2 Samuel 19:9-169And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom. 10And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back? 11And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house. 12Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? 13And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. 14And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants. 15So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan. 16And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. (2 Samuel 19:9‑16)
King David was not deceived by the speech of the men of all the tribes of Israel. They represent the fickle multitude. At this time they were saying,
“Why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?” A little later we have them saying,
“We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye;” and a day or so after,
“We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.”
But it is different with Judah. The king said to Judah, that which ought to come home to our hearts: “Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh.”
We read of the Lord Jesus, “He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” It is said of us, “We are members of His body; of His flesh and of His bones.”
I think there is touching grace here on the part of King David. He was away from the throne by reason of rejection just as the Lord has been rejected and cast out of this world. The throne belonged to David. He could have marched in, and taken the throne by right, but he didn’t want to take it that way. Instead of marching in, and taking it as he had the right, he seeks to exercise the hearts of the men of Judah so that they send this word after the king: “Return thou, and all thy servants.”
The Lord Jesus can come, and take the throne of the world. It belongs to Him. God has said of all other schemes,
“I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it to Him.” “Behold a king shall reign in righteousness.”
The Lord Jesus will come, and take that throne, but in the meantime He wants to exercise our hearts, so we will send that word up into heaven where He is,
“Return Thou, and all Thy servants.”
It is blessed to see how successful David was in his effort to exercise the hearts of his people. We read in the 14th verse,
“So they sent this word unto the king, Return thou and all thy servants.” It was what he was waiting for; and so the king returned and came to Jordan. “And Judah, came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.”
How that corresponds to what we have before our hearts too, when the Lord Jesus comes to take the kingdom, the throne and reign in righteousness. We are going to meet Him first in that blessed place represented by Gilgal and Jordan here, and to return with Him when He comes.
One believes, beloved saints, the Lord has been seeking to exercise our hearts in bringing His coming before us again, that our desire might be towards Him; that our hearts’ affections might be centered upon Him; that we might be waiting, watching and longing for Him to come, so that when He says, “Behold, I come quickly,” the answer might be given to Him, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”