L E S S O N 4 :
W H A T I S G O D ’ S R O L E I N
W A R A N D P O L I T I C S ?
G R E E T I N G
If you were to start your own political party, what would you call it?
Write the name of your new political party on your name tag.
How will God’s role be depicted in your museum? Will God be given a special exhibit? A little space in every exhibit? No space at all? Consider how God’s place in politics and history should be shown.
How might God’s role in war and politics look different in the Bible than in your museum?
R O U N D I N G
1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2
In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
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When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

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David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
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In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
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The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7
Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.
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On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”
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David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward.
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And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.
What went through your mind as you read this account? What impressions of Davi d did you get? Is there something here you question?
Capture those thoughts here.
G R A P P L I N G
GOING DEEPER
BEHIND THE SCENES
David had already been selected by God and anointed by Samuel as a young boy, and he was ready to assume the throne when Saul died.
So why did he need all the tribes of Israel to affirm his authority as king?
After Saul’s death, only one tribe (Judah) accepted David as king. The other tribes elevated Saul’s fourth son, Ish-bosheth, as king. Two men loyal to David murdered Ish-bosheth as he was sleeping and brought his head to David, expecting a reward. Instead, David had the men put to death for killing an innocent man (2 Samuel 4).

Now that Ish-bosheth was dead, the rogue tribes of Israel had no king to lead them and no hope of maintaining a separate kingdom. So they agreed to unite with Judah and honor David as their king.
The tribes of Israel gave three reasons for submitting to David’s kingship: David was an Israelite like them; David had a long history of leading the Israelites to military victory; David was chosen by God to lead his people.
David’s great and history-making rule over Israel began with this unification of the tribes.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Bible scholars have long puzzled over the meaning of mentioning “the blind and the lame” in this passage. It simply is not clear what the
Jebusites and King David meant by these references. Some believe the Jebusites were so confident in Jerusalem’s strength that they placed blind and disabled men up on their walls as a taunt to David’s army.
This viewpoint suggests that when David spoke of “those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies,” he was referring to those men who were defending the city wall.
It’s also possible that the Jebusites spoke symbolically, referring to their warriors as “lame and blind” to make the point that even warriors who could not see or walk would be successful in defending the city against David’s soldiers. Either way, the Jebusites unwisely failed to take the threat seriously.
How is God’s role visible in 2 Samuel’s description of David’s consolidation of power?
BEHIND THE SCENES
This occasion marked the third time David was anointed as king.
The first time was when he was an adolescent, when Samuel came to his father under God’s guidance and selected him among his brothers. This first anointing was kept secret and did little to change David’s everyday life, since Saul was the official king of Israel at that time. But it must have done something to David’s heart and his sense of courage. After all, David was a young man of faith, and he now knew he had been selected by God to lead his people.
The second anointing came when the tribe of Judah (David’s own tribe) made him their king at Hebron. This was after Saul’s death, when the other tribes were loyal to Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth. This anointing was an act of bold defiance by the tribe of Judah, and it led to war between their tribe and the others.
This third anointing also took place at Hebron. But this time it was neither contested nor secret. It was cause for a great celebration, as it symbolized the unification of the tribes into one kingdom. The people of Israel held a three-day feast, with more than 300,000 men from all 12 tribes participating.
In what ways does God’s power often remain hidden in political situations? Can you think of some specific examples?

What is the relationship between God’s presence and political or military success?
G R O W I N G
BEHIND THE SCENES
It’s interesting David had to conquer the city of Jerusalem and take it from the Jebusites, considering the people of Israel had already conquered the city after Joshua’s death and still possessed it during Saul’s reign. It’s not clear how or when they lost the city to the
Jebusites.
Some commentators believe the Jebusites were able to capture Jerusalem during a time of weakness after King Saul’s death, while David and the tribe of Judah were at war with Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and the remaining tribes, who were loyal to him.
With your small group, think of at least one current political event happening in our world. Talk about how God might be working in, through, and around that event.
As you talk with your group, write your group’s thoughts here.