priests and the Levites under them were organized into 24 shifts, each called
to serve a brief time at the Jerusalem sanctuary (1
Chron. 24:1–19). Thus priests and Levites typically served two weeks a
year. The rest of the time they lived at their homes.[1]
David
also was served by prophets, notably Gad and Nathan, who had a special ministry
in instructing (and reproving!) the king.
David
took a special interest in organizing the singers and musicians who served the
tabernacle, and would later serve in Solomon’s temple (25:1–31).
Many
of the psalms which David wrote were used in public worship. Throughout David’s
long life, God’s people stood on the pinnacle of long-promised power. In the
transition that David effected, Israel moved:
1.
from government by judges to an established monarchy.
2.
from anarchy to a strong central government.
3.
from a loose confederation of tribes to a unified nation.
4.
from poverty and Bronze Age technology to an iron economy and to wealth.
5.
from being a subject people to being conquerors.
6.
from decentralized to centralized worship.
This transformation was God’s
work through David, and stands today as an example of what we can expect to see
when Jesus comes again.[2]
2. The Everlasting Kingdom
David has prophetic as well
as historic significance. When the kingdom of Israel had been firmly
established, David yearned to build a suitable temple for the Lord. But David
was not permitted to build that house. Instead, God spoke to David (2 Sam. 7:12–16) and promised to build David a
house! That promise of a David dynasty is understood in the Old Testament to
have the force of a covenant: an unbreakable promise or commitment made by God.
David
was promised that after his death, a descendant of his would be established as
ruler of a kingdom to be set up in God’s name. God said, “I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:13).
David’s line was promised the perpetual right to Israel’s throne. Even though
David’s immediate descendant Solomon sinned in such terrible ways that he
deserved to be set aside, the kings of Judah were always from the David’s line.
Because of David’s faith, God did not treat his descendants as He had treated
Saul’s. Sin would be punished, but David’s line would never be completely cut
off.
From
this point on, for the Hebrew people and for the later prophets, David stood as
the symbol and the ancestor of a coming King, destined to set up a lasting
kingdom through which the whole world would be related to God. God’s formal promise was confirmed over and
over again in such passages as
Isaiah 9:6–7;For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and
peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his
kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that
time on and forever. [3]
Jeremiah 23:5–6;“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a
righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in
the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This
is the name by which he will be called: The Lord
Our Righteousness. [4]
Daniel 7:13–14;“In my vision
at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the
clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign
power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be
destroyed. [5]
Amos 9:11; “In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its
broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they
may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord, who will do
these things.[6]
and
Zechariah 14:9; The Lord
will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.[7]
It
is no wonder that New Testament writers took such pains to demonstrate that
Jesus of Nazareth is David’s descendant, and thus genealogically qualified to
mount his throne. We can also understand the confusion which arose when Jesus
did not repeat David’s military and political performance. Rather than
defeating Rome as David had that of the Philistines, Jesus bowed His head and
let Himself be led away and crucified. He who could have called on angel armies
to release Him chose instead the shameful death of the cross.
Even
after Jesus’ resurrection, His disciples could not understand what had happened.
While the Disciples saw Jesus as the King from the line of David what they
could not see was the centuries which lay between Jesus’ first coming, with His
suffering as man’s Saviour, and His still-future second coming as Israel’s—and
the earth’s—King.
It
is important that we see Jesus as a coming King. Right now He is our Saviour,
and our Lord as well. But the day is coming when Jesus will be Lord of all!
The careening course of modern history, rushing as it seems to toward disasters
over which men have no control, points up our need to reaffirm the fact that
history does have a goal. This very earth, the setting of man’s first sin, will
once again know the masterful touch of God’s own hand. The Old Testament
picture of David, acting in his own might to establish Israel’s glorious
kingdom, is but a dim foreshadowing of David’s Son, Jesus Christ, who will come
again to act in even greater powerand will establish a worldwide kingdom whose
glory knows no end.[8]
[1] Richards, Larry ; Richards,
Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1987, S.
227
[2] Richards, Larry ; Richards,
Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1987, S.
230
[3] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed.
Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Is 9:6-7
[4] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed.
Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Je 23:5-6
[5] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed.
Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Da 7:13-14
[6] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed.
Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Am 9:11-12
[7] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed.
Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Zec 14:9
[8] Richards, Larry ; Richards,
Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1987, S.
230
