During Israel’s civil war, the Philistines were content to let the Israelites fight amongst themselves. But when David becomes king of a unified nation, they take notice. Why? Because about ten years prior, David was their nemesis. He killed the Philistine hero Goliath, and then David just kept beating them.
But things changed when Saul tried to kill David, and eventually David became friendly with the Philistines. David and the Philistines had a common enemy, Saul. But no more. Time has passed. David had been king of Judah for 7+ years and the days when David and his 600 men and their families stayed in the Philistine city of Ziklag were like ancient history. Now David is a powerful king leading a strong, unified Israel, and that is bad news for the Philistines. They need to address this.
In 2nd Samuel chapter five verses seventeen through the end of the chapter, we read that the Philistines gather their military and attempt to strike David’s army, but David inquires of the Lord. God gives David confirmation to fight, and David’s army wins. They Philistines regroup, trying again. Once again David inquires of the Lord, and this time God instructs David to take what at first glance appears to be evasive maneuvers. God also says something very mysterious, “David, hold off your attack until you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees.” What is God talking about?
It seems best to interpret this curious instruction as God saying, “David, I will fight for you.” And God does just that. David follows God’s unusual directions, and once again the Philistines are beaten.
It is a new day in Israel. I’m not just referring to a single day. Not just a blip on the radar either. It is a new era, at the beginning of what will be decades of unparalleled victory and prosperity for Israel. Why?
In these two chapters, 2 Samuel 4 and 5, David is firmly established as the king of a unified Israel. He restarts the conquest of Canaan, and he takes Jerusalem, making it is his capital, with a brand new palace to hold his many wives, concubines, and children.
While David’s approach to women and marriage is a blind spot, we see clearly in this passage the favor of God on David. We see David reaching out to God for direction. We see God answering and supernaturally fighting David’s battles.
What is happening in Israel, under the leadership of David, and through the empowerment of the Lord God Almighty, is what God always intended. There had been a long, long malaise of sinfulness and rebellion in the twelve tribes of Israel. Pretty much ever since Joshua passed away, hundreds of years earlier. Certainly there were flickers of light throughout those dark centuries. Some of the judges had their moments. Samuel was an amazing leader. Saul even had his moments. But what is happening in Israel under David’s leadership is different, the likes of which the people of Israel have not seen in generations.
We are only at the beginning of David’s reign as Israel’s king. Surely, there will be bumps along the road. But Israel is on a new trajectory. It is because of the two factors I have mentioned already. First, David is no longer the shepherd boy, herding sheep. He is the godly shepherd of God’s people, as we read in chapter 4, verse 2. Second, God is central to David’s reign, and the power of God is unleashed.
In tomorrow’s post, we’ll discuss how we can apply these two points to our lives.
Photo by Mel Lituañas on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 