OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY
LECTURE 24
2 SAMUEL, 1 & 2 KINGS, 1 & 2 CHRONICLES
PART 1
The genealogies (1 Chronicles 1 – 9)
(1) Adam to Abraham
Abraham to Jacob
(2) Judah
(3) David
(4) Judah & Simeon
(5) Reuben, Gad, Eastern Manasseh
(6) Levi & Aaron
(7) Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Western Manasseh, Ephraim, Asher
(8) Benjamin (again)
(9) The returning exiles
10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;14 And inquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.2 And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.3 Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.
2 Sam 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he
reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
It was a fairly easy transition here, of what could have been a very difficult one (kind of like Liberals vs. Conservatives).
Jesus began His public ministry at age 30. Is this the ‘earliest’ that a man should be in a position of spiritual leadership?
4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.
5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. 6 And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 7 And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 8 And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 So David waxed greater and greater: for the Lord of hosts was with him.
Jerusalem = Jebus (where the Jebusites lived) = Mt.Zion = Zion = The Castle of Zion = The City of David
13:1 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul.4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
2 Sam 6:1 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.11 And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perez-uzza to this day.12 And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?13 So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.14 And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.
One of the first things that David did after conquering Jerusalem was to attempt to bring back the ark of the covenant (aka ‘the ark of our God’). There was nothing more special in all of Israel than ‘the ark’.
Why did God so intensely judge Uzza here? Uzza was simply trying to protect the ark from falling… God had specifically given instruction on how to carry the ark; it was suppose to be carried on shoulders of the priests with staves…not in a cart driven by oxen; and no man was to touch the ark. David, here, should have gotten the priests and taken it home properly.
Was the ark a kind of ‘good luck charm’? Hardly! But, it did bring great blessing to whomever had it and was right with God.
A number of dictators, including Adolph Hitler and Mussolini, felt that possessing the Ark would give them power over their enemies and aggressively sought for it. Yet it should be emphasized that the Ark itself has no power except as God's presence is dwelling there.
Where is the ark today? “When the Roman General Pompey conquered Jerusalem around 63 B.C., he demanded the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies. When he did, he came out saying that he could not understand what all the interest was about the sanctuary, when it was only an empty room.
Some of the traditions place the Ark outside of Israel, such as at Mt. Nebo, Egypt and even far-off Ethiopia.
A view that has predominated in rabbinic circles is that the Ark was hidden in a cave beneath the TempleMount in the very heart of Israel. The theory goes that the priests hid the Ark beneath the TempleMount, perhaps as early as during the time of King Josiah, since the coming prophesied invasion by the Babylonians was only a matter of time. By hiding the Ark and other Temple treasures, the priests felt that the priceless sacred articles could be protected from desecration by the pagan invaders. Most Rabbinical scholars point to the location right below the Holy of holies.”
[Ron Wyatt, a somewhat famous Christian Archeologist, stated he found the ark (and many other ‘holy place’ items) in a grotto near ‘Golgatha’ in 1982 (these claims are under great scrutiny).]
“The Scriptures are not clear as to whether the Ark of the Covenant still exists on the earth, but they are clear that the Temple will be rebuilt and standing during the Tribulation. There is no question that if the Ark were found, it would give enormous impetus to the rebuilding of the Temple to house it. Bible-believing Christians should keep a sharp eye out for any developments surrounding the TempleMount, realizing that it is a key element leading to the Tribulation era.” (Zola Levitt)
14:1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him an house.2 And David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.3 And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters.
It is wonderful to have God confirm that you are directly in His will (i.e. as a teacher, a pastor, a certain ministry, city, church, etc.). God confirmed it here by allowing it/him to prosper greatly. But, would you respond to this by taking on more wives or husbands?!...
15:3 And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place, which he had prepared for it.
15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord.
25 So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obed-edom with joy.26 And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.
2 Sam 6:14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.
2 Sam 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! 21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord. 22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
For David, bringing the ark back to be with him and God’s people was all he could think about. He was so excited. It might be a little bit like us finally having a KJV Bible with us (of course, this is a bit different). Just think about finally getting that new church’s building you’ve been hoping for for so long… How about if you were without a Pastor for a year and a good one finally comes… How about if your church has only 10 people in it and then all of a sudden family after new family starts becoming members… How about if you have not seen many souls saved for years and then all of a sudden you are having people saved every week! There are things to get really, really excited about with church.
Is it ok for Christians to dance?
Well, here David demonstrated that excitement by ‘dancing before the Lord with all his might’. The Israelites shouted and played their music real loud. David even played his harp. My assumption is that David was not dancing so much to the beat of the conservative Jewish music, but was jumping around for joy. He wasn’t doing the latest disco moves or hip-hop routines! The Hebrew word for dance used here is "Raqad”. It means "to stamp, i.e. to spring about (wildly or for joy):--dance, jump, leap, skip."
Why did Michal despise David for all of this? She was Saul’s daughter and was not right with God here, for she was judged by God with barrenness. She did not get excited about the ark returning…she was not even out with the rest of the kingdom rejoicing. She tried to find some fault with her husband. He was not ‘naked’, but had thrown off his ‘coat’ or ‘robe’ and had on linen undergarments which assuredly covered most, if not all, his flesh, and were loose fitting. This was (is) ok to do if it is ‘before the Lord’…i.e. it happened while I was praising the Lord…it wasn’t for some lude, sensual purpose. Thus, God overlooks (and we should to) someone’s apparent inappropriateness when they are trying to praise God. It may have just been that he was not acting very ‘kingly’ here, which bothered proud Michal. Some wicked so-called ‘Christians’ might take this passage to promote wearing skimpy bathing suits and going to dance clubs (or both together)!
17:1 Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remaineth under curtains.2 Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.
23 Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.24 Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.
2 Sam 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God.
Is your home nicer than ‘the house of God’? Should the church’s building be nicer than the average church member’s home? Is it ok to have a real fancy church’s building? Would to God that a Pastor could do all that was in his heart for the Lord in regards to a church building!...and have God giving the ‘green light’ and have all the church members fully behind him! A church building (somewhat like the ‘house of the Lord’ in the O.T.) can be used to magnify the name of the Lord. Israel is the most special nation to the Lord; what nation is like her? Forever, she will be in this most blessed position with the Lord! So, don’t get too excited about America and think that she has surpassed Israel in ‘specialness’ with God.
2 Sam 24:1 And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.3 And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.14 So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
Did David actually sin here? Didn’t the Lord move David (through Satan) to number them? Well, my explanation is that God had Satan tempt David and David succumbed to the temptation, and sinned. David (Israel) was suppose to trust in God’s power, not in the power of numbers of soldiers. What should one do when they (Joab) are given an ‘unlawful order’ (i.e. told to do something that they believe is very unwise and might even be sinful? How many soldiers does Israel have now?