David Becomes King of All Israel
5 Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past,[a] when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’”
3 So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all. 5 He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
David Captures Jerusalem
6 David then led his men to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land who were living there. The Jebusites taunted David, saying, “You’ll never get in here! Even the blind and lame could keep you out!” For the Jebusites thought they were safe. 7 But David captured the fortress of Zion, which is now called the City of David.
8 On the day of the attack, David said to his troops, “I hate those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’ Jebusites.[b] Whoever attacks them should strike by going into the city through the water tunnel.[c]” That is the origin of the saying, “The blind and the lame may not enter the house.”[d]
9 So David made the fortress his home, and he called it the City of David. He extended the city, starting at the supporting terraces[e] and working inward. 10 And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.
11 Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar timber and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built David a palace. 12 And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
Footnotes:
5:2 Or For some time.
5:8a Or Those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’ Jebusites hate me.
5:8b Or with scaling hooks. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
5:8c The meaning of this saying is uncertain.
5:9 Hebrew the millo. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
And the legacy begins. From a shepherd boy to a warrior. From a warrior to the hunted. From the hunted to the anointed. The brave youngest son of Jesse is called to set down his sling and staff, in order to pick up the nation of Israel. Both the north and the south, all of Israel, is brought back together under one reign, by the provision of God, the Almighty Yahweh himself.
It is easy to see how at any point David could have questioned his call to one day lead God's people. It didn't take long for Saul's loyalty to change to jealousy. Everything became a battle, not just wars with enemies, but wars with the very one he was called to serve. It is at times like these we must all humble ourselves and continue in service, trusting God's plan is a good one and will unfold in due time.
And so David did. He ran when he needed to run. He fought when he needed to fight. He humbled himself at the feet of his enemy when he needed to speak truth in love. And when it was time, God's time, the way was cleared and David took the throne. There will be mistakes make along the way, but remember, this is a man that sincerely wanted to please the Lord God Almighty... and he did.
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