King David His Times and Our Life: Life Lessons with David

Copyright © 2016 by Tony Jordan.

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

NRSV

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Website

GW Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

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Rev. date: 10/03/2016

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Table of Contents

1.   David with Warts and All

2.   Beginning at the end

2Samuel 23.1-7

3.   It’s the Lyrics that count

Psalm 23

4.   God’s seeds grow in fertile ground

1Samuel 16.1-13. Mark 4

5.   The return of the King Maker

1Samuel 16.1-13

6.   The Idea

1Samuel 8:5

7.   David’s heart

1Samuel 13.14 & 16.7

8.   Jesus, the ultimate image of God

Philippians 2.6

9.   The loss of God’s blessing

1Samuel 15.1-35

10.   Does God have a plan B?

1Samuel 15.11 & 16.1-13

11.   Diagnosing the illness

1Samuel 16.14 -23

12.   The cottage cheese expedition.

1 Sam. 17.1-58

13.   The position of the armies

1Samuel 17.1-58

14.   David a Shepherd King

1Samuel 16.11 & Ezekiel 34.1-31

15.   The necessity of leadership.

16.   Success and its pitfalls

1Samuel 18.1-30

17.   The Escape

1Samuel 19.1-24

18.   Dealing with Saul’s illness.

1Samuel 19.1-24

19.   Listening to advice

1Samuel 19 1-24

20.   The nature of friendship

1Samuel 20.1-42

21.   The use of Subterfuge

1Samuel 20.

22.   The effects and consequences of fear.

1Samuel 21.1-15

23.   The vulnerable city

1Samuel 21

24.   Proof of the pudding is in the eating

Psalm 34

25.   Another psalm from the Giant’s den.

Psalm 56 see also 57

26.   The Cave of Adullam

1Samuel 22

27.   Alone

Psalm 142

28.   The razor sharp tongue

Psalm 52 1Sa 21:1-9 & 1Sa 22:6-23

29.   Principles to live by.

1Samuel 23

30.   David’s Prop

Psalms 54

31.   An embarrassing encounter

1Samuel 24

32.   Don’t spoil the Coronation day

1Samuel 25

33.   Resentment’s Rush

1Samuel 25.33

34.   Claiming the future

1Samuel 26

35.   Living with the enemy

1Samuel 27

36.   Saul’s descent into spiritualism.

1Samuel 28

37.   When God gets you off the hook

1Samuel 29

38.   David failed to do a risk assessment.

1Samuel 30

39.   Deliberate Death

1 Samuel 31 & 2 Samuel 1

40.   The Slain on Gilboa

2Samuel 1

41.   Saul lost his life because he lost his way

1Chronicles 10.13

42.   An elegy or a eulogy?

2Samuel 1

43.   Don’t lose your crown

2Samuel 2

44.   Too Big for your Boots

2Samuel 2.22

45.   Dealing with People’s Character defects

2Samuel 3

46.   A history lesson in character judging

2Samuel 4

47.   Crowned the Shepherd King of all Israel

2Samuel 5

48.   Whose people?

2Samuel 5

49.   Jerusalem, hark how the anthems ring

2Samuel 5

50.   Where could Israel meet with God?

2Samuel 6

51.   Accepting our mistakes

2Samuel 6.8 Numbers 6

52.   The Day of Rejoicing had come

1Chronicles 16

53.   God’s refusal

2Samuel 7.1-29

54.   Ultimate honour

1Chron.17.16-19

55.   A Setback?

Psalm 60 2Samuel 8.1-18

56.   Expansionism

2Samuel 8

57.   Keeping Promises

2 Samuel 9

58.   Misunderstood

2Samuel 10

59.   Bathing Bathsheba

2Samuel 11

60.   Voyeurism

Job 31.1

61.   When the bad guy owned up

Psalm 51

62.   The unfairness of life.

63.   I will go to him

64.   An Inadequate response towards evil

2Samuel 13

65.   Don’t beat up David.

66.   The sea-change Jesus brought

Mark 9.42

67.   Knowing which way the wind is blowing

2Samuel 14

68.   You must choose right or wrong?

69.   When the chickens come home to roost

2Samuel 15

70.   A time to run?

2Samuel 15

71.   Post-mortem of the Rebellion

Psalm 3 & 2Samuel 15.1-31

72.   Allegiances

2Samuel 15.14

73.   Keeping life in perspective

2Samuel 16.5 - 23

74.   Ahithophel’s not so sweet counsel

2Samuel 17

75.   O Absalom, Absalom my son

2Samuel 18

76.   Acting defeated in the day of Victory

2Samuel 19

77.   Love’s Excess

2Samuel 19.6

78.   Bring Back the King

2Samuel 19.9 – 40

79.   A War of Words

2Samuel 19.41- 43

80.   Conciliation or Compromise?

2Samuel 20

81.   Natural disasters

2Samuel 21.1 - 14

82.   Ritual Killing

2Samuel 21

83.   Goliath’s Relatives

2Samuel 21.15

84.   Song of Victory

2Samuel 22.1-51 Psalm 18

85.   When mighty men make a man mighty

2Samuel 23

86.   Obsession with numbers.

2Samuel 24.1 - 25

87.   Extraordinary Means

1Kings 1.1-4

88.   The Snake Rock Conspiracy

1Kings 1.5-53

89.   Passing on the baton

1Kings 2.1-12

90.   Whose eyes are you looking through?

Psalm 36

91.   The Song of the slandered saint (CH Spurgeon)

Psalm 7

92.   David in the desert place

Psalm 63

93.   God has a long nose

Psalm 86 and others.

94.   I’m the Good Guy Lord

Psalm 17 and others.

95.   The Charge to Solomon

1Chronicles 28.9

96.   The Writers and their message.

1Chronicles 29.29

1

David with Warts and All

¹

Like almost no other person in ancient history David’s psalms enable us to feel with him in his searching of heart, his fears, his disappointments, and his hopes.² His one-time friend, Ahithophel, knew the importance of a person’s state of mind. He knew David’s inner thoughts would influence his performance in battle. He advised Absalom in the rebellion, "I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,"³

We might have a plan, a scheme, but if we become despondent and down cast with little faith then we are as good as defeated. Remarkably David knew the secret of overcoming the failures that inner thoughts can bring. He could say, "From the ends of the earth, I call to you when I begin to lose heart. Lead me to the rock that is high above me. You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy."⁴ We too can enjoy the Lord and strengthen ourselves with the strength of God just as David did.⁵

These songs we know as the psalms were written in the poetic style of the era. For several hundred years before similar songs had been sung to heathen deities too⁶.

Let’s journey with David through the vicissitudes of his life and share his joys, his triumphs, his pain and his setbacks as he transformed disparate people into the beginnings of a strong nation.⁷ But do not think in terms of clean cut rights and wrongs. This is the building up of a nation where every people group in the area of Israel were seeking for their own security and sufficiency and aspiring for regional supremacy.

Today David would have been excommunicated from almost every church because of his adultery and polygamy. In most countries of the world he would be given life imprisonment or executed for his complicity in the murder of Uriah. He would have been questioned by the police’s organised crime department, for his protection racket.⁸ Worse still, if living today he would have been brought before a war crimes tribunal for killing prisoners in cold blood. Last but not least there would have been protests against him by the animal rights supporters for his crippling of war horses.⁹

Some Jewish Rabbis have sought to exonerate David from adultery, suggesting that Uriah had given his wife a conditional divorce while he was at war¹⁰ and that Uriah was a bad apple anyway. This is not a good explanation, David had major faults adultery was one, Nathan did not excuse him.

Yet we as Christians enjoy, and more than enjoy David’s psalms, we appreciate them, and share the emotion and the heart’s cry of the songs as they appeal to God for help and praise him for his goodness. God spoke to him, and through him, and speaks through him to us this day.

There was no New Testament, and most of the writing prophets had not yet lived and the Geneva Convention was thousands of years from being written. Where was the Law of God? Were the ten commands still kept in the Ark of the Covenant? Almost certainly the Law of Moses was hidden away, without being open for general viewing.¹¹ How much did the prophets and priests of God know? The Law clearly stated that when they appointed a king he should be a regular reader of it.¹² Samuel performed the ceremonies of a priest, yet he was of the tribe of Ephraim. Two of David’s sons became priests, even though the law limited certain functions of the office to the tribe of Levi and there were Levitical priests in office for example in Nob to sacrifice.

Although his failings, to put it politely, are disappointing, David had a mighty spiritual experience and a tremendous understanding of who God is and what he can do. When we know God and his power we will not be the same again.¹³ The writers of the Hebrew history showed David with all his weaknesses and his sins.¹⁴ What are we faced with? A Genghis Khan? No, but perhaps an Oliver Cromwell. Though of course Cromwell was not for a monarchy.¹⁵

We must never dismiss a person from our thoughts and prayers as unworthy because of their present behaviour. God warned David and limited his plans because of his behaviour, but God did not cast him off. Even though it was not his conscience that drove him back to God for mercy but the challenges of the prophets Nathan and Gad. These were no doubt brave men who would dare to rebuke an autocratic ruler. In New Testament times Paul was a persecutor and murderer before his conversion, then his life changed. But time after time we find that David failed both morally and ethically over a period of many years even while he loved God.

We must ask a question, Why was David’s weaknesses seemingly overlooked but not King Saul’s? Was it because David was more ready to ask for mercy, or was it due to the purpose of God? It was true that Saul was more ready to excuse himself and David more ready to acknowledge his fault and fall on God’s mercy. It seems that Saul was two-timing God and David was out and out for the Lord. Yet it was not only the grace of God, but also the purpose of God to be fulfilled that Israel should become a strong nation, worshipping God alone. Was it grace or purpose? It was both. There was another matter as well, the main activity of Saul was to defend his country. David was in an attacking mode. If Saul managed a reasonable defence of his country¹⁶ David went ahead with expanding the borders. This comes as a challenge to the whole Christian Church. Are we seeking to win people to Christ or are we defensive, just looking after our borders?

2

Beginning at the end

2Samuel 23.1-7

Music in the soul of man.

What do we experience while singing with all our hearts a worship song to the Lord? Could it be a feeling of thankfulness and joy, with a heart contemplating the majesty of our Saviour and Maker?

When Handel composed the Messiah he said that he felt as if he was in the presence of God every moment. David too experienced the anointing of God upon him as he wrote songs.¹⁷ One of the Psalms Scroll from the Dead Sea Caves say that he wrote 3600 psalms.¹⁸ And well he could have done, many song writers such as Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby and others have written thousands. David was open-hearted, prepared to be real, and truthful with himself, and share his feelings with others, and we love that. He told it like it was, he wore his heart on his sleeve. The Psalms are straight from the inner-being, poetic and powerful. They speak today to us as much as they did three thousand years ago. No other songs have been sung so much. David is the music maker of all time.

Music is a mood changer, and it is medicinal. Our grandsons’ pet dog would sing along as one played the saxophone. Animals are musical, from mice to monsters of the deep not just our feathered friends.¹⁹ When David, and most likely other musicians as well, played for Saul it relieved his depression. Music, as millions know can soothe and calm the troubled soul. It worked for Saul. He became dependant on music, as modern man becomes dependant on pills to overcome despondency. But David’s songs were more than nerve calming, peace giving music, they drew people to God, opened hearts to prayer and praise and filled people with truth and hope.

Music is God’s invention. There came a time in the mist of prehistory when the discovery was made that there were sounds that pleased, soothed and brought joy to the heart of mankind.²⁰ God made this art form to be blessed even more than acting, painting and similar artistry. It is said that the Israelis excelled in music and in later years the Assyrian Sennacherib demanded male and female musicians from defeated King Hezekiah as tribute.²¹

Music brought prophets closer to the Lord

2Kings 3. 15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. KJV See also -

1Ch 25:3 under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD. KJV

Music was part of early Christian worship, the only time it speaks of Jesus singing is when He and the disciples left the Last Supper for Gethsemane.²² It was a moment of deep emotion for the Lord as he was facing the cross. The letters of Paul and James encourage the new Christians to sing, and Paul put his preaching into practise when in jail.

Ephesians 5.19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; KJV

Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. KJV

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. KJV

James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.²³KJV

Many modern song writers have marvellously enhanced the worship of the Church and thousands of the old hymns of a hundred and more years ago still take us to the throne of God. The KJV says David played the harp most modern versions have the lyre. It was often played with a plectrum though the verse says hand. 1Samuel 16:23 Whenever God’s spirit came to Saul, David took the lyre and strummed a tune. Saul got relief from his terror and felt better, and the evil spirit left him. GW The lyre is first mentioned in Gen.4.21. Music was part of the school curriculum a thousand years earlier than David’s time in some of the nearby countries!

Many Christian songs have been written from experiences in life that have changed and transformed people. Whether songs like

How Great Thou Art,²⁴ written when the author Carl Boberg contemplated the majesty of God. Or It is no secret, was said to be written as a result of the writer Stuart Hamblen’s conversion, when he explained to the actor John Wayne that it was no secret what God could do. Joseph Scriven wrote, What a friend we have in Jesus, to bring comfort and assurance to his mother. Even Abide with me, being the dying author’s prayer. Worship can never take the place of the Word of God but it must be a vital part of every Christian’s daily life. A song can be much more than worship it can be a personal encouragement to continue following Jesus and a building up of faith, so get singing! But do not let music be an alternative to replacing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life or the life of the church.

3

It’s the Lyrics that count

Psalm 23

Although we have spoken about music, not a single musical note of the psalms is known to us.²⁵ We have the lyrics only. Words have power, and anointed and inspired words have mighty power. These are words to which we have put our own tunes, whether Crimond, Brother James’ Air or the many others for the 23rd Psalm and tens of thousands of other tunes and chants for the remaining one hundred and forty-nine. For two thousand years Christians have chanted and sung these ancient and powerful songs, their strength giving qualities is undiminished today. Every emotion of life can be found in the words. A mass of teaching on God’s character is here in the Psalms, as well as prayers, desires and hopes and assurances for the inner man.

There are times in the Christian Church when the songs and hymns tend to concentrate on one particular theme of the Christian faith. Sometimes the greatness of God is emphasised to the detriment of other qualities such as the love of God, or testimonials of God’s faithfulness to people to the exclusion of prayer songs. Teaching and encouragement by song can lapse for long periods of time too. David not only shared his inner feelings in the psalms he also showed his hopes, dreams and his certainties. He let people know he was in no doubt that God would come to his aid.

The New Testament Christians sang together. They would sing in the Holy Spirit and they would sing words that all could understand.²⁶ It was anticipated that non-Christians would be present. Furthermore, singing was not just for worship. Paul said sing to one another. It was not only for worship to the Lord it was to encourage one another. There are in the New Testament a number of songs, Mary’s song, Zachariah’s song plus others in the epistles and Revelation. The Puritan John Lightfoot added another important point: - [Singing God’s praise] is a work of the most meditation of any we perform in public. It keeps the heart longest upon the thing spoken. Prayer and hearing pass quick from one sentence to another; this sticks long upon it.

²⁷

Singing enables people to concentrate and remember what they are saying.

David could say, I was glad when they said unto me, ‘let us go into the house of the LORD.’ Psalm 122.1 KJV He was looking forward to worshipping the Lord. Christian worship must be no less exciting today than it was three thousand years ago. It cannot be that it becomes boring like Isaac Watts found the chanting of the psalms. Isaac was challenged by his father to write better songs, so he did. Often putting some of the Psalms into a Christian context, such as Oh God our help in ages past from psalm 90. Surprisingly he wrote most of his hymns between the age of twenty and twenty-two!

Today there must be a joy of Christian worship. To lose that, is to lose a generation of a people who can be challenged, directed and called to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. This in no way takes from the greater importance of the Word of God. It must go alongside the preaching which too must have a lively living power to grab at the hearts of young and old.

4

God’s seeds grow in fertile ground

1Samuel 16.1-13. Mark 4

The Westminster catechism²⁸ asks the question, "What is the chief and highest end of man? In answering it they state, Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever. David’s songs let us know that he enjoyed his relationship with God. He was totally open with the Lord about his misgivings, failures, fears and joys as well as his anger at times. David’s close relationship with God meant he enjoyed his company. He and God shared secrets, he could say, God-friendship is for God-worshippers; they are the ones he confides in."²⁹ He knew that God had something good up his sleeve for him in Psalm 31.19 he says, O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up³⁰ for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone! NRSV.

David was listening to God as well as talking to Him. He encouraged people to pour their hearts out to God.³¹ He enjoyed God, but with regard to the second part of the catechism’s answer, glorifying God, David did not achieve such high marks. We know that on one occasion God spoke highly of him.³² Yet this might not be the same view everyone had of him and some with good reason too. We also, might have reservations about some of the acts and decisions that he made. Neither did God allow him to build the temple with blooded hands.

The Empires had disintegrated. Egypt, now in the time of their 21st dynasty³³ had declined in power from previous generations, a priestly race ruled over much of the country. (Joseph and Moses some centuries earlier had both married into priestly families). A hundred and more years before the Hittite empire had imploded, and the Assyrian Empire too had contracted in size and power. The Elamites that later became the Persian Empire were almost silent while David was around. It would seem previously the Philistines had policed the lands on behalf of Egypt, guarding their frontiers.³⁴ Now with retrenchment of Egypt’s authority they were on their own.

It was the beginning of the iron-age,³⁵ people were developing new tools, and new weapons of war; iron was harder and a little lighter than bronze. The tin that needed to be alloyed with copper to make bronze was rare, and could have come from as far away as Cornwall, England. Iron was more abundant though needing higher temperatures to extract it from the ore.

As the Bronze Age was coming to an end, and the empires of the known world had collapsed, it left the smaller nations to fill the power vacuum. There are theories as to how this collapse happened, but no one complete answer seems to fit. The Sea people, of whom the Philistines were part, have been blamed but do not fully solve the puzzle.³⁶ Climate change, earthquakes, political infighting and plagues might have all played their part besides the invasion of the Sea People.

The region was multi-racial, some of the nationalities in David’s lifetime were often of different appearances. The Hittites mentioned in the Bible could have been the remains of the former superpower, if so, they had a Chinese type appearance with pointed chins.³⁷ Then there were Egyptians and North Africans mentioned as well. From Sumerian sources it was said that the Amorites ate their meat raw and did not properly bury their dead. If this were so they would not be as fit as those who cooked their food.³⁸ Some nation groups were more cultivated than others. To further confuse things, peoples of different ethnic origins would fight alongside David. At various times Philistines and others joined with him in battle against his opponents.

People dressed differently too, the battle scenes from Egypt show the sea people dressed in various costumes. Although most of the peoples would have a Semitic based language the Philistines coming from Crete³⁹ would have an Indo-European based language. Though having lived along the coasts of Israel for a century or two, were now speaking the local languages. In war the Philistines had a feathered head dress, other sea people had helmets with horns.

There would be artisans working in different trades, building, weaving, carpet making, furniture making but there was one trade not in Israel at the beginning of this period. There were no smiths.⁴⁰ The Philistines were in control of the area they would not allow smiths who might make swords or other weapons for them to rebel. No doubt