The Rise and Fall of King
David
1. Historical Setting
A. In 1 Samuel, the Hebrew monarchy was established.
B. In 2 Samuel, the Davidic dynasty is established in
Israel.



David rules over the “house of Judah” in Hebron for
7 ½ years (2 Sam 2-4)
David rules over “all Israel” from Jerusalem for 33
years
1011 BC – 971 BC (David’s death)
2. The Davidic Covenant

Davidic Covenant (God’s promise to raise up a ‘seed’
of David who will rule His people in righteousness)
A. The Lamentation of David (chap 1)


How ought the two accounts be reconciled?
The Amalekite is full of it!
B. Civil War in Israel (chaps 2-4)
 King in the North = Ishbosheth
 King in the South = David
The land of Israel is united under
one king (5:1-25)
 Capture of Jerusalem
 Didn’t we already capture this place??
 Judges 1?
 But Judges 19:10-12
 1 Sam 17
 David brings the head of Goliath to Jerusalem?
What is wrong here?
1.
The mode of transportation was wrong
2 Sam 6:3, “they put the
ark of God on a new cart”
driven by oxen (cf. 6:6)
2.
1 Sam 6:7, “So now go and make a new cart. Get
two cows that have calves that have never had a
yoke placed on them…6:8 Then take the ark of
the Lord and place it on the cart”
Uzzah was not a Levite, he was not allowed to touch the ark.
Numb 1:51, “Whenever the
tabernacle is to move, the
Levites must take it down, and
whenever the tabernacle is to be
reassembled, the Levites must
set it up. Any unauthorized
person who approaches it must
be killed.”
Numb 4:15, ““When Aaron and his sons have
finished covering the sanctuary and all the
furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is
ready to journey, then the Kohathites will come
to carry them; but they must not touch any holy
thing, or they will die. These are the
responsibilities of the Kohathites with the tent
of meeting.”
David Dances while Michal Denounces
 “Michal daughter of Saul” (6:16, 20, 23) and not “Michal
wife of David”
 Michal represents the desire for power and prestige
exemplified in Saul—she’s ashamed of David’s seemingly
self-degrading behavior (6:20)
 David rightfully humbles himself by taking the form of a
slave (loin cloth; 6:14) and publically celebrates the presence
of YHWH entering Jerusalem
 It’s all about
GOD, not about david!
A. Introduction
1) The Covenant mediates God’s kingship and
kingdom through David, the human mediator.
1) The Covenant is unconditional

notice the “I wills” (vv. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
1) The Covenant is related to the New Covenant
2) The Davidic covenant consists of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
God would raise up David’s seed who would build a
house (i.e. temple) (12-13)
God would establish David’s dynasty forever (13)
God would be Father to David (i.e. David would be
God’s son) (14)
God would discipline David’s son(s) when they sin (v. 14)
God’s lovingkindness would not depart from David’s
seed as it did from Saul (14-15).
3) Partial fulfillment in David and Solomon; ultimate
fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Solomon
Jesus
 Physical “seed” of
 Physical “seed” of David
David
 Built a “house/temple”
 Had a kingdom
 Reigned on the throne
 Built a “house/temple”
 Forever??
 God’s lovingkindness
remain forever with
Solomon??
??
 Matt 16:18
16:18, “you are
 EphMatt
2:19-22
Peter (i.e. ‘rock’) and
 Had/has/will
have
a
‘rock’
I household,
will
Eph
2:19-22,upon
“You this
are…God’s
church”
having
beenbuild
builtmy
upon
the foundation
kingdom
of the apostles and prophets, Christ
 Reigns
reign
onin
Jesus
Himselfand
beingwill
the corner
stone,
whom
whole building, being fit
thethe
throne
together is growing into a holy temple
 the
God’s
in
Lord”lovingkindness
will remain with Jesus
forever
C. Focus on David in the rest of the OT
(and NT!)
In the rest of the OT, there is a narrowing focus
on God’s promises to and through David
 Prophets
 New Testament
 A. David's crime against YHWH,
Bath-sheba, and Uriah (11:1-27)
 Magnitude of David’s sin!
 Covet
 Adultery
 Deceit
 Murder
 Who is Uriah?
 2 Sam 23:39 – one of David’s MIGHTY
MEN!
 Theological AND Moral Lessons from
David and Bathsheba
1. Even the best and most righteous are not
above the most heinous of sins
2. Even forgiven sin can result in a lifetime
of consequences
3. No sin or situation is beyond the reach of
God’s grace
4. God uses evil to accomplish his
purpose
 Example: David’s brutal torture of the city of
Rabah (12:26-31)
 vs. 31!
 Example: The David-Ziba-Mephibosheth Triangle
(9:1-13; 16:1-4; 19:25-31)
Moral of the Story: David has lost his political and
moral edge. He no longer is capable of making wise
and just decisions.
2. This decline is God’s “discipline” of David
for his sin
 2 Sam 12:10-12
 2 Sam 15:26; 16:10–11
 Chiastic Structure
 The theme of this section is that God’s grace
is greater than God’s wrath.
 The plague is stopped; an alter is build; Jesus
foreshadowed
At the place where Abraham once held a knife over his
son (Gen 22:1-19), David sees the angel of the Lord
with sword ready to plunge into Jerusalem. In both
cases death is averted by sacrifice. The temple is
established there as the place where Israel was
perpetually reminded that without the shedding of
blood there is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22). Death
for Isaac and for David’s Jerusalem was averted because
the sword of divine justice would ultimately find its
mark in the Son of God”