Soon after David’s coronation as king and the conquest and establishment of Jerusalem as his capital, the old enemy, the Philistines, returned. David’s life up to this point had been one of continual conflict with this enemy and this return match would show what kind of king David would be. The text of 2 Samuel 5:17-25 tells us that David sought the Lord for His help and guidance and that God answered his requests, providing a decisive victory over the enemy. God’s people often find themselves in the heat of a battle, but our enemy is not ‘flesh and blood’. David’s experiences form a good basis for our response to the spiritual battle that we as God’s people know on a daily basis.

After David became King over all Israel and Judah, he needed to settle down into his own place and palace. Where else to go but the ancient city of Jebus the home of the Jebusites?  2 Samuel 6:6-16 tells how David came to the city and conquered it, defeating the enemy in the process. When Jesus came to Jerusalem, He also came to conquer, but His targets were sin and death. Unlike David, He did not do this by force but by sacrifice. And while David had a palace built for him within his new royal city, Jesus went in to heaven to prepare a place (John 14), in fact a new city (Revelation 21) for His people.

22 years is a long time. It’s a long time to wait. For 22 years, David was been waiting for King Saul and his descendants to be cleared from being in the way of his accession to the throne. Saul was dead by suicide. Abner was dead by murder. But Ish-bosheth, son of Saul remained as King over the 11 tribes of Israel. Would God’s promises to David in 1 Samuel 16 ever reach their fulfilment? And if so, how would David become King? And, given the bloodthirsty nature of some of his followers, how could he establish a kingdom that was not won by force or coercion? And if David points us to Jesus, in what ways is this seen in his rise to the throne as recorded in 2 Samuel 4:1-5:5?