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II Samuel 6-11
We are in the Nation Stream continuing the story of King David. We are reading from The Living Bible this week.
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Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis
6 – the stunning drama continues: 30,000 troops are in procession to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem where it belongs. The man standing right by the Ark catches the Ark so to keep it from falling. The young man, Uzzah who touched the Ark falls dead instantly. Quick reminder: the Ark is nothing to be trifle with or light-hearted about. It is the most sacred item ever constructed on earth. No one was to touch it … so why was Uzzah less than an arm’s length away from it? The Ark is then kept at a home nearby and that home is truly and deeply blessed. David, realizing this anew realizes it must be taken to Jerusalem so the whole city and nation can be blessed! David enters the city and the worship he triggers is most vigorous. His first wife, Saul’s daughter, resents all this excitement centering around God. So she is struck for her attitude and never has children. Memo: when worship commences, it is better to join in than to sit on the sidelines and analyze it.
7 – David pauses to exclaim that a Temple be built to honor God. David had a good heart in stating this, but God has a better idea and tells him of it via Nathan the prophet. God is going to establish a throne for David that will make him among the most prominent men in history. David is going to shine above the rest for all time and indeed the Savior comes to the world by way of David’s line of descendants. His response to God is most gracious and grateful and humble. It reminds us of why God’s heart is after and upon David.
8 -10 – This starts David’s campaign of expanding the borders to the largest they had ever been. He is king, and operating 400 years after Moses he is taking the property lines to places no one ever thought they would be. God gave David success at every turn. He subdued the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Edomites, Ammonites, Amalekites, and all neighboring nations. He brought home great wealth and his sons assisted him. The whole family has covering.
[ 9 ]- This is a touching chapter in that David pauses amid ‘endless’ battels to inquire of Saul’s relatives. David seeks out Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s crippled son, who was dropped as a child. And he takes him in and takes care of him for life. Mephibosheth dines with the king from then on. The marvel of this is that it tells of David’s kind heart amid the conquests. The common practice of many in this region was to find any possible dissenters of a prior ruler who might in any way be disloyal to [you] the current king, and to wipe them all out. David does the opposite and honors this grandson of Saul [who hated him] and son of Jonathan [whom he was close to].
11 – This is the chapter that creates a great turn in David’s life. He had trouble all his earlier day but there was blessing and protection and provision for him. This is where David procures wife #8 and he does so in an illicit manner. He already has 7 wives! The problem is that a set up like this trains a man deep in his soul [albeit even doing so unconsciously] that he can have whomever and whatever he wants whenever he wants it. This is not good. It also (multiple wives) merely proves to the heart of any man that “enough” is never enough. He sees BATHsheba taking a bath and wants her…now! It was all over, babe. He takes her, gets her pregnant, and in an effort to cover himself, arranges for her husband to be killed. Her husband, [you remember in the story] Uriah shows more ethics when he is inebriated than David shows when he is sober, btw! David did what he did and seemed to get away with it, legally. But God was not pleased with him. He thought he had troubles before! … They worsen now and never let up the rest of the days of his life. David ruined his own plight here. His penchant for women [polygamy] is what weakened him and brought this on however. It reminds of the warning in Proverbs 31:2-3, “my son, listen…do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.” And remember this is not chauvanism – the warning comes to all men for all time – from a woman!
