2 Samuel 5

For ten years David was an exile with a price on his head, fleeing from Saul and waiting for the time when God would put him on the throne of Israel. During those difficult years, David grew in faith and godly character, and God equipped him for the work He had chosen for him to do. When the day of victory did arrive, David was careful not to force himself on the people, many of whom were still loyal to the house of Saul. He took a cautious approach, and we can’t help but admire David for his wisdom and patience as he won the affection and allegiance of the people and sought to unify the shattered nation. “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands” (Ps. 78: nkjv).

What a remarkable and varied life David lived! As a shepherd, he killed a lion and a bear, and these victories prepared him to kill the giant Goliath. David served as an attendant to King Saul and became a beloved friend of Saul’s son Jonathan. For perhaps ten years, David was an exile in the wilderness of Judea, hiding from Saul and learning to trust the Lord more and more. He had patiently waited for the Lord to give him the promised throne, and now that time had come. It is through faith and patience that God’s people inherit what He has promised (Heb. 6:12), and David had trusted God in the most difficult circumstances. David inherited a divided people, but with God’s help he united them and built Israel into a strong and powerful kingdom. These chapters describe the steps David took to unite and strengthen the nation.

The assassination of Ish-Bosheth left the eleven tribes without a king or even an heir to Saul’s throne. Abner was dead, but he had paved the way for David to be made king of all twelve tribes (3:17–21). The next step was for the leaders of all the tribes to convene at Hebron and crown David king.

The qualifications for Israel’s king were written in the law of Moses in Deuteronomy 17:14–20. The first and most important requirement was that he was to be chosen by the Lord from the people of Israel, a king “whom the Lord your God chooses” (17:15, 20 nkjv). The people knew that Samuel had anointed David king some twenty years before and that it was God’s will that David ascend the throne (2 Sam. 5:2). The nation needed a shepherd, and David was that shepherd (Ps. 78:70–72). Saul had been “the people’s king” but he wasn’t the Lord’s first choice, for God had given him as a judgment against Israel because they wanted to be like the other nations (1 Sam. 8; Hos. 13:11). The Lord loved His people and knew they needed a shepherd, so He equipped David to be their king. Unlike Saul, who was a Benjamite, David was from the royal tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10) and was born and raised in Bethlehem. Because of this, he was able to establish the dynasty that brought the Messiah Jesus Christ into the world, and He, too, was born in Bethlehem.

The people who gathered at Hebron reminded David that he belonged to the whole nation and not just to the tribe of Judah (2 Sam. 5:1). At the beginning of David’s career, the people recognized that God’s hand was upon him, for God gave him success in his military exploits. Present at Hebron were representatives from all the tribes, and they enthusiastically gave their allegiance to the new king (1 Chron. 12:23–40). The total number of officers and men is 340,800, all of them loyal to David. The people remained with David for three days and celebrated God’s goodness to His people.

The foundation of the Jewish nation was God’s covenant with His people as expressed in the law of Moses, especially Deuteronomy 27–30 and Leviticus 26. If the king and the people obeyed God’s will, He would bless and care for them, but if they disobeyed and worshipped false gods, He would discipline them. Each new king was required to affirm the supremacy and authority of God’s law, promise to obey it, and even make a copy of it for his own personal use (Deut. 17:18–20). David entered into a covenant with the Lord and the people, agreeing to uphold and obey God’s law and to rule in the fear of the Lord (see 1 Sam. 10:17–25; 2 Kings 11:17).

When David was a teenager, Samuel had anointed him privately (1 Sam. 16:13), and the elders of the tribe of Judah had anointed him when he became their king at thirty years of age (2 Sam. 2:4). But now the elders of the whole nation anointed David and proclaimed him as their king. David was not an amateur, but a seasoned warrior and a gifted leader who obviously had the blessing of the Lord on his life and ministry. After experiencing years of turbulence and division, the nation at last had a king who was God’s choice and the people’s choice. God takes time to prepare His leaders, and much to be pitied is the person who “succeeds” before he or she is ready for it.

David established a new capital city (5:6–10; 1 Chron. 11:4–9) Abner and Ish-Bosheth had established their capital at Mahanaim (2:8), over the Jordan River on the boundary of Gad and Manasseh, while David’s capital was at Hebron in the tribe of Judah. But neither city was suitable for a new ruler who was seeking to unify the nation and make a new beginning. David wisely chose as his capital the Jebusite city of Jerusalem on the border of Benjamin (Saul’s tribe) and Judah (David’s tribe). Jerusalem had never belonged to any of the tribes, so nobody could accuse David of playing favorites in setting up his new capital.

Political considerations were important, but so was security, and the topography of Jerusalem made it an ideal capital city. Built on a rocky hill and surrounded on three sides by valleys and hills, the city was vulnerable only on the north side. The Valley of Hinnom lay on the south, the Kidron Valley on the east, and the Tyropean Valley on the west. “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King” (Ps. 48:2). “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined” (Ps. 50:2). The Jewish people have always loved the city of Jerusalem, and today it is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. To be born in Jerusalem was a high honor indeed (Ps. 87:4–6).

The Lord must have guided David in a special way when he chose Jerusalem to be his capital, because Jerusalem would play a strategic role in the working out of His great plan of salvation. God had promised the Jews that He would appoint a place where they could come to worship Him (Deut. 12:1–7), and He must have revealed to David that Jerusalem was that place. Later, David would purchase property on Zion which would become the site for the temple that his son Solomon would build (2 Sam. 24). The church sees the earthly Jerusalem as a city of legalistic bondage, but the heavenly Jerusalem as a symbol of the covenant of grace in Christ Jesus (Gal. 4:21–31) and the eternal home of Christ’s people (Heb. 12:18–24; Rev. 21–22). God has set His King on the throne (Ps. 2:6), and one day He will speak in His wrath and judge those who oppose Him and His truth.

The Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem thought that their citadel was impregnable and that even the blind and the lame could defend it, a boast that made David angry. He knew that the Lord had promised Moses that Israel would conquer all the nations living in Canaan, including the Jebusites (Ex. 23:23–24; Deut. 7:1–2; 20:17), so by faith he planned his attack. He promised that the man who entered the city and subdued it would be the commander of his army, and he even told him how to do it: go up through the water shaft. David’s nephew Joab accepted the challenge, captured the city, and became captain of David’s troops. Excavations on Mount Zion have revealed a water shaft that would have been difficult but not impossible to climb. David occupied the mount and called the southern part “the City of David.” In years following, David and his successors strengthened the fortress by building walls.

The word “millo” (v. 9) means “fullness” and refers to a stone embankment that was built on the southeastern side of the mount to support additional buildings and a wall. Archaeologists have uncovered what they call “a stepped-stone structure,” about 1,500 feet long and 900 feet wide, that was a supporting terrace for other structures, and they assume this was the “millo.” Both Solomon and King Hezekiah strengthened this part of Mount Zion (1 Kings 9:15, 24; 11:27; 2 Chron. 32:5). God’s blessing was on David and gave him prosperity in everything he undertook for his people.

It was probably at this time that David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to His people (1 Sam. 17:54).

David formed political alliances (5:11–16; 1 Chron 3:5–9; 14:1–7) Israel was a small nation that was distinguished from her neighbors by her special covenant relationship with the true and living God (Num. 23:7–10), and the Jews were warned not to form alliances with their neighbors that would compromise their testimony. Unless his successor bore the same name, Hiram was probably just beginning his reign as king of Tyre, for he befriended both David and Solomon during their reigns (1 Kings 5).

It’s likely that David’s palace was built for him after his successful wars against the Philistines (5:17–25), and this may have been Hiram’s way of recognizing David’s accession to the throne. No doubt the Phoenician king also appreciated the fact that David had defeated his warlike neighbors, the Philistines. From a practical point of view, it was necessary for the Phoenicians to be on good terms with the Jews because Israel could easily block the trade route to Tyre, and the Phoenicians depended on Jewish farmers for their food. (See Acts 12:20.) David interpreted Hiram’s kindness as another evidence that the Lord had indeed established him on the throne of Israel.

The mention of David’s palace and his alliance with Hiram offered the writer opportunity to mention David’s family, the “house” that the Lord was building for him (Ps. 127). Deuteronomy 17: prohibited Israel’s king from taking many wives, but David seems to have ignored this law, as did Solomon after him (1 Kings 4:26; 11:1–4). At least one of David’s wives was a princess (3:3), which suggests that the marriage was for the sake of political alliance, and no doubt there were other similar marriages. This was one way to cement good relationships with other nations.

There are four lists of David’s children in Scripture—those born while he reigned in Hebron (2 Sam 3:2–5) and those born after he moved to Jerusalem (5:13–16; 1 Chron. 3:1–9; 14:4–7). His first wife was Saul’s daughter Michal (1 Sam. 18:27), who was childless (2 Sam. 6:23). In Hebron, Ahinoam of Jezreel gave birth to Amnon, David’s firstborn (2 Sam. 3:2); Abigail the widow of Nabal gave birth to Chileab, or Daniel (2 Sam. 3:3); princess Maacah bore Absalom (3:3) and his sister Tamar (2 Sam. 13:1); Haggith gave birth to Adonijah (3:4); Abital bore Shephatiah (3:4); and Eglah bore Ithream (3:5). In Jerusalem, Bathsheba bore David four children (1 Chron. 3:5): Shimea (or Shammah), Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. His other wives, who are not named (1 Chron. 3:6–9), bore David Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet (or Elpelet), Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada (or Beeliada, 1 Chron. 14:7), Eliphelet.

David also had children by his concubines, so he had a large family to manage. It’s no wonder that some of them got involved in various court intrigues and brought sorrow to the king. The law clearly stated that the king was not to multiply wives, but both David and Solomon ignored this law, and both paid dearly for their disobedience. It’s likely that some of the wives, like Maacah, represented alliances that David made with neighboring kings to help guarantee the security of Israel.

David defeated the Philistines (5:17–25; 1 Chron 14:8–17) As long as David was minding his own business in Hebron, the Philistines thought he was still one of their vassals, but when he became king of the whole nation of Israel, the Philistines knew he was their enemy and they attacked him. It’s probable that these attacks occurred before David relocated in Jerusalem, because he and his men went down to “the stronghold” (5:17), the wilderness area where he had lived in the days when Saul was out to kill him (1 Sam. 22:4; 23:13–14). David got word of the approaching Philistine army, quickly maneuvered his soldiers, and met the invaders in the Valley of Rephaim, just a short distance from Jerusalem.

As he had done before, David sought the mind of the Lord in planning his attack, probably by using the Urim and Thummim, or he may have had the prophet Gad seek the Lord’s will. Assured by the Lord that He would give Israel victory, David met the Philistines two miles southwest of Jerusalem, and he forced them to retreat. They left the field so quickly that they left their idols behind, and David and his men burned them. The Philistines were sure the presence of their gods would assure them victory, but they were wrong. David gave God all the glory and called the place Baal-perazim, which means “the Lord who breaks out.”

Some commentators believe that the Gadite warriors joined David’s army at this time (1 Chron. 12:8–15), and this was probably the occasion when three of David’s “mighty men” broke through the Philistine lines and obtained for David water from the Bethlehem well (2 Sam. 23:13–17; 1 Chron. 11:15–19). It took a great deal of faith and courage for them to do this, and what they did was in response to a desire in David’s heart and not an order from his lips. They obtained the water because they loved their king and wanted to please him. What an example for us to follow!

The Philistines returned to fight David a second time, and David sought the Lord’s will a second time. Unlike Joshua after the victory at Jericho (Josh. 6–7), David didn’t assume that the same strategy would work again. God gave him a new battle plan, he obeyed it, and the Lord gave him the victory. What was the sound in the tops of the trees? Only the wind? Angels (Ps. 104:4)? God coming to lead His people to victory? The strategy worked, and David pursued the enemy all the way from Gibeon to Gezer, a distance of fifteen to twenty miles. By this victory Israel regained the territory that Saul lost in his last battle. In subsequent campaigns, David also took back the cities the Philistines had taken from Saul (2 Sam. 8:1; 1 Chron. 18:1). David had repeated battles with the Philistines, and the Lord gave him one victory after another (2 Sam. 21:15–22).

The people had long recognized that David was a brave and skillful warrior, and these two victories added greater glory to God and honor to His servant. By defeating the Philistines, David gave notice to Israel’s enemies that they had better be careful what they did to him and his people.

David relocated the holy ark (6:1–23; 1 Chron. 13:1–13; 15:1—16:3) The ark of the covenant was to be kept in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle, for it symbolized the glorious throne of God (Ps. 80:1; 99: niv); but for over seventy-five years, the ark had been absent from the divine sanctuary at Shiloh. The Philistines captured the ark when Eli was judge (1 Sam. 4) and then returned it to the Jews because the Lord sent judgment on the Philistines. First the ark was sent to Beth-Shemesh and then was taken to Kiriath Jearim and guarded in the house of Abinadab (1 Sam 5:1–7:1). During the reign of David, there were two high priests, Zadok and Ahimelech (2 Sam. 8:17), and it’s possible that one served at the sanctuary, which was in Shiloh and then moved to Gibeon (2 Chron. 1:1–6), while the other ministered at court in Jerusalem. David pitched a tent for the ark in the City of David, but the furnishings in the tabernacle weren’t moved to Jerusalem until after Solomon completed the temple (1 Kings 8:1–4; 2 Chron. 5:1–5).

The first attempt (vv. 1–11). Why did David want the ark in Jerusalem? For one thing, he wanted to honor the Lord and give Him His rightful place as King of the nation. But David also had a secret desire in his heart to build a sanctuary for the Lord (see chap. 7; Ps. 132:1–5), and the first step would be to place the ark in the capital city. David knew that the Lord desired a central sanctuary (Deut. 12:5, 11, 21; 14:23–24; 16:2, 6, 11; 26:2), and he hoped the Lord would let him build it. David’s dream didn’t come true, but he did buy the land on which the temple was built (2 Sam. 24:18ff.), and he provided the temple plans and the wealth and materials needed for its construction (1 Chron. 28–29).

Surely there was a political reason as well for moving the ark to Jerusalem, for it symbolized “one nation under God.” David involved all the key leaders in the land in planning the event and issued a general invitation to the priests and Levites to come to Jerusalem from all their cities. “So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath [or “the entrance to Hamath”], to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim” (1 Chron. 13:5). Hamath marked the northernmost boundary assigned by God to Israel (Num. 34:8). It was David’s hope that past divisions and tribal differences would be forgotten as the people focused on the Lord. The presence of the ark meant the presence of the Lord, and the presence of the Lord meant security and victory.

But one thing was missing: there is no record that David sought the mind of the Lord in this matter. Relocating the ark to Jerusalem seemed a wise idea and everybody was enthusiastic about doing it, but the king didn’t follow his usual pattern of asking the Lord for His directions. After all, what pleases the king and the people may not please God, and what doesn’t please God will not have His blessing. David’s first attempt failed miserably because the Levites didn’t carry the ark on their shoulders. God had given specific directions through Moses how the tabernacle was to be erected, dismantled, and transported (Num. 4), and the major pieces of furniture were to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites who descended from Kohath (vv. 4:9–20). When they used a new cart drawn by oxen, they were following the pattern of the pagan Philistines (1 Sam. 6), not the pattern given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The lesson here is obvious: God’s work must be done in God’s way if it is to have God’s blessing. The fact that all the leaders of Israel agreed to use the cart didn’t make it right. When it looked like the ark would fall from the cart, Uzzah presumptuously took hold of it to steady it, and he was killed. But God had warned about this in the law of Moses, and every Israelite surely knew of it (Num. 1:51; 4:15, 20). There’s no evidence that Abinadab was a Levite or that his sons Uzzah and Ahio were even qualified to be near the ark, let alone touch it. David quickly had the ark taken into the house of Obed-Edom, who was a Levite (1 Chron. 15:18, 21, 24; 16:5; 26:4–8, 15), and there it remained for three months.

At the beginning of new eras in biblical history, God sometimes manifested His power in judgment to remind the people that one thing had not changed: God’s people must obey God’s Word. After the tabernacle was erected and the priestly ministry inaugurated, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for willfully trying to enter the sanctuary (Lev. 10). When Israel entered the land of Canaan and began to conquer the land, God had Achan executed for disobeying the law and taking loot from Jericho (Josh. 6—7). During the early days of the New Testament church, Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to God and His people (Acts 5). Here, at the start of David’s reign in Jerusalem, God reminded His people that they were not to imitate the other nations when they served Him, for all they needed to know was in His Word.

The church today needs to heed this reminder and return to the Word of God for an understanding of the will of God. No amount of unity or enthusiasm can compensate for disobedience. When God’s work is done in man’s way, and we imitate the world instead of obeying the Word, we can never expect the blessing of God. The crowds may approve what we do, but what about the approval of God? The way of the world is ultimately the way of death.

The second attempt (vv. 12–19). When David heard that the presence of the ark was bringing blessing to the household of Obed-Edom, he wanted that blessing for himself and his people. The ark belonged in the tent he had erected for it in Jerusalem. Since 1 and 2 Chronicles were written from the priestly viewpoint, the account of the second attempt is much fuller than the record in Samuel (1 Chron. 15:1—16:3). David was now determined to do God’s work in God’s way, so he sent the Levites on the ten-mile trip to the house of Obed-Edom, and they brought the ark to Jerusalem on their shoulders.To make sure the Lord wouldn’t “break through” with another judgment, the Levites paused after their first six steps and the priests offered a bull and a fattened calf. When no judgment fell, they knew God was pleased with what they were doing (1 Chron. 17:26). When the procession reached the tent in Jerusalem, the priests offered fourteen more sacrifices (1 Chron. 15:26).

David danced enthusiastically in worship before the Lord and dressed for the occasion in a priestly linen ephod (v. 14). Later, his wife accused him of shamelessly exposing himself (v. 20), but 1 Chron. 15: informs us that he was also wearing a royal robe under the ephod. Though he was not from the tribe of Levi, David was acting as both king and priest—a picture of Jesus, the Son of David, who holds both offices “after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:20—8:13; Ps. 110). In the days of Abraham, Melchizedek was the king and priest of Salem (Gen. 14:17–24), and now David was worshipping as king and priest of Jerusalem. The procession was accompanied by Levites playing musical instruments and singing songs of praise to the Lord.

David’s dance was personal and sincere, and he did it before the Lord as he celebrated the coming of His presence into the capital city. It’s probable that some of the psalms (24, 47, 95, 99, 68, 105, 106, 132; see 1 Chron. 16:7–36) reflected his thoughts and feelings on that occasion. In ancient times, dancing played a part in both pagan and Hebrew worship (Ps. 149:3) as well as in the celebrations of special occasions, such as weddings, family gatherings (Luke 15:25), and military victories (Judg. 11:34). Usually it was the women who danced and sang before the Lord (Ex. 15:20–21; 1 Sam. 18:6; Ps. 68:24–26), and on occasions when both men and women danced, they were segregated. Religious dances are mentioned or hinted at in the book of Psalms (26:6–7; 30:11; 42:4; 150:4).

There is no New Testament evidence that dancing as a “worship art form” was used either in the Jewish synagogue or the liturgy of the early church. The Greeks introduced dancing into worship in the postapostolic church, but the practice led to serious moral problems and was finally banned. It was difficult for congregations to distinguish between “Christian dances” and dances honoring a pagan god or goddess, so the church abandoned the practice and later church fathers condemned it.

When the ark was safely installed in the tent, David blessed the people (another priestly act) and gave each person some bread and flesh (or wine) and a cake of raisins. Once again we’re reminded of the priest-king Melchizedek, who came from Salem and gave Abraham bread and wine (Gen. 14:18–19). But when David went home to bless his own family, he discovered that his wife was ashamed of him and even despised him for dancing so enthusiastically in public (vv. 16, 20–23). It’s interesting that the text says that she saw “King David” and not “her husband” (v. 16) and that she is called “the daughter of Saul” and not “David’s wife” (v. 20). When she spoke to him, Michal used the third person (“How glorious was the king”) and not the more personal second person, and her speech was very sarcastic. How sad that David’s day of happy celebration ended with this kind of insensitive and heartless reception from his own wife, but often God’s servants go quickly from the glory of the mountain to the shadows of the valley.

There’s no evidence that David was guilty of any of the things his wife accused him of doing. He was properly attired and certainly didn’t expose himself to the people, and his dance was before the Lord, who knew what was in his heart. David recognized in Michal the pride and spiritual blindness of her father, Saul, whose one desire was to gain and keep his popularity with the people. David preferred to live and serve so as to please the Lord. He reminded Michal that the Lord had chosen him to replace her father as king and that he would do what the Lord prompted him to do. In other words, David didn’t need the spiritual counsel of the carnal daughter of a deposed and disgraced king. Perhaps Michal didn’t like what David said about her father’s neglect of the ark (1 Chron. 13:3). David loved Michal and wanted her back when he became king (3:12–16), but love can easily be bruised when we least expect it.

Michal said that David had disgraced himself before the people, but David countered her false accusation with a declaration that she would be disgraced even more, and from that day on he ignored his marriage duties toward her. For a wife to bear no children was a disgrace in that day, especially if her husband rejected her. But Michal’s barrenness was a blessing from the Lord. It prevented Saul’s family from continuing in Israel and therefore threatening the throne of David. David and Jonathan had covenanted to reign together (1 Sam. 23:16–18), but God rejected that plan by allowing Jonathan to be slain in battle. The Lord wanted the line and throne of David to be kept apart from any other dynasty, because David’s line would culminate in the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. That will be the theme of the next chapter in David’s story.