4. The Promise of an Everlasting King
Week 5 • Day 4
Israel was in search of a king who would humbly walk with the Lord; someone who would step down from his own throne and be faithful to the rule of God; someone who would allow YHWH to determine what was “good” and “bad” on their behalf. At the same time, the search continues for this long-awaited “serpent-crusher” who would use his delegated rule to resist the serpent and remain faithful to God no matter the cost. At the dawn of Israel’s monarchy, the imagery of the serpent-crusher and the king of Israel converges. But who on earth could this be?
But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you – 1 Samuel 13:14 (Samuel to King Saul)
Immediately after Saul’s disobedience, God sets in motion a plan to search for a “man after his own heart” to take the throne. Accordingly, Samuel is led by God to the house of Jesse - who is from the tribe of Judah - in order to look for the next king of Israel. Here is the surprising scene that ensues:
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” - 1 Samuel 16:6-12
After 7 sons pass by, the forgotten and “ruddy” shepherd-boy named David secretly becomes the anointed king of Israel! As opposed to Saul who was “asked for” by Israel, David was chosen by God Himself!
The story of David and King Saul is one that shows how God exalts the humble and brings down the proud.
Even though David was chosen as God’s next anointed one, he had a long road ahead of him before he publicly stepped into his role as the king of Israel. In a twist that only God Himself could orchestrate, David was recruited to serve in King Saul’s administration. David’s role was to sooth King Saul with his musical skills whenever there were tormenting spirits that would come upon the King. However, since God had planned to give the kingdom to David, Saul began to recognize David for his astonishing accomplishments and started to grow jealous of him. This included the militaristic defeat of a countless number of surrounding enemies, including one “serpent-like” giant covered in scaly bronze armor.
And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail (scale-armor NASB), and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. - 1 Samuel 17:5–7, 50-51
“Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” - 1 Samuel 18:7
Up to this point, David becomes one of the strongest candidates we have seen to become the long-awaited serpent-crusher from the tribe of Judah! Yet if David is in fact the great serpent-crusher, one might wonder why David is continually on the run from Saul’s jealous wrath for the remainder of Saul’s rule?
THE SERPENT BITES THE HEEL
The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. - 1 Samuel 18:10-16
Saul’s hunt for David would occur on numerous occasions and would always end up with David sparing Saul’s life because David so revered the anointed one of God. These chases even inspire some of David’s most influential Psalms.
Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood. See how they lie in wait for me! fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, Lord. I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight! You, Lord God Almighty, you who are the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. - Psalm 59:1-4
Eventually, David was persecuted so heavily that he was forced to flee to the land of his enemies: the Philistines. The suffering life of David as the anointed one is a stark reminder that yes, the promised offspring of the woman would indeed crush the head of the serpent, but it would come at great cost. The serpent-crusher would also have to suffer considering that in the act of crushing the serpent’s head, the serpent would also “bite the heel” of the great serpent crusher.
THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM?
It wasn’t until David heard of Saul’s death that he returned to Israel. Upon his return he settled the tensions between Saul and David’s family and then was officially and publicly recognized as the anointed king of Israel. As king, David continued to rule by going out and crushing Israel’s enemies! Then, he established Jerusalem as the new capital city in the promised place by bringing back the ark of the covenant (God’s unique dwelling place at the heart of Israel). David’s desire was to build God a house in which God would permanently establish His rule over His people in the heart of promised land which now belonged to Israel! In response, God reaffirms His kingdom promises through David’s offspring:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ - 2 Samuel 7:8-16
Do you see it? David wants to build God a house, but God promises to build a house through David and his offspring, a house that is an everlasting kingdom ruling at the center of God’s peaceful kingdom place over God’s kingdom people! 2 Samuel 7 is a beautiful picture of the gospel of the kingdom on full display! It’s HERE! Through this offspring, God would establish His throne FOREVER and there would be endless rest from all surrounding enemies!
But why did the Lord promise to establish the gospel of the kingdom through David’s offspring and not David himself? David was a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Judah and is a man after God’s own heart. Why is king David not the one we have been looking for?
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
I hope by now you can predict the pattern! Throughout the process of David settling into his kingly role and receiving all of these promises, we are given suspicious hints in the scriptures that he too would be prone to succumb to his own pride and bow the knee to the serpent.
And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died.
As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. - 2 Samuel 1:13–15; 4:9-12
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem. - 2 Samuel 2:2; 5:12–13.
Law In Question (see Numbers 4:15, 7:9)
David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. - 2 Samuel 6:8–12
Much like Moses and Samuel, we aren’t explicitly told that these actions derive from the serpent-kingdom. However, David has a desire for justice that borders on rage and neglect for human life (think Cain and Abel). David treats women as entities to be collected (think Lamech). David neglects to follow God’s rule (think flood Generation or Babel) which suggested that it was “good” for the Levites to “carry” the ark on their shoulders and “bad” to put it on any type of cart. These hints only increase the skepticism about whether or not David was capable of being the great serpent-crusher. David’s next move confirms that he too has bowed the knee to the serpent.
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”…. When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. - 2 Samuel 11:14-15, 26-27
In direct juxtaposition of David’s military victories, the book of Samuel documents the story of David’s heinous act of Cain-like murder, Lamech-like adultery, and Babel-like rebellion against the rule of God. From this pivotal moment, David’s sin leads to his demise. Much like Cain and Abel, the first thing to unravel due to his sin are his relationships with his offspring, most notably through his son Absalom who murders his brother Amnon for acting like Lamech and raping his own sister. Much like Babel, Absalom ascends to his own throne soaring over his father and bringing David’s honorable kingdom a great sense of shame. Eventually, this revolt cost David the life of his own son.
And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” - 2 Samuel 15:13–14
And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son. - 2 Samuel 18:33
The two books of Samuel challenge us to imagine the gospel of the kingdom coming through a king that would have the heart of David in his best moments. Yet even David - a man after God’s own heart - could not resist taking his own throne in the name of the kingdom of the serpent. Therefore, it would be the offspring of David who would need to carry on the will of God entirely free of sin in order to defeat the serpent kingdom.
A KING AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
One moment that I personally hold dear is when King David goes out looking for King Saul’s family. For most kings, they would go out searching for the families of their enemies to destroy them, but David was looking for King Saul’s family to bless and restore them. In his search, David finds the crippled nephew of King Saul hidden in a village. When he finds him, he brings the boy into his house to be a part of his family and eat at his table.
Mephibosheth the son of Saul’s son Jonathan came to David and fell on his face to the ground in respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” David said to him, “Do not be afraid. For I will be sure to show kindness to you because of your father Jonathan. I will return to you all the land of your grandfather Saul. And you will eat at my table always.” Again Mephibosheth put his face to the ground and said, “Who am I? Why should you care for a dead dog like me?” Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your owner’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants will grow food on the land for him. You will bring in the food so your owner’s grandson may eat. But Mephibosheth your owner’s grandson will always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king tells your servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Both his feet had been hurt and he could not walk. - 2 Samuel 9:1-13
The outcast who is in opposition to the royal family by birth, crippled at birth, and now without a Father is rescued by this king and restored to a position at the king’s table! This is what the coming Christ (Greek word for “anointed one”) with the heart of God will look like. But if the long-awaited anointed serpent crusher was not David, then who? And how long until he comes to set us free from our crippling sin nature so that we may eat at the king’s table once more?
Samuel begins with the humble song of Hannah. The book ends with two songs of David who has now gone through the journey of life. David started in a humble position as the least likely ruddy shepherd-boy to become king. We leave David slowly descending the peak of his own pride. In fact, the book of Samuel reminds us of the pride of the kings by recounting some of Saul’s trouble with the sneaky Gibeonites (see Josh. 9) that resulted in 3 years of famine and David’s sin which results in 3 days of pestilence. Here is what David now has to say!
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” - 2 Samuel 22:2-4, 50–51
Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand; but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire.” - 2 Samuel 23:1–7
Surrounding these beautiful songs are passages about David’s mighty men and David’s involvement with the Philistines. The book of Samuel closes foreshadowing that this future anointed king would need to possess the same kind of sacrificial humility so that he too might crush the head of the serpent-giant!
Share the Gospel: The story of King David is one that foreshadows a king of complete humility and total obedience. This is what it means to be “after God’s own heart”. Since David succumbed to the serpent kingdom, we await the one who would restore our crippled hearts so that we may dine at the table of God.
