David

Be quiet

When my kids were little, behavior was a concern for me if I took them out in public. Because they were close in ages, I had my hands full even though there were only three of them. It was difficult for me to accomplish anything and grocery shopping was a major ordeal. Eventually, they learned through experience that good behavior usually resulted in some kind of reward and bad behavior led to punishment.

In Psalm 31, David said, “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother” (Psalm 131.2). The word translated behaved, shâvâh (shaw – vaw´) figuratively means to resemble, and by implication to adjust, for example to be suitable for the situation or to compose oneself. (7737).

David was likening himself to a little child in order to express an attitude of submission, of a child that had been trained by a loving parent. David’s relationship with the LORD had matured to the point where he wanted to be like his heavenly Father, to show love and compassion to others as it had been shown to him.

David went on to say, “My soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever” (Psalm 131:2-3). A transition was taking placed in the kingdom that caused David to focus on worship rather than warfare. The courage and determination David had shown on the battlefield was no longer necessary. It was time for David to behave like a man of God rather than king of Israel.

The Hebrew word translated hope, yâchal (yaw – chal´) has the connotation of being still, to sit quietly and wait for something to happen (3176). Near the end of David’s life, he realized that the Messiah was Israel’s only hope for survival. As much as David wanted to believe that he could permanently establish God’s kingdom on earth, he knew that peace was extremely difficult to maintain. Like rambunctious children, the Israelites were inclined to fight with their neighbors and could not focus on God for an extended period of time.

David admitted that he did not completely understand the bigger picture when he said, “Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me” (Psalm 131:1). His humble attitude was a result of God’s discipline and his willingness to let go of the outcome a sign that David had reached the point where he understood that God was in control of Israel’s destiny. David’s main focus was on obedience and an anticipation of seeing his Savior face to face.

The importance of singing

The ministry of music is one that I think often gets overlooked in church services. Its importance may be missed because it does not usually take up much of the time that is spent in the service overall. What most people probably don’t realize is that without singing, our hearts are not affected by the message we hear. Singing is like opening the door to the spirit and saying, come in and minister to me.

The musicians that ministered in the temple of God “were instructed in the songs of the LORD” (1 Chronicles 25:7) so that they could understand the deeper or sometimes hidden meaning contained within the words. The purpose of their study was to discover the message that each song contained in order to plan worship services that ministered to the congregation’s spiritual needs.

It says in 1 Chronicles 25:1 that David and his military leaders selected the musicians that served in the temple. Three men and their families were designated to lead the music ministry. It is possible that they were selected for their ability to inspire courage and perseverance among the people. Since the attitude of the congregation was important for victory in battle, David wanted musicians that would have a positive influence on the people.

God is our judge

I have only had to stand before a judge a few times in my life and only for traffic violations, but having been in a courtroom, I can imagine what it must feel like to have someone determine your guilt or innocence and for him to be able to punish you for something he thinks you have done wrong. One of the responsibilities of the priests of Israel was to render a proper verdict regarding the sins of the people. They were actually ordained into their ministry to be representatives of God and to bring about or fulfill a divine intent.

The responsibility of the priest was so important that David himself oversaw the process whereby the priests were assigned a position in the temple according to a casting of the lot, a tool used to discover the will of God (1486). After the process was completed, it says in 1 Chronicles 24:19, “These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.”

I believe the governmental system that was established for the Israelites was intended to convey two messages. First, that there is judgment for breaking God’s laws and second, that judgment should come from God, not man. It says in Ecclesiastes 12:14, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

The word translated orderings in 1 Chronicles 24:19 is a form of the word pâqad (paw- kad´) which means to visit. This word is used in Genesis 21:1 where it says, “The LORD visited Sarah,” meaning that the LORD intervened on her behalf (6485). God’s intervention in Sarah’s life was intended to demonstrate that divine intervention can be used in the normal course of events to bring about or fulfill a divine intent. In some cases, the conviction of sin and judgment are appropriate, but in others, the person is not guilty and needs to be set free. The Israelite priests were trained to let God be the judge.

Passing the baton

“So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel” (1 Chronicles 23:1). King David had the power to appoint his successor. Solomon did not inherit the throne, nor did he have a right to it because he was in a particular position in David’s family. In the same way the God made David king, David made Solomon the king over Israel.

At the time when David transferred the kingdom to Solomon, it says that “David was old and full of years” (1 Chronicles 23:1). What this means is that it was time for David to step down. The word translated full is sâbêa‘ (saw – bay´ – eh). Sabea’ often expresses God’s satisfying, supplying man with his material needs.

One of the tasks that Solomon was charged with was building the temple of God. It says in 1 Chronicles 22:5-6, “the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnificant, of fame and of glory throughout all countries…So David prepared abundantly before his death…Then, he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel.”

It is possible that David transferred the responsibility of the kingdom to Solomon many years before his death. We know from 2 Samuel 5:4 that “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” The fact that David made Solomon king could mean that he merely transferred the responsibility before it normally was expected to happen.

It says in 1 Chronicles 17:11-12, “And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will stablish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.” Though in this context these words refer to Solomon, the New Testament applies them to Jesus in Luke 1:32-33 (Note on 1 Chronicles 17:12-14). It says specifically of Jesus in Luke 1:32, “the Lord God shall give him the throne of his father David.”

It may be that David knew Solomon’s  reign over Israel was intended to begin as soon as peace was established as an opportunity for the temple of God to be built. Once David had established peace in the land, he wanted to start work on the temple immediately. If David waited to transfer the kingdom to Solomon until after he was dead, work on the temple would be delayed because David had been told that he was not allowed to do it (1 Chronicles 17:4).

After David died, Israel’s commitment to the LORD began to slowly diminish. The years David spent establishing a peaceful environment for God’s people to worship their God were not wasted, but had little long term value. What became evident to David in his later years was that his only purpose was to make a way for the Messiah to be born. Everything else David did to establish God’s kingdom was vanity.

It’s not the end

“The LORD said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1). Jesus specifically used this verse to refer to his divine origin (Matthew 24:41-45). In his message about the resurrection of the dead, Paul used this verse to conclude that Christ had defeated all enemies, including death (1 Corinthians 15:25-26).

The issue that I believe David was trying to resolve in Psalm 110 was the eternal nature of God’s kingdom. David had spent most of his life establishing God’s kingdom on earth. In the end, I think he realized that ruling over people was a divine act that only Christ, God in human flesh, was capable of doing.

Part of what makes eternity unfathomable to us is the concept of death. Paul labeled death the last enemy because he wanted us to understand that Satan uses death to change our perspective of life. He wants us to think of life as temporary, something that comes to an end.

David’s view of death is revealed in 2 Samuel 12:20-23. After his child died, David knew he would see him again:

Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

The word translated go in 2 Samuel 12:23 is hâlak (haw – lak´). Halak means to walk. “Essentially, this root refers to movement without any suggestion of direction” (1980). David expected to go somewhere after he died and that he would be able to reconnect with people he had known during his life on earth. David did not perceive death to be an ending, but a continuation of some sort to the life he already had.

An eternal perspective

It says in Romans 5:5, “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” The term shed abroad denotes movement across time and space (1537). What this implies is that believers in the Old Testament of the Bible, such as king David, received the Holy Spirit just as believers in the New Testament did.

The imparting or filling of the Holy Spirit occurred on an individual basis as a result of God’s divine election. Prophets who were also known as seers were often given visions of future events that were to be communicated to God’s people. In a sense, God’s ability to transcend time is transferred to the believer through the Holy Spirit and He makes it possible for us to see what God sees.

The words of David recorded in Psalm 109:4-8 may have been a result of his seeing the crucifixion of Christ. David said, “For my love they are my adversaries…And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love” (Psalm 109:4-5). These words do not seem to coincide with events in David’s life, but fit perfectly with Christ’s betrayal. In Psalm 109:8, David said, “Let his days be few and let another take his office.” This verse is mentioned in Acts 1:20 indicating that David’s words were prophetic.

David’s ability to see future events may be why his psalms are so timeless. Thousands of years after David lived, his psalms are still being memorized and quoted by many believers. David understood the struggles of life and was able to put them into the proper perspective, an eternal perspective with Jesus Christ at the center of it.

I believe David’s words at the end of Psalm 109 could be a picture of the day of judgement, when believers will be vindicated by Christ. “I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea I will praise him among the multitude, for he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul” (Psalm 109:30-31).

A fixed heart

There are two conditions of the heart that determine our eternal destination. The condition that we do not want our heart to get into is hardened. It says in Psalm 95:7-8, “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart.” The word translated harden, qashah (kaw – shaw´) is properly translated as “to be dense” (7125). It describes the person that doesn’t heed the advice of others or refuses to be corrected.

The apostle Paul quoted this passage in Psalm 95:7-8 three times in his explanation of Christ’s work of atonement on the cross (Hebrews 3:7-8, 15, 4:7). Paul gave this instruction, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). To exhort someone means to call him near or to come along side of him in order to assist him (3870).

I think it is safe to assume that a person with a hardened heart is probably a loner, a person without any real friends. What Paul was saying was that we need to stick together. When we try to handle things on our own, we are an easy target for Satan.

David said, “O God, my heart is fixed” (Psalm 108:1). The difference between a hardened heart and a fixed heart is that a fixed heart is one that is focused outward rather than inward. The person with a fixed heart realizes it’s not all about me. Another way of looking at the fixed heart is to see it as one that is certain. There is no doubt or wavering from the truth in it.

A fixed heart is one that is unchanging and unchangeable (3559). It is hard to imagine being certain of anything in a world that is constantly changing, especially today, when the speed at which things change is so noticeable.

Paul talked about the immutability of God’s counsel or advice in connection with His promise to Abraham (Hebrews 6:13-18). The Greek word translated immutable and immutability, ametathetos means unchangeable (276). Paul goes on to say, “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood” (Hebrews 7:22-24).

I believe David’s heart was fixed because he was trusting in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Although David lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the promise was still good. When Paul said that Jesus continueth ever, he was talking about time in its unbroken duration; past, present, and future (165).

Resurrection of the dead

David’s desire to build a house for God may have been a result of his awareness that worshipping the LORD required an intentional effort to enter into his presence. If you think about going to visit a friend at his house, you realize that a visit to his home makes the connection more personal. You can see what he is like when you see his home and know a little bit more about his lifestyle.

I have heard it said that the house or temple that Solomon built was a replica of God’s home in heaven. Although God lives in heaven, his presence can be felt on earth, indicating some kind of connection between these two realms. Some people believe that heaven is just another dimension that is invisible to the human eye. Jacob discovered a ladder or staircase “set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven'” (Genesis 28:12). When Jacob awoke from his dream, he said, “How dreadful is this place! this is none but the house of God” (Genesis 28:17).

Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).

David said in Psalm 30, “O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave. Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit” (Psalm 30:3). The word translated alive, châyâh (khaw – yaw´) causatively means to revive. “The intensive form of chayah means ‘to preserve alive'” (2421). It is possible that David was referring to being resurrected from the dead.

A familiar passage found in Psalm 30 is often quoted at funerals. “For his anger endureth for a moment; in his favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The resurrection of Jesus as it is told in Matthew 28:1-8 depicts this perfectly:

In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepuchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the LORD descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightening, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Entering a time of rest

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1). The word translated provoked in this verse is the same word translated moved in 2 Samuel 24:1 where it says, “And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.”

It would appear that both the LORD and Satan caused David to number or take a census of Israel’s army. The Hebrew word cuwth (sooth) means to prick or stimulate and by implication to seduce (5496).

After David instructed Joab to number the people, Joab asked him, “why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?” (2 Samuel 24:3). The word translated delight, chaphets (chaw – fates´) indicates the prompting of the heart to take a certain course of action (2654), so you could say the LORD put it on David’s heart to number the people.

“Satan is an adversary or plotter, one who devises means for opposition” (7854). As in the situation with Job, Satan directly attacked David, but he did it through a completely different means. Satan used David to bring judgement on Israel. It is possible that God was behind Satan’s attack because it says in 2 Samuel 24:1 that he was angry with Israel. “God took direct action to test David to help him learn a vital lesson. God tests believers to help them make the right choices and not depend on their own human strength” (7854).

God was preparing Israel for a time a of rest. He wanted them to settle down and cease from military activity. (2 Samuel 22:9). As David’s death approached, a transition was taking place so that his son Solomon could establish a temple, “to build a house for the LORD God of Israel” (1 Chronicles 22:6).

David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side” for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people. (1 Chronicles 22:17-18)

The word translated rest, yether implies superiority or preeminence (3499). The Israelites had tread down or subdued their enemies to the point where they no longer needed to worry about the size of their army. It was a time for them to focus on worshipping the LORD and tending to their homes and families.

David concluded his final command to the princes of Israel with these words, “Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God” (1 Chronicles 22:19). In essence, what David was instructing the people to do was give their hearts to God. The idea being that they would immerse themselves in his word and learn how to do things his way. They were to discover the will of God and do it.

Repentance

Confession of sin and repentance do not always go together. Confession is really nothing more than an acknowledgement that we have done something wrong. The apostle John said about Jesus, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So confession is all we need to do to receive God’s forgiveness.

Sometimes people joke about having committed a sin and say, the devil made me do it, as if that is an acceptable excuse for not taking responsibility for their actions. God wants us to admit our guilt so that he can make things right again.

It says in 2 Samuel 24:10, “And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

It is important for us to confess our sins and although it is enough for us to be forgiven, confession does not change the outcome of our wrong actions. In David’s case, he was given three options for his punishment, but he still had to pay a penalty for his sin. “So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men” (2 Samuel 24:15).

The basic meaning of repentance is to be sorry, but it involves more than just saying, I’m sorry. “To repent means to make a strong turning to a new course of action…Hence, when one repents, he exerts strength to change, to re-grasp the situation, and exert effort for the situation to take a different course of purpose and action” (5162).

Initially, the pestilence was to be in the land three days. As a result of David’s repentance, it says in 2 Samuel 24:16, “And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand.” So the LORD stopped the angel from destroying Jerusalem because David repented.