When King David set out to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jeusalem, he had no way of knowing what would eventuate and what fallout there would be from such a move. 2 Samuel 6:1-23 tells us that the first attempt at moving the Ark ended in disaster when Uzzah stretched out his hand to stop the Ark from falling. As a result, David grew angry. Three months later, after David had done some careful research, the second attempt ended in criticism as his wife, Michal, gave him a very frosty reception when he came home. In the midst of all these events there are lessons to learn from Uzzah, Michal and David as well as a timely reminder that there were still even greater things in store for God’s people.

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?

With David ascending to the throne as King over the tribe of Judah, and Ish-bosheth (son of Saul) installed as King over the remaining eleven tribes, the scene was set for a showdown…but not the kind of showdown you might have been expecting! Led by the two opposing army generals, (perhaps in some attempt to prove their young men were better), a fight ensued between young men from both sides with the end result, needless death and bloodshed (who would have seen that coming?) But God’s Word is God’s Word and even a passage like 2 Samuel 2:12-32 has much to teach us!

After the death of Saul, 2 Samuel 1:1-11 tells us that David was crowned King of Judah. Judah and not yet all Israel. After years on the run from Saul and with the promise of God in his mind that he would one day become King of the whole nation, how David responded to this next step is informative. Was he going to be a King who would take control of the nation by force or was he going to be a King who relied upon God to establish him? And what of the rival king, Ish-bosheth, son of Saul? Again, how David responded would be crucial!

The book of 2 Samuel continues the story of 1 Samuel, where in chapter 31, King Saul met a grisly end by his own hand. 2 Samuel opens with the news of Saul’s death reaching King-elect David. It may be that the news-bearer presented the report on Saul’s death to David in the hope of some reward, but all it achieved was distress and grief to David and a swift execution for the news-bearer! Why such a response from David? And why such distress? And why such a poetic lament for Saul after all that Saul did for David? And what can we learn from David’s response to the news of Saul’s death?