David the King: September 2014
Table of Contents
David the King
Being a servant is one feature in the character of David which marks him in every phase of his life, from the time that we see him as the shepherd in Bethlehem to the time of his delivering up the throne of Israel to his son Solomon. He was at all times and in all scenes the servant.
We first find him keeping sheep in the place of a servant. From this lowly place, however, he is drawn of God and anointed to the throne of Israel, but he was still in everything to remain as the servant, not doing his own will or seeking his own glory. Then he is called up to the royal city to serve King Saul with his harp. From this service we find him returned to the care of his sheep at Bethlehem. When the Lord had been dishonored by the Philistines, David was moved to say to Saul, “Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Finally David becomes king. But what was the way of David now? Just what it had been before — just what had characterized him when his hand bore the shepherd’s crook, the harp, or as the warrior king; he is still, and that only, the servant, doing Jehovah’s pleasure and seeking only His glory. And so it was perfectly in the blessed Jesus, the true David. Before the foundation of the earth He gave Himself to service: “Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God.”
J. G. Bellett, adapted
Features of David
Many of the outstanding characters of the Old Testament foreshadow, in different ways, the Lord Jesus. With regard to David, he is not only a type of the Lord Jesus as the warrior king, but as the man after God’s own heart. In his life there were many imperfections, but there were also many features that indicate to us the perfections of Jesus.
The Anointing of David
When God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse, He did not indicate which of Jesse’s sons was to be anointed, and the Lord had to remind him, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature ... for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). It is noteworthy that when David is described, his countenance is specially mentioned, for the Spirit of God is not simply concerned with features naturally attractive, but rather with the moral traits indicated by them. They reflected the hidden beauty that delighted the heart of God, a beauty that pointed to the deep perfections of Christ. He was ruddy. The natural freshness of early manhood was evident in him, but what is commended by the Spirit of God caused Goliath to disdain him: “He was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance” (1 Sam. 17:42).
Withal of a beautiful countenance. The beautiful features of the Lord Jesus could not be seen by the leaders of Israel, but there were those who were attracted by His beauty. Wherever we see the Son of God, it is to behold the moral beauty that can only be seen by those in whose hearts God has wrought by His Spirit.
Goodly to look to. How goodly to look to was Jesus! We too are privileged to behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face and to “see Jesus” crowned with glory and honor.
Called to serve Saul (1 Sam. 11:18). When the Lord departed from Saul and sent him an evil spirit, one of Saul’s young men gives a very remarkable testimony to David, and it was evident from his accurate description of David that the future king of Israel had early manifested the traits becoming to the office for which God was preparing him.
A son of Jesse the Bethlehemite. Although Jacob, when dying, had indicated that Judah was the royal tribe, it was not until David was anointed that the royal family came into evidence. None could have foreseen that David, the youngest in a family of eight sons — and that a family comparatively obscure — would be the one to sit upon Jehovah’s throne. And who would have thought that the lowly Babe, born in Bethlehem’s stable, was God’s King?
Who is skilled in playing. The skill that had been acquired in the obscurity of Bethlehem was now to be displayed in the presence of King Saul; later, as king himself, David instituted the service of song in the house of Jehovah. “The sons of Asaph under the direction of Asaph ... prophesied at the direction of the king” (1 Chron. 25:2,6). The service of praise David’s Greater Son to God today is not with instruments of music as in David’s day, but there is the praise in which God delights, and the One who leads the praise is Him who says, “In the midst of the assembly will I sing praise unto Thee” (Heb. 2:12).
And he is a valiant man. When David proposed to fight Goliath, he had to persuade Saul that he was able for the task, but others knew that David was brave and fearless, and they could bear witness before Saul as to him. And what shall we say about the Son of God? Coming into a world of sin to meet all the deadly opposition of Satan and of his instruments, He met all with the meek and quiet confidence of dependence upon God.
And a man of war. So far as we know, David had never been called upon to show himself a man of war, but the young man who spoke of David to Saul evidently had discernment in so describing David. The Lord too is “a man of war.” Before He introduces the blessings of His kingdom, it is necessary that the true David, the warrior King, should remove every opposing force, so that no evil will be able to raise its head during His reign in righteousness.
And skilled in speech. The psalms of David attest to the excellence of his words, but when we listen to Jesus, how surpassing wonderful are His words! At Nazareth they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded out of His mouth. The men sent to take Him are compelled to return without Him, saying, “Never man spake like this man.”
And of good presence. There was a charm about David that had caused this young man to speak of him in this way, and what was true of David naturally was true of Jesus spiritually: There was a charm about Him personally and about His words that drew others to Him.
And Jehovah is with him. This was David’s greatest asset. All his natural ability and charm would have availed him little without the presence of Jehovah. Of the blessed Lord Jesus we read in Acts 10 that He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil “because God was with Him.”
In the saints of Old Testament times, every ray of moral beauty, no matter how dim its shining, is delightful if it brings Christ before us, for every feature of Christ in the saints brings pleasure to God.
David As the Sent One
of His Father
Although David had been made Saul’s armor-bearer, his services were evidently not valued by Saul, for we read, “David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.” But here is no indication of David’s resenting being absent from the armies of Israel, and at the bidding of his father he is content to be his messenger to take food to his brethren and a present to their captain and to bring back tidings of the welfare of his brethren. We see in this something of the obedience that marked the Son of God when here on earth. Although so great and glorious, He was content to say, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Diligence, eagerness and faithfulness marked David regarding all that had been put into his hands, whether the sheep or his father’s substance, reminding us of Him who said, “This is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:39).
While carrying out his father’s commandment and speaking to his brethren, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, came forth and issued the challenge that dismayed Saul and all Israel. But David viewed this situation as the Lord Jesus viewed every situation — in relation to God. Bringing God in made David bold, but it made Eliab angry, for David’s confidence in God exposed the lack of confidence in God in all who feared the giant; this was the real cause of Eliab’s opposition. Nature’s strength had been exposed in its weakness, not only by the challenge of Goliath, but by the confidence that David had in God.
While on earth, the Lord Jesus had to meet the same spirit of opposition, but when He was reviled, he reviled not again. How often was he misjudged and falsely accused! At the close of His life, the deadly opposition of the leaders of Israel reached its height, and when they falsely accused Him before Pilate, even the Gentile governor could discern that it was “for envy they had delivered Him” up to be condemned (Matt. 27:18).
The first words of David to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him,” expressed his simple yet profound confidence in God. Israel’s God would not only meet the challenge of the enemy, but would give him the strength to fight with him. In David’s attitude we see the reflection of the Lord Jesus as He approached the hour when He would meet the “strong man,” in mortal combat. But His confidence is in God His Father, and coming forth from the garden He said, “The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11).
David the Overcomer
David went forth to the conflict assured that Goliath would meet the same end as the lion and the bear, because he had “defied the armies of the living God.” He does not speak of Goliath as a giant, but as an “uncircumcised Philistine,” one who had no link with God, but on the contrary was an enemy of God and His people. Moreover, he views Israel in their true dignity, as a nation which God had set apart to act for Him with divinely given power. Likewise, every moment in His sojourn on earth the Lord Jesus was conscious of the dignity that was His, not only because of who He was, but also because He had been sent by His Father to do His will.
David refused Saul’s armor, just as Paul also refused the weapons of the world, saying, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4). God has armor for His saints, described in detail in Ephesians 6:11-19. David’s weapons had been used in secret with God, and in the solitudes he had learned to rely on God and that He could use to accomplish His will what would be viewed as foolish by the warriors of this world. David, therefore, went forth, unarmed, so far as man could see, relying on God with his staff, his sling, and five smooth stones. His strength and protection were “in the name of the Lord of hosts.”
When cursed and threatened by Goliath, David manifested his unbounded confidence in God in replying that his triumph over the giant would enable all the earth to know “that there is a God in Israel” (1 Sam. 17:46). In the case of David, there was only the threat of death, but the Lord Jesus had to enter into death to overcome the enemy. After men had done their worst, He met the full force of divine wrath, being made sin and bearing our sins. It was in this way that the Son of God overcame the enemy.
It was through weakness that David conquered — a notable victory that signified the most wonderful triumph of the universe — Christ’s triumph over Satan’s power. Very soon, in the day of His glory, the Lord Jesus will reign over the earth, all the kingdoms of the world being subject to Him. At the end He will entirely remove death by casting it into the lake of fire, and the eternal state, where righteousness shall dwell, will be the witness of God’s triumph in Christ for the ages of ages.
W. C. Reid, adapted
David Serving His Generation
“David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep” (Acts 13:36).
David served his generation when the Lord took him “from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over [His] people, over Israel” (2 Sam. 7:8) and made his name great in the earth. It was the time of David’s “trouble,” but it was also the time of his real greatness and of his most important service to his generation. David then magnified the Lord, and the Lord magnified David in the sight of all Israel. Walking before the Lord, David could afford to appear vile in the eyes of Michal and of all who despised him. These two things — exaltation and humiliation — are morally opposite. Here truly is found the need of “hind’s feet” (Psa. 18:33) to tread on our high places.
The Desire to Build
the Lord’s House
David continued serving his generation “when the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies” (2 Sam. 7:1). At that time, “when the king sat in his house,” the thought came into his heart that it was not suitable for the ark of the Lord to dwell in curtains, while he was dwelling in a house of cedar. David knew well the value of the presence of the Lord, and he sought to secure it in a way which seemed right in his own eyes. This commended itself also to the judgment of Nathan the prophet. But “who hath known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” (1 Cor. 2:16). Both the man after God’s own heart and the inspired prophet are alike destitute of true counsel when not walking by faith under the immediate guidance of the Spirit of truth. The thought of David was a pious thought; it was the expression of desire for rest, without conflict, in the immediate presence of God. “Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for My name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: notwithstanding thou shalt not build the house” (2 Chron. 6:8). Zeal without knowledge and piety apart from actual dependence on God are alike dangerous to the work of God. God in His grace is pleased to provide “some better thing for us.” It was out of character for David to build the house which his son built. Many a soul is drawn to David while few are interested in Solomon. David “in his troubles” finds true sympathy in our hearts more than “Solomon in all his glory.” We easily see what David would have lost if he had acted for another generation, instead of serving God in his own.
A Message From the Lord
Nathan is sent to David with the message of the Lord. The first great truth announced is that the will of the saint is not to take the lead in the things of God; if permitted, the result would be “will worship,” one of the most fearful evils in the church of God. Our part is to prove what is “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2). So long as God is pleased to “walk in a tent, and in a tabernacle,” it is not for anyone to build Him a house. Solomon, according to the promise of God to David his father, did build a house for the Lord; the house was filled with the glory of the Lord and called by His name.
The next thing announced by Nathan was the determinate counsel of the Lord, in His own time and way, to give settled rest to His people Israel in a way far beyond their heart’s desire.
The Lord’s Plan
The Lord can do without us, but we cannot do without Him. If He is pleased to use us, sufficient is the honor of being the servants of such a master, but we only really serve Him as we do the work of our own generation. The moment we cease to serve by faith, we regard the sphere of service as our own, forgetting that the husbandry and building with which we are occupied is not ours, but His whom we serve. All the thought of David’s estimation becomes small in comparison with the promise of the Lord of making him a house. David’s work of making a house for the Lord is now superseded by the happier thought of God’s making him a house. We are happier and more effective by serving our generation, and it is done by giving the Lord His due preeminence. When David was occupied with the Lord’s plan, he says, “This was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O Lord God, but Thou hast spoken also of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?” (2 Sam. 7:19). The manner of man is to rejoice in the work of his hands, seeking to achieve something great to make himself — a name. But what God does is forever. David served his generation and fell asleep, but the promise of God to David, when he was stopped in his desire to build a house for the Lord, became the sustainment of faith throughout Israel’s dreary history.
No Disappointments
But how different the last words of David! The lesson he teaches is not only happier but deeper: “Although my house be not so with God, yet hath He made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow” (2 Sam. 23:5). These are important last words, and such will always be the train of thought of those who serve their generation. There will be no rejoicing in any result of their own service, for the only satisfying result will be that which the Lord Himself has done. Our expectations may not be realized, but this does not cause disappointment for those whose expectation is from the Lord. If a present palpable result is the object we propose to ourselves, we shall certainly be disappointed. But if we seek the honor of Christ and there is no present result answering the desire of our heart, while we are deeply humbled under the sense of our own imperfection, we may take comfort from the language of the only perfect Servant: “I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nought and in vain; yet surely My judgment is with the Lord, and My work with My God” (Psa. 49:4).
The Christian will best serve his own generation by maintaining his own proper ground and asserting the blessedness of the knowledge of Christ at the very moment when man is magnifying himself. It is well, indeed, to be able truthfully to say of Christ, He is “all my salvation,” and even more blessed to add, He is “all my desire,” in the face of all appearances that He is not making our desires “to grow.”
The Present Testimony, adapted
A House of Cedar
The life of David may be divided into two periods, the first of which closes with the words, “It came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar” (2 Sam. 7:1-2). It is this first period of his life that we wish to consider, for the second consists chiefly in domestic sorrows and discipline.
This part of David’s life might be summed up in this way: “Suffering with Christ,” which necessarily precedes “reigning with Him,” and suffering with Christ in the world that rejected Him is the greatest honor to which a saint can aspire. It was faith then in David’s life, and it is faith now, for in all dispensations saints have suffered in spirit with Christ when faithful. If we follow closely enough in His footsteps, we will find the truth of His own words: “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
The Early Years
David is first fully brought into evidence in 1 Samuel 17. Before that it seems that he was known of a few as “cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him” (1 Sam. 16:18). This is a striking testimony on the part of one of Saul’s servants, when Saul and all the rest ignored him as only a youth at that time. This, however, is only a ray cast upon a life otherwise hidden but spent with God. His victories over the lion and the bear were not achieved by human strength or skill, nor does David attribute to himself the feat, for he takes care to add, “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:37). This speaks of deep acquaintance with God and His power, as well as of thorough confidence in Him, acquired away from the eyes of man and in the secret of Jehovah’s pavilion.
Apparently his family knew nothing of all this, nor did he occupy any honored place in the home circle. Like Joseph, he was disregarded by his brethren, as was our Lord Himself later on. Here, however, we would notice that both David and the Lord Jesus had subsequent joy in the conversion, respectively, of their brethren. As with Joseph when in Egypt and with David in the cave of Adullam, so also with our Lord, not indeed when He was accomplishing His miracles (for in these His brethren did not believe) but rather, if one may be permitted reverently to conjecture, when He went to the cross and rose again. Such is God’s way of glorifying Himself. Thus this early part of David’s life seems to correspond to the years that our Lord spent in His domestic circle previous to His manifestation to Israel. It was a life of secret communion with God, where God alone witnessed the exercises of faith, dependence and confidence — all so precious in His sight. It was the wisest and only proper preparation for public action and testimony.
The Encounter With Goliath
David’s encounter with Goliath may be looked at as corresponding to our Lord’s entrance on His ministry, as He says, “How can one enter into a strong man’s house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house” (Matt. 12:29). As long as Goliath could defy them, there could be no blessing for Israel, but their sense of powerlessness opened the way for God’s interposition, for He was the God of the armies of Israel. The power must be of God, but this power which was to subdue the enemy had been acquired in hidden fellowship with the living God — the God of David and the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But the victory of David over the Philistine giant was not a final triumph; it was rather stepping into the way of much suffering — suffering far more acute than that which might have been inflicted by the world outside, for it was to come from his own under the leadership of Saul. So was it with our Lord after He had bound the strong man; relentless hatred pursued both the servant and the Son. David found in Saul a worse enemy than Goliath, and the Lord, by His mighty deeds and convicting word, heaped upon Himself all the wrath of the Jews and their leaders. True, He had a little band to follow Him when He had not where to lay His head, as had David in the cave of Adullam. But for both, this was the occasion for a fresh start in the wilderness life; from this point both become wanderers. The favor into which David was taken by Saul after his victory over the Philistine (1 Sam. 18:2) lasted only a short time, as did the admiration of the multitude when they said of the Lord, “He hath done all things well” (Mark 7:32-37). Not long after, they sought to kill Him, as they eventually did when His hour was come.
Prayer and Renewed Strength
How did David meet Saul’s criminal attempts to take his life? By prayer. How did the Lord meet the deadly hostility of the Jews? By prayer. Many are the sweet psalms of the sweet singer of Israel, but none more heart-winning than those composed in the wilderness when he was hunted by his enemy like a partridge on the mountains. We need mark out only one — Psalm 63. Millions of tried souls have found their delight and refreshment in it. There we see David under a heavy trial. The land is dry and thirsty and without water; the men met with here and there are enemies, either openly or traitors. Where is the refuge? “Thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee” (Psa. 63:3). In the enjoyment of God’s goodness the wilderness is lost sight of. It is no longer dearth and privations; it is “marrow and fatness” (vs. 5), and thus strength is renewed.
So, again, was it with our blessed Lord during the day of His ministry. The land of Israel was for Him more barren than the wilderness of Judah, and His enemies more implacable than Saul. On several occasions Saul owned his wrong, but the Jews never admitted any wrong to our Lord. In their war against the Lord there was no truce, no relenting. And yet, when He comes to the end of His path of suffering, He speaks of His peace and of His joy, which He so graciously leaves as His legacy to us who are, through God’s calling, to follow Him. He knew well that without His peace and His joy, the tribulation that we were to pass through, if faithful, would be more than we could stand. He could remove the tribulation out of the way of His people, but if it were removed, there would be no suffering with Christ and, therefore, no reigning with Him. The sustaining power which filled His soul with this peace and joy came from His fellowship with His Father and God — He “continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Prayer, thanksgiving and praise were all blended together in His requests.
Preparation for the House
At this point David takes another road which will lead him to pre-eminence, to “the city of David,” destined to be someday the city of God and the joy of all the earth. It was God’s way for him that he should lay there the foundation of the future metropolis of the world and that he should have there a palace — “an house of cedar” — and a throne, thus preparing the way for Solomon to become, later on, the type and representative of Christ in the glory of the kingdom.
But with the Lord it was not to be so. When He goes to Jerusalem for the last time, it was not to have “an house of cedar” built for Him, nor a throne set up; it was to receive a cross on which He was nailed. Hence His solemn pronunciation — “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt. 23:38) — and desolate it has been since that day. This, however, is not to last forever. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power” (Psa. 110:3), and in this divinely wrought willingness they shall say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35). It is due to Him that He should have His deepest joy where He had His deepest sorrow — glory and honor where He had shame. And nothing can be lost of what is due to Him — nothing lost of what He intends to bestow upon others in the way of blessing. All is secured, perfectly secured by virtue of His redemption work.
The pathway of suffering for the Lord ended in the death of the cross. But out of death a new path opened up — what is called, in Psalm 16:11, “the path of life” — life in resurrection, which led Him straight to the right hand of the throne of God, where He sits until His enemies are made His footstool. While all that which concerns Israel and the world in connection with Israel is in abeyance, another work is being carried on — the calling of a heavenly people to heavenly blessing and glory.
P. Compain, Bible Treasury, adapted
The Last Words of David
We may contemplate the close of David’s life under two aspects — one historic and the other moral and typical.
The first is found in 1 Kings 2:9, where the last recorded word of the aged king is, “His hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.” “Blood” is the word on the lips of the dying warrior, “a man of war from his youth,” as Philistine enemies and Amalekite foes could testify. Memories of holy righteous victories mingled with those of sin, shame and sorrow crowd together, as we think of Elah’s valley and Ziklag’s sorrow, of righteous judgment on the messenger of Saul’s downfall, and of the sons of Rimmon, the Beerothite. Would that the picture could end here! But Uriah’s cruel death and Nathan’s “Thou art the man” cast their sad and somber shade over all, as we hear the judgment pronounced on the king’s enemies.
How refreshing, then, to turn to the other scene, where the Spirit of God introduces us to “the man after God’s own heart,” in quite a different atmosphere. As we listen to the holy breathings of the prophet in 2 Samuel 23, we find that every word carries us beyond the narrated facts, and the scene becomes a “gate of heaven” to our souls, as we view the Lord Jesus Himself. Our hearts are led to the manger at Bethlehem and the home at Nazareth, to the Son of a carpenter! Such was David, and such was Jesus — lowly in heart, a companion of the poor of the flock. “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20).
But now in spirit we are carried on to the opening chapter of the Acts, where the lowly Son of Jesse is presented as “the man raised up on high.” In lowliness He had humbled Himself and gone down into death; then, “He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Rom. 6:4). And His ascent was indeed glorious and exalted, for He was set “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:21). He is no longer the despised “Nazarene”; Peter announces, “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
Melodies From the Anointed
This once despised but now exalted One is likewise “the anointed of the God of Jacob” (2 Sam. 23:1), the Center and the sum of all God’s purposes for Israel and for the Gentiles — as indeed of the heavenly counsels also. David was speaking of the things “touching the king,” truly “inditing a good matter” (Psa. 45:1). David had been anointed with Samuel’s “horn of oil,” but he too, with Abraham, looked on to the day of glory and saw Him who is at once David’s “Son” and David’s “Lord” — to Him who is “the Prince of the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1:5).
The next note of the dying patriarch directs us to another glory connected with the One who was thus to manifest God’s ways in rule — the expression “the sweet psalmist of Israel.” David had sung sweet melodies, but never such music as that which sounded through the lips of Jesus, as He “piped” in the midst of Israel melodies of grace, compassion and love. Alas! Israel’s ears were dull, and “the voice of the charmer” was unheeded. Instead of the “garment of praise,” the sweet singer has to wrap Himself in the “robe of heaviness,” and, thus robed, He sits to weep that touching lament over the rebellious city, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, but ye would not” (Luke 13:34).
Soon that voice of compassion is hushed in death upon Calvary’s mount, but it was to awake in the morning of resurrection glory. Taking His place in the midst of His “brethren,” the voice is again heard, not now to win a rebellious nation, but “in the midst of the church” He sings praises to God. We who are the favored ones in that heavenly choir answer, as Miriam did Moses, giving back to Him all the glory of His “glorious triumph.” But this is a note altogether heavenly, and so the Spirit of God tells us that after this wondrous melody there is yet another to rise from “the great congregation” (Psa. 22:25). Israel shall praise Him in millennial days yet to come and shall proclaim His worth.
Communications
Concerning Christ
Again He is brought before us as the instrument of divine communications, for “the Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). So the Lord Jesus, while on earth, was ever the humble, dependent Man, led of the Spirit in every word, act and deed, so that all He did was by the direct power of the Holy Spirit. More than this, we are directed to the moral qualities essential in the One who was to reign over all and of whose kingdom there shall be no end. The qualities requisite in the one who is to rule for God’s glory and man’s benefit are righteousness, obedience and dependence — alone found in that blessed One, who came not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him. “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (2 Sam. 23:3).
David has to own, “My house be not so with God,” and so we have to turn to Him who is alone worthy, and beautiful indeed is the picture drawn. “He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain” (2 Sam. 23:4). Thus refuge, protection, refreshment and rest will be found in Him who “shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth” (Psa. 72:8). All now is praise and adoration as David entered into the blessedness of that reign, and as the vision filled his soul, he could devoutly and fervently say, “This is all my salvation, and all my desire” (2 Sam. 23:5).
The Day of Patience
Are we found in “the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:9), in company with the beloved Apostle John, content to let opposition, violence and oppression take their course, until the rightful King comes forth? “The thorns thrust away” (2 Sam. 23:6) tell of righteous indignation on those who resist the mighty Conqueror, in His day of vengeance. It is significant that the names, the valor and the victories of David’s associates in the day of his rejection find a connecting link with the holy breathings of our prophet. In a coming day the kingdom will be the theater for the display of recognition of those who, knowing the Beloved whom earth rejected, seek to walk in heavenly association with Him now during the time when the sons of Belial are in power. In view of all this, it becomes us to be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
H. N., adapted
The Well of Bethlehem
“David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” (2 Sam. 23:15). A longing expressed with an exclamation mark! Here we find David once more as a type of Christ, and three of his mighty men as types of devotedness in the believer.
In the account of David’s mighty men given in 2 Samuel, three men are particularly singled out at the beginning of the account — Adino the Eznite (called Jashobeam in 2 Chronicles 11), Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, and Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. They were evidently extremely valiant men in war, each one having achieved a single-handed victory against overwhelming odds. Each one fought against the Philistines, who were actually within the territory of the land of Israel, and thus they are a type of the enemy within the profession of Christianity, as opposed to those who cause trouble from without.
The First Place
But were these exploits, although impressive, enough in themselves to warrant the first place given to these men? Others of David’s mighty men, such as Abishai, were equally fearless in facing the enemy and in undertaking dangerous missions. In addition, these three names are not recorded elsewhere in connection with David’s wars and military campaigns, while the names of several other valiant men are mentioned a number of times. Two of the three are mentioned in 1 Chronicles 27, but only after David came to the throne and in connection with the courses of men that served David month by month. What then was the reason that they were given the first place?
I would suggest two possible reasons why David valued them so much. First of all, it seems that they were content to serve David quietly and in the background. They were not seeking public recognition or a place of prominence; they were happy as long as they were serving God’s rightful king. Second, they likely were the three men who were involved in getting the water for David from the well of Bethlehem. The Scripture does not say so specifically, but the fact that the incident concerning the well of Bethlehem is placed directly after their names would seem to suggest that they were the ones involved in this deed of both devotedness and courage.
Desire for Refreshment
Let us picture the scene. David, God’s rightful king, was compelled to be “in an hold,” in a place of safety from Saul. In addition, the Philistines were occupying his hometown — the place so dear to his heart. There was evidently a well there that had particularly good water — water that, no doubt, had often refreshed David in time past. Now, for all practical purposes, it was inaccessible to him. But he expresses a longing for it, and these three men were close enough to him to hear it.
So it is today, in this world. Our David, the Lord Jesus Christ, has been rejected as the rightful King and has been crucified. Although risen from the dead, as yet He does not have His rightful place, and those who are His enemies possess the world that His hands have made. But He desires refreshment, not as a matter of command or even as a request, but only as a matter of expressed desire. Will He get it?
An Answer to the Desire
Without telling David, it is recorded that these three mighty men “brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David” (2 Sam. 23:16). Notice that they had listened carefully to David’s desire; they brought the water specifically from the well in Bethlehem “which is by the gate.” It was not an easy task, and they did not do it stealthily or at night. Rather, “they brake through the host of the Philistines”; there was a cost involved and serious danger too.
These men were not only valiant in combat; they also were courageous when there was no command to do so. They risked their lives, not under military orders, but because of their love and devotedness to David. They valued David for who he was, not merely because he was their captain, and David’s appreciation of their act was demonstrated when, instead of drinking the water, he “poured it out unto the Lord” (2 Sam. 23:16). He would not take that which was brought to him and enjoy it until others could enjoy it too.
So again it should be with us. The Lord Jesus does not demand it, but He desires refreshment that can come only from His people in this world. There is a cost involved, but the praise and worship that is rendered under the difficult circumstances in this world have a special value to Christ. He values worship as well as service, and devotedness as well as courage. In a coming day, there will be unhindered praise, not only from all the redeemed, but from all creation. Here and now, there is a price to be paid for honoring the rightful King, but the refreshment given under such conditions cannot be duplicated, even in all eternity.
No doubt, after Saul was dead and all David’s enemies were subdued, he was able to enjoy the water of the well of Bethlehem whenever he wished. But the memory of those men who risked their lives to get it for him in the day of his rejection would remain with him. Could it be that it was for this reason, as well as for their bravery in warfare, that David accorded these men the first place? What a wonderful encouragement for us in this Old Testament picture!
W. J. Prost
Features of David and Solomon
It is well to remark here that David is a type of Christ in rejection and of Christ making war in power for the establishment of the millennium, and Solomon, of Christ reigning in millennial peace. David’s wars with the Philistines are subsequent to the taking of Jerusalem and to the entire subjugation of Israel to David. It is not David, neither is it Christ reigning over the earth, who takes Jerusalem. Christ will descend from heaven for the destruction of Antichrist, but He destroys the enemies of Israel by means of His own people, after having established His throne in Zion (compare Zech. 9-10). The Word points out these grand features on this subject.
Present Testimony
David’s Son and David’s Lord
David is a remarkable type of Christ: When he was hunted by Saul, he foreshadowed Christ in His rejection, and when on the throne he was a type of Christ as a man of war, putting down His enemies previous to His peaceful reign in the millennium, typified in Solomon. The Lord Jesus is often called the Son of David, and yet He is David’s Lord, about which fact He Himself asked the Jews (Luke 20:41-44). In like manner, He is called the root and the offspring of David (Rev. 22:16); being God as well as man He could be both. He also has the key of David (Rev. 3:7; compare Isa. 22:22-24). He has the disposal of all things for the church, for the future kingdom on earth, and for the nations generally.
Concise Bible Dictionary
The Word of God - the Sword
Both David and Jesus our Lord overcome the foe by the sword of the Word of God; this gives us a practical lesson even in our everyday life. The same sword abides for us, and faith nerves the arm to use it. “It is written,” said the Lord. “I come to thee in the name of the Lord,” said David. God had written His name on Israel’s banner, and that was David’s confidence. The sure Word of God gives us victory in every conflict. Faith rests upon it, and by faith we overcome the world and its prince.
R. Beacon
Jonathan and Mephibosheth
In Jonathan and Mephibosheth, we have a double revelation of Christ. In Jonathan it is the finished work of Christ; in Mephibosheth it is the kindness of God revealed in the person of David. Mephibosheth remained identified with David during the days of David’s rejection; Jonathan remained in his father’s house. How exact the balances of the sanctuary! We need to know both, to really leave the house of Saul and be identified with the present rejected Christ. May we be assured that the battle is over for us, redemption is accomplished, and let us hear and believe the Word of God. “I will surely show thee kindness for Christ’s sake!” “Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Certainty of salvation will not lead to indifference about Him who has thus saved us.
C. Stanley
David’s Greater Son
Hail to the Lord’s anointed!
Great David’s greater Son:
When to the time appointed
The rolling years shall run,
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
The heavens which now conceal Him
In counsels deep and wise —
In glory shall reveal Him
To our rejoicing eyes;
He who with hands uplifted
Went from the earth below,
Shall come again all gifted,
His blessing to bestow.
He shall come down like showers
Upon the new-mown grass,
And joy and hope, like flowers,
Spring up where He doth pass;
Before Him, on the mountains,
Shall Peace, the herald, go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing;
Outstretched His wide dominion
O’er river, sea and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion
Or dove’s light wing can soar.
J. Montgomery