DAVID TAKES JERUSALEM (AND MORE WIVES): 2 SAMUEL 5:6-16

 

David Takes Jerusalem

5:6-10; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9

2 Samuel 5 contains several stories of David’s life after he became king. They may not be in chronological order. 

The first story is a short rendition of David conquering Jerusalem and defeating the Jebusites that lived there. 

The Jebusites were Canaanites, descendants of Noah’s Grandson, Caanan. (Genesis 10:15-16)

Noah

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Jebusites

Jerusalem was an old city. It is believed to have been the “Salem” of Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:18) Psalm 76:2 says "God’s abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion”. 

The Jebusites took over the city around 1850 B.C. They built a wall around it and named the city Jebus.  It became a city state. It was influenced by Egypt and its leaders corresponded with Egyptian leaders. It is mentioned in some Egyptian texts that still exist.  

The Israelites had never driven the Jebusites out of the land as they were supposed to. Joshua 15:63 says the the people of Judah could not drive them out. The city was built on a mountain and was fortified by a wall. It was sometimes called the Fortress of Zion. The steepness of the hill and the strength of the wall had protected the people. Eventually, the Israelites left them alone.

However, David wanted the city for his capitol. It was a good political choice. The northern tribes would not have accepted Hebron as the capital. It was too far south and right in the middle of the territory of Judah.

Jerusalem was further north. It also had at times been considered to be in the territory of Benjamin. But, in reality, it did not belong to anyone in Israel because the Jebusites held it. 

So, David and his men went there to attack it. The Jebusites were confident their city could not be taken. They taunted David, saying he could not come in. They said even the blind and lame would defeat David. 

The city did have a weakness, however. There was a shaft that brought water from a spring into the city. 

David gave his men a challenge. Whoever was the first of the army to go up the water shaft and attack would become chief and commander of the army. Joab answered the challenge and went first. So, he became commander of the army of Israel. 

After conquering the stronghold, David moved in and made it his city. It was called the City of David. Joab repaired the damage caused by the attack. He built terraces on the slope to level it for houses and other buildings.  

David became greater and greater because the LORD was with him. 

Tyre Sends Gifts To David

5:11-12; 1 Chronicles 11:1-2

Hiram, who was king of Tyre, sent gifts to David to help him build a grand house. He sent cedar trees, carpenters, and stone masons. This is a foreign government acknowledging the new king and trying to obtain favor with its new king. So David knew the LORD established him as king and exalted his kingdom. 

But the exaltation was not for David’s benefit. It was for the benefit of the people of Israel, God’s people. David’s purpose was to take care of the people and lead them in obedience to God. 

It is the same with leaders in the church. They are not raised to leadership for their personal exaltation, but to take care of (shepherd) the people and lead them in obedience to God. 

David Collects Women and Children

5:13-16; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9

Once settled in Jerusalem, David began to collect wives and concubines. That was a customary thing for kings to do at the time. Deuteronomy 17:15-17 instructed kings not to take many wives. Certainly pagan wives could turn the king away from God to idols. 

These multiple wives produced multiple children for David. They are listed in verses14-16. Some of these may have been “treaty wives” who were the daughters of kings in other countries. The theory is a king would not attack a country if his daughter lived there as a wife of the king. 

 So David is acting as a king would, according to the standards of the world around him. Having many wives would show his wealth and success. Having many children would demonstrate his strength.

But, it is not what the Lord commanded. In this matter, David has succumbed to culture over command. It is the first stain on his reign. 

Now, back to the Jebusites! David’s defeat of the Jebusites fulfills another promise of God. God promised the territory of the Jebusites to Abraham. Read Genesis 14:18-21. It has been about 800 years, but God kept his promise and his word was proven true!