David's Patience
2 Samuel Chapter 5
If we remember, we first met David when we studied the First Book of Samuel.
We should all remember when David defeated that Philistine named Goliath who was a giant of a man but he was weak man because he defied Jehovah and the people of God.
If we know one thing for sure, it is the fact that after we met the Lord Jesus Christ and began a personal relationship with Him, our lives began to have real meaning.
We know that one of the traits of David was his patience, waiting on God and we need to have that same patience.
As we studied in the Book of Mark, the Bible is a book about our Savior, but is also the Book of Promises and God will always keep His promises.
Knowing this, then we need to have patience when waiting on the truth of God to manifest itself in our lives.
Godly patience can be described as, that calm and unruffled temper with which a godly man bears the evils in this life.
God is also the God of patience and the Word of God contains the promises of God that will comfort us in those days when our patience is lacking.
Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
To the world David was nothing but a lowly shepherd up until the time when he killed Goliath.
He was only about seventeen, too young to be in the army of Israel when this took place and David accomplished this thing because of his faith in Jehovah God.
David was no match for Goliath in his own power.
We do not have the power to stand against the giants that come before us today unless we have the power of God living within us!
At the end of the Book of First Samuel, King Saul and three of his sons had died at the hand of the Philistines and David was made King of Judah and Abner the general to King Saul had convinced the remainder of Israel to choose Ishbosheth the only remaining son of Saul to be King.
We know that this went against the Word of God because Jehovah had chosen David to be King of all of Israel.
The name Ishbosheth has the meaning of "a man of shame" and he was the youngest of King Saul's sons.
Ishbosheth was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, but it was Abner who handled all the affairs of the state and all negotiations with King David of Judah.
Abner was brother to the father of King Saul, who was Kish.
They went to war on several occasions as Abner sought revenge upon David, when it was the Philistines who had taken the life of Saul and his family.
We know that David had no part in that war but had gone back home, which was another one of our lessons.
He considered David a traitor to King Saul.
When Abner died, Ishbosheth had no support for his Kingship and because he was such a feeble man, some of the men of Israel murdered him in his sleep.
Abner's death came when he tried to turn on Ishbosheth and tried to be friends with King David but he was killed by Joab and Abishai in revenge for Abner killing Asahel who was King David's nephew the son of David's sister Zeruiah.
Our lesson begins today as King David of Judah becomes King of all the tribes Israel.
We should understand that David has been the most famous of the kings of Israel throughout their history.
Israel still flies the flag that is called the "Star of David".
A new weapon they have used in the war with Hamas is called the "sling of David".
Israel is still waiting on the King in the line of David to sit upon the throne of Israel just as Christians are also waiting on the return of the Messiah who will return as King of kings and Lord of lords after He has removed the Church.
*****2Sa 5:1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2Sa 5:2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
2Sa 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.
2Sa 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
2Sa 5:5 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.
After seven and a half years of war and skirmishes King David was finally able to unify the nation of Israel.
It had been twenty years since a teenager named David, whose father was Jesse, had been anointed by Samuel, to be God's choice as King of all Israel.
This is a lesson on patience because David had to wait on Jehovah to do these things that he could not do himself.
This is a great lesson for us all!
David had faith.
David certainly had courage as we saw as he faced Goliath.
David was a warrior, which showed his ability to lead.
David was God's chosen man to lead Israel.
But David was not a complete man of God without patience!
We should not look past the fact that before these things David was a shepherd, which showed that he was a responsible man.
1) These tribes of Israel found out that their strength as a nation came from their unity.
This is the truth of our own nation but we have allowed foolish sin and corruption and immorality, to divide our nation and the world now sees us as a weak nation.
Just like David and just like Israel, our true strength comes from God and we had better get back to obedience and patience.
We see it was these tribes of Israel that approached King David stating that they were all one family, the descendants of Abraham and Sarah.
2) They knew that King David was a proven military leader. He had been the leading military strategist in King Saul's army. He had led his own small army to victory on every occasion because he had the help of God.
3) They acknowledged that David was God's choice to be ruler and judge of all of Israel.
They looked more on his military experience, but God looked more upon him as a shepherd to lead His people who acted more like sheep, just as we do here in America today.
Even much of the Church would rather be sheep than the saints of God!
David was to be first a shepherd, and then, a prince over the people of God.
If we are paying attention, we can easily see King David as a type of Christ.
The Lord Jesus may see us as sheep but He sees us as the sheep of His pasture and not the goats of this world!
The one thing we had better understand as a nation is, that we will suffer and fail if we fight against the Divine purposes of the Lord, as would David if he went against the Lord.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
We must be in harmony with God's purpose as an individual, as the Church, and as a nation!
Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
This is the only way we can conquer our enemies and it is by the power of the Lord Jesus and this through the power of the Gospel.
Our nation has become corrupt, wicked, and divided and these things will ruin any nation and cause their downfall.
The people of Israel were not created for the king but King David was created for the people.
The Lord Jesus Christ was not created at all, He just is, but He came for the people.
All religions are just the opposite, the people are created for all false religions, because they are all man-made religions.
The Church is a creation of God and the Messiah is sent for the people of God!
We know that shepherds, lead, provide, and protect their sheep, and this is the same way that Jesus Christ leads the people of God.
What does a good shepherd do?
1) He guides the sheep to his pasture and away from dangerous places.
2) He seeks and saves all those who are lost.
3) He protects the sheep, willing to sacrifice his own life for the sheep to be saved.
4) He restores those sheep that go astray and returns them to the sheepfold.
The Lord Jesus Christ is proven the Ruler over God's people.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign over all of Israel.
The Lord Jesus Christ was thirty years old when He began His ministry.
We must never forget that our Savior is also the Sovereign Lord and Majesty of the universe, all His creation!
It was King David that made Jerusalem the capitol city of all of Israel.
Psa_122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
We had better pay close attention to what this verse says today as the world and much of America are turning their backs on Israel.
Some of the so-called churches are saying things they do not understand if they go against the Word of God.
Gen_12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Gal 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
David became a mighty king and part of the reason was because he moved his capitol city from Hebron to Jerusalem and in his heart he loved Jehovah.
By choosing Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, Jerusalem became the city of peace between all the tribes of Israel.
Jerusalem will again one day be the City of Peace and not the city of turmoil that it is today!
Solomon, the son of David chose Jerusalem to be the place for the Temple that was to be a House of Prayer for all of Israel.
He did this because his father David insisted that the city of Jerusalem would be the place to house the House of God, the House of Prayer.
Jerusalem also became known as the city of David.
*****2Sa 5:10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
2Sa 5:11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.
2Sa 5:12 And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.
David was not a perfect man and he made many mistakes in his life, but he never forgot where his strength came from.
It can be the same for every Christian if we never forget that our strength comes only from the Lord Jesus Christ!
David called Him Jehovah, we call Him the Lord Jesus, they are one and the same.
Once we give our life to the Lord we will grow and mature in Him!
The phrase the “Son of David” is mentioned twenty-six times in the Bible.
Sometimes it was spoken of Solomon the son of King David, but many times it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Son of David is proclaimed from Heaven as King of those who love Him and He will rule by treating everyone according to justice and reason.
Psa 98:9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
We are to grow more and more, to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.
1) Living righteous and holy lives.
2) Showing love and compassion to all people.
3) Forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
4) Helping others when they have a need.
5) Walking humbly before all others, acknowledging them, and building them up.
6) Most of all being obedient to all the Word of God, rightly divided.
We do this by growing in Christ!
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
As David grew in the LORD, the Philistines became aware that if they had any chance to defeat David, then they had better get started before he became too powerful.
This is the same thought the false priests and elders in the time of Jesus.
They decided they had better get rid of Him before He had too many followers to overcome them.
The world has the same thought today as the hatred for the true Church continues to grow because we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ!
If were possible, though it is not, for the world to get rid of the Jews, the world would immediately turn to attempt to get rid of the Church and they will continue until they find this out. God loves His people!
*****2Sa 5:17 But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
2Sa 5:18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
2Sa 5:19 And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
The Philistines, the Palestinians of today, had not bothered David up until this time, because Judah and Israel were fighting with each other almost constantly, but as soon as David was made king over all the tribes of Israel, they decided to attack him before he could get his armies organized.
They feared David's growing power!
David was not only a man after God's own heart, but also a shrewd politician and a mighty general and we will see for many years David would always consult with God before he jeopardized the lives of the armies of Israel.
Only Israel does this today!
George Washington did this same thing and some few others, but I dare say it is only the mothers and fathers and the Church who pray for our militaries today.
The Philistines invaded Israel to try to stop Israel from growing into a dominant nation and they had gathered their entire military forces to do this.
It was the wrong time for these wicked people to attack God's people!
The Philistines marched their armies within a mile of Jerusalem.
Rephaim, at one time meaning the valley of the giants was the same place that Og the king of Bashan belonged.
There were a few remaining of these giants in the days of David.
The Philistines had an old quarrel with David and they came to make all of Israel their slaves, at least this way their intent.
Jos 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
It was a place of very fertile land:
Isa 17:5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
We see that David enquired of the Lord something we should all do before we make major decisions and probably before every decision we make.
This is an example for us all and especially for every national leader!
I am sure the leaders of Israel have done the same thing many times today before they went after Hamas.
We can also see they did not rush into this war; they made the proper preparations.
It amazes me that the world sees the so-called Palestinians as innocent victims when few of them are.
They have to go to a place where they can learn the truth and see the truth and come to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way to ever change.
I saw one in the news reports the other day and i was impressed with him as he reminded me of Mary Magdalene amazed that God could forgive him of the things he had done. A sinner just as we all are.
Most of the Palestinians no matter where they are located remain partners with Hamas, a terrorist’s group who may be more wicked and evil than all the rest in the likes of ISIS!
This week I saw where they had roasted a baby in an oven in that raid into Israel and maybe more than one and beheaded several.
The abortionists cannot say much about this because they are just as guilty of atrocities like this.
The Lord told David to go up against the Philistines and He would give David victory over those wicked people.
*****2Sa 5:20 And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim.
2Sa 5:21 And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
2Sa 5:22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
2Sa 5:23 And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
2Sa 5:24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
2Sa 5:25 And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.
Baalperazim would be known as the place where, not David, but "the Lord led Israel to a great victory" over these Philistines.
Many times in the Old Testament we have seen where the Lord just took over the battles that came against Israel.
The world had better be really careful today because the Lord could take over the battle, the war Israels faces with Hamas because much of the world has sided with terrorist. Far too much of the world has sided with them!
Israel is still God's people.
This world one day will wake up to the fact that there is a God and He is the God of Israel and the God of the Church.
In retreating from this first battle the Philistines left behind the idols that they worshipped as gods.
Some say that it was only after these idols were paraded through the streets of Jerusalem before these idols were burnt but either way, they were burnt till there was nothing left but ashes.
The Philistines later regrouped and came after Israel repeatedly again David prayed to the Lord.
This time the Lord gave David a strategy to pursue in defeating the Philistines.
One thing we should notice in these battles is the God is never on the side of the Philistines.
God will never be on the side of the Palestinians!
The Palestinians had better figure out the God is never on their side unless they accept His Son Jesus.
God told David not to attack these Philistines head-on on but to flank them and to circle around behind and attack them in front of mulberry trees.
David would catch his enemy by surprise and this time they would not be able to retreat.
Many passivist would frown on this tactic today saying it was a war crime because Israel could slaughter the Philistines.
In verse twenty-four we see that phrase "hearest the sound of going".
This "going" would be "the sound" of a massive army all marching in step, when there was not one!
In other words, these Philistines would hear this sound like a massive army coming at them, and they would retreat and run right into Davids army waiting upon them and they would have nowhere to run and they would be slaughtered.
David and his army pursued the few stragglers that tried to get away for over twenty miles until they all had been slaughtered them all.
Israel had desired a king to lead them into battles and they had gotten Jehovah back.
King David proved to Israel that it was far better to allow the Lord to lead them in all their battles rather than any king.
A great lesson for us all today, especially as we see where this world is headed.
A world that is on the side of the enemies of God, when God cannot be defeated!
Even with all these things we read that happened, still the most important thing we read is, that it is prayer that is most important!
The greatest power we have today is prayer and we must not wait till troubles come before we ask God for help!
We need to be in daily contact with our Holy but All-Powerful God, who is always on our side!
God promises us He will deliver us no matter how terrifying our trials.
He promised to make us conquerors.
Rom_8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
And one of the most important prayers in the Bible for Israel and for the Church.
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
God has His rules and we just need to obey them all!
Amen
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