a Tale of two kingdoms
2 samuel 2-5
“The earthly reign [of David] is a token in which we must contemplate the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation of his Church to the end of the world.” ~ John Calvin
Ephesians 1:9-10: …making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Main Idea: Despite opposition, we must patiently wait for the coming Kingdom of God by looking to King Jesus.
I. The Kingdom Inaugurated (2:1-11)
After David “inquires of the Lord (2:1), he and his company go up to Hebron where the men of Judah anoint him as king. Though Hebron is theologically important (notably in the life of Abraham; cf. Mt. 1:1) and God’s chosen king is visibly ruling for the first time, this coronation seems insignificant and anticlimactic (cf. Matt. 13:31-32).
As David’s kingdom is being established by God, a rival kingdom is being established with a puppet king (Ish-bosheth) by human ambition in sinful rejection to God’s anointed (cf. Lk. 19:14, John 1:11). Though David had waited decades to receive his rightful kingdom, he must wait another seven and a half years for it to be fully realized.
Psalm 2:1-3: Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
II. The Kingdom Opposed (2:12-4:12)
The opposition to the Kingdom of David mirrors the opposition to the Kingdom of God throughout history. There are four means of opposition highlighted in these chapters:
1. Opposed by Violence (2:12-32): Abner and Joab set up a “contest” to see who the true “Israel” was, only for the 12 combatants from each side to kill each other; this sparks a bitter, violent rivalry between Joab and Abner that results in death and bloodshed.
2. Opposed by Political Expediency (3:6-21): Though Abner knew that God had chosen David to be king over Israel (3:9-10), he only acknowledges this when the deck is stacked against him; there is no repentance in Abner, only self-serving political expediency to save his own life and maintain a sense of power and control.
Abner is not far from any one of us. We share an Abner-nature that harbors sin’s stupidity, perversity, and twistedness. Let Abner preach to you. Let him tell you that it is possible to know the truth but not embrace the truth, to quote the truth but not submit to the truth, to hold the truth and yet assault the truth.
~ Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity
3. Opposed by Revenge (3:22-39):Joab mistakenly assumes he knows better than his King, assuming David is (at best) naïve and (at worst) weak and vulnerable in his response to Abner’s “defection.” He tricks Abner and murders him out of vengeance and personal vendetta in the same way his brother was killed in battle.
4. Opposed by Injustice (4:1-12)
They come with blood on their hands but theology on their lips, expecting that the latter will magically bleach the former. Murder always seems more pleasant when wrapped in religious considerations... Their methodology is [to] use theology to cover sin and folly. For them theology is not truth that lures us to worship God but technique that enables us to justify ourselves.
~ Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity
III. The Kingdom Coming (5:1-5)
In the face of all this chaos, King David exhibits a few key postures that point us to the Kingdom of God and to King Jesus:
Patience & Humility: David refused to take the kingdom by unrighteousness or by his own hand; he trusted God and waited patiently to receive what was rightfully due to him by the Word of the Lord; David became strong as he waited on the Lord and his kingdom (cf. Ps. 27:14, 130:5)
Justice & Righteousness: Rather than delighting in the death of the wicked (cf. Ez. 33:11), David trusted that the Lord would repay evildoers (3:39; cf. Prov. 20:22, Rom. 12:17-19); he laments death, loves his enemies, and welcomes former rebels to his kingdom.
The people of Israel, now ready to acknowledge God’s anointed, recognize David (5:1-2) as their:
Head (cf. Col. 1:18)
Savior (Mt. 1:21, Acts 5:31)
Shepherd (Heb. 13:20, 1 Pet. 2:25, Rev. 7:17)
