F.E. Marsh :: 108. David, King over Israel

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II. SAMUEL 5:1-12

David as king over Israel. There is a sevenfold characteristic of David as king.

1. He was an appointed king: “The Lord said to thee” (2Sa. 5:2). He did not seek the office, but he was sought for the position (1 Samuel 16:11-13). The same is true of Christ. He was God-sent in His work (John 3:17-18), God-qualified for the work (Luke 4:18), and God-honoured in the position He occupies (Psalm 2:7). The blessed man of Psalm 1 is the honoured man of Psalm 2.
2. David was a kinsman king. He was no foreigner imported for the place, but was one of the people. “We are thy bone and flesh” (2Sa. 5:1). He was one of their race, and not a stranger. This was according to the righteous rule of Deut. 17:15. Christ also is one of us. “He was one of us,” was on a banner at the centenary of Stevenson. So we say of Christ, “He was one of us.” He is our kinsman (Heb. 2:14).
3. David was a fitted king. “Thou leddest out,” &c. (2Sa. 5:2). He had proved himself worthy of the position. “All through his past life, since the conflict with Goliath, David had showed generalship, wisdom, skill, forbearance, courage, knowledge of men, and trust in God.” How much more so is Christ! He was fitted by His sufferings (Heb. 2:10), and His whole life further demonstrates His fitness to be the Ruler of men. Psalm 72 is a prophetic statement of His reign in the days to come.
4. David was a careful king. “Thou shalt feed,” &c. (2Sa. 5:2). Literally, “Thou shalt shepherd.” The metaphor expresses the care the ruler should have in reigning over his people. “The true king seeks not to obtain all he can from the people, but to do all he can for them; not to plunder the sheep, but to shepherd them.” Psalm 23 is the expression of the shepherdly care of Christ for His people.
5. David was an exemplary king. “Thou shalt be a captain” (2Sa. 5:2). Not only to lead Israel in time of war, but to be the leader in every good word and work. Christ is our Great Leader, and it is to Him we are to look (Heb. 12:2-3), of Him we are to learn (Matt. 11:29), and after Him we are to follow (Mark 8:34).
6. David was a victorious king. The Jebusites thought they were absolutely secure from the power of David, but they soon found out their mistake (2Sa. 5:6-9). Christ is the Great Victor over all foes (Luke 11:22; Heb. 2:14; Col. 2:15; Rom. 16:20).
7. David was the accepted king. Israel desired him to be their king, and anointed him as such. Christ is yet to be the acknowledged King on this earth (Isaiah 32:1).

The kingship of David may not only be taken in a typical sense, as applicable to Christ; but as an illustration of the believer’s conquering rule over himself (Proverbs 16:32), in the power of the Spirit (Phil. 2:13).