2 Samuel 5-6 "The City of David" Why Jerusalem? Jerusalem is a good place for a capital city. Its main drawback is that it has no source of water (a key resource for surviving a siege!) But it is a good location for drawing together all Israel. It is on the northern edge of Judah and the southern edge of Benjamin, not far from the Jordan River. So it is not surprising to see David establish his capital there. But there is more to Jerusalem than that! 1. David, Jerusalem and the Nations (5:6-25) The Jebusites (6-10) What are the Jebusites doing in Jerusalem? Joshua 15:63 says that the men of Judah failed to dislodge the Jebusites from Jerusalem. Judges 1:8 says that the men of Judah captured Jerusalem, and set it on fire. But Judges 1:21 says that the men of Benjamin failed to drive out the Jebusites, and that the Jebusites live in Jerusalem together with the Benjaminites. Since Joshua and Judges relate a period of at least 200 years, it is not at all surprising to hear that Judah and Benjamin tried several times to take the city. Apparently Judah had once succeeded, but the fact that they burned it with fire indicates that they did not intend to live there (why would you burn a city where you intended to live?) so the Jebusites came back and rebuilt their city. Jerusalem was a case of a city that Israel had never taken. It was an example of Israel's failure to obey God a failure to do and to be what God had called Israel to do and to be. But David has been called to become all that Israel had been called to do and to be. And so David sets out to conquer Jerusalem thereby completing a job that neither Judah nor Benjamin had finished. So besides the political advantages to choosing a city that would be a neutral site (neither Judah nor Benjamin controlled Jerusalem), there are distinct theological advantages: David can demonstrate that he will be different than Saul. Saul failed to destroy the Amalekites. David will destroy the Jebusites. The Jebusites apparently thought that their city was impregnable. "You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off." Remember what I said about Jerusalem's lack of water? Apparently the Jebusites had built some sort of shaft outside the city that provided David with access to the city. (Hezekiah will dig a tunnel through the rock to get to a secure source of water) So David said Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack 'the lame and the blind' who are hated by David's soul. So David captured Jerusalem, and we are told that David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. The key to David's success is the presence of the LORD. God was with him. This is what distinguishes David from Saul. The LORD was with him. And the rest of chapter 5 demonstrates how God was with him: Hiram of Tyre (11-12) Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and sent craftsmen and supplies to build David a house. One of the promises to Israel was that if they were faithful, the nations would see the glory of Israel, and would come and submit to them. Hiram of Tyre was one who saw the glory of David and bowed the knee. Of course, Hiram was probably concerned about the Philistine threat to his south, and so he was probably delighted to see some stability in Israel especially since the new king had a history of beating up on the Philistines! But Hiram is portrayed in Samuel-Kings as one who bowed the knee to Yahweh and Yahweh's anointed king. And verse 12 says that Hiram's submission showed David that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. David is becoming all that Israel was supposed to be not for his own sake, but for the sake of Israel. David does not replace Israel he fulfills Israel, and in him all Israel is blessed. David is the Man (13-16) Verses 13-16 then demonstrate David's virility. Six sons were born to him in Hebron. Now 11 more sons were born to him in Jerusalem. (It is worth noting that Solomon was apparently the 10th son of David). The Philistines (17-25) Needless to say, the Philistines were not quite as happy at the news of David's coronation as Hiram! When David hears that the Philistines he goes down to the stronghold (a fortified place in Judah), and only comes out when the LORD promises that he will give the Philistines into David's hand. And the LORD gave David the victory, so he named the place Baal-perazim (the lord of bursting through)-- a good example of how "baal" can be used even by those who fear Yahweh. Not only did David defeat the Philistines, but he also captured their gods their idols and his men carried them away. The next time the Philistines attack, the LORD tells David to circle round behind them. And once again the LORD went before him to defeat the Philistines. So chapter 5 shows us how David establishes himself as 1) one who will be able to lead Israel because the LORD is with him 2) one who brings peace because the LORD has exalted his kingdom 3) one who is prolific in bringing many sons to God 4) and one who defeats both his and our enemies by hearing and obeying the word of the LORD. This is what you should look for in a king! And this is what we find in Jesus. Jesus is the one who hears and obeys the Word of the LORD and brings peace to the nations through casting down the idols. 2. David, Jerusalem and the Ark (6:1-23) But there is more to being a king than this. After all, Saul had defeated his enemies at the beginning of his reign as well! And Saul had several sons. So how will David prove himself better than Saul? Where had Saul failed? Saul had failed in the area of worship. Saul had offered sacrifices without Samuel. Saul had tried to bring peace offerings out of the best of the devoted plunder of the Amalekites. A king, in the biblical sense of the word, is more than just a political leader, he is also supposed to lead the people in worshiping God. He is not a priest, but he is the one who goes before his people, not only in battle, but also in worship. Our modern political theory finds this approach very disconcerting. We have embraced a religious pluralism that rejects the religious uniformity of Cuius regio, eius religio (whoever reigns, his religion) or "one king, one religion." Uzzah: God in a Box (6:1-15) And so David led his people to bring the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts, who sits enthroned on the cherubim. So all of the people from Baale-Judah (the lord of Judah which was another name for Hebron or Kiriath Arba according to Joshua 15:9) and 30,000 men of Israel arose to bring the ark to Jerusalem. Why just the ark? Why not the whole tabernacle? We have already seen Israel's willingness to move the ark away from the tabernacle. It was because Israel brought the ark to the battle with the Philistines that the ark was captured. In 6:17 we hear that David has prepared a tent for the ark in Jerusalem. The tabernacle will remain So they only bring the ark of the covenant. Numbers 4 tells us how the ark of the covenant is to be transported by the sons of Kohath, not on a cart. (In fact God explicitly says that it is not supposed to be put on a cart Num 7:9) God also says that the Kohathites must not touch the ark. They are to carry the poles, but the priests are the ones who should prepare it for travel. So when it says in 6:3 that they carried the ark of God on a new cart, we discover that David has already failed in matters of worship. How is David different from Saul? It is hard to find a clear difference in their behavior. The difference is found in their repentance. The difference is found in their hearts. But David hasn't realized his sin yet. They are making merry, singing and dancing and praising God as they bring the ark to Jerusalem. It is time to rejoice and celebrate God's great faithfulness! But suddenly the oxen stumble and the cart tips, and the ark of the covenant is about to tumble into the mud! And Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. In the midst of the rejoicing as the people of God are praising him and glorifying him,-- everything comes to a screeching halt! Why does God strike Uzzah? Why does God kill Uzzah? Simply because he touched the ark? Yes. Simply because he touched the ark. In order to understand this, we need to go back to Exodus 19. God had told the people not to come up Mt Sinai. Why? Because God dwelt on Mt Sinai. The mountain was holy because God was there. God is holy, and sinful man cannot come into the presence of a holy God without being consumed by God's holiness. And when the tabernacle was completed, the glory of the LORD left the mountain and came and dwelt in the holy of holies in the ark of the covenant, where the LORD of hosts was enthroned on the cherubim (as 2 Sam 6:2 put it). How can you touch the dwelling place of the LORD of hosts? It is only if God himself consecrates you if he sanctifies you and makes you holy. Only the priests were consecrated for that service. Only the priests could touch God's holy dwelling place the ark of the covenant where the LORD of hosts was enthroned on the cherubim. Uzzah was afraid that the ark of the covenant would get dirty if it touched the ground. The oxen stumbled the ark slipped and was about to slide off the cart. I want you to understand something lest you feel too sorry for Uzzah. Uzzah was the son of Abinadab. The ark had been in his house since he was a child. He knew the penalty for touching the ark. From infancy his father had no doubt instructed his sons "never touch the ark!" They all knew what had happened to the Philistines. For that matter, when the ark had been taken to Beth-Shemesh, the men of Beth-Shemesh had been struck down because they had looked in the ark! And so the ark was taken to Kiriath Jearim on the border between Judah and Benjamin and housed with Abinadab. Uzzah knew the penalty for touching the ark. But now in his pride after more than 50 years of faithful service Uzzah thinks that all these decades of his family's service has consecrated him for this. Surely as a faithful Israelite his hand is cleaner than dirt! The honor of the house of Abinadab is at stake. They have been charged with bringing the ark safely to Jerusalem! Now they will hand over their charge with honor! It would be tragic to have a muddy ark of the covenant! R. C. Sproul rightly points out that the dust of the ground is cleaner than Uzzah's hand. God made man from the dust of the ground! It is an honorable thing. But our sin renders us unclean. The ark of the covenant will not be contaminated by dirt. The holiness of God will not be blemished by a little mud. Sin, however, is a different matter. When Isaiah comes into the presence of God in Isaiah 6, he says "woe is me, for I am unclean" Isaiah understood that the holiness of God will destroy anything unclean. He remembered the story of Uzzah and that of Nadab and Abihu from Leviticus 10. And so God struck Uzzah dead. Notice David's response: David was angry (v8) David was afraid (v9) and David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into his own city Why is David angry? Because the LORD has burst forth against Uzzah. This is the same word from 5:20 where the LORD burst through against the Philistines. God was bursting forth against David's enemies now God is bursting forth against David's friends. David learned an important lesson that day. God's holiness does not play favorites. God will cast down the pretensions of the proud, whether they are the pretensions of the Philistines who exalt themselves against the LORD's anointed, or whether they are the pretensions of Uzzah a supposedly "faithful Israelite" who thought too highly of himself. David's anger needs to be understood in the light of his fear. God has burst forth against David's friends. David may have even recognized that he had failed to make sure that the ark was transported correctly (notice that in verse 13 they are carrying it by hand! David is guilty of the same sin as Saul! So he is understandably afraid of bringing the ark to his own city. The presence of God is only a blessing to the faithful. David fears that God is angry with him, so he sends the ark to Obed-edom the Gittite. Obed-edom appears to be the same fellow who is identified in 1 Chronicles 15 as a Levite. His name means "servant of Edom"-- an ironic name for a descendant of Jacob! But God blesses Obed-edom and all his household in the three months that the ark was there. (The rabbis said that this blessing was demonstrated by all of his daughters becoming pregnant some even said that each of his daughters bore six sons at the same time!) But when David heard of God's blessing upon Obed-edom, he went and brought up the ark to Jerusalem. But this time he did it right. The ark is carried on its poles. Before they go seven steps he offers sacrifices to the LORD to atone for his sin. And this time David takes off his royal robes. All he is wearing is a linen ephod a priestly garment the same clothing that the boy Samuel had worn before the LORD. What David is saying is that this procession is not about him. This procession is about Yahweh. He humbles himself and leads the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Why do I call this a place of humility? When Haman led Mordecai through the streets, who was the honored one? For that matter, when Joab led the funeral procession for Abner, what did that say? Behold your king, O Israel! Behold your king, dancing before the LORD. And yes, it is exactly as silly as it sounds to us! The king of Israel dressed in his underclothes, dancing alone before the ark. Why do I say alone? Because there is no indication that anyone else is dancing with him. He is making himself look ridiculous. Michal: David in a Box (6:16-23) Michal certainly views David as ridiculous. The daughter of Saul (notice that identification) is not participating in this celebration. She is watching from the window. She watches, as David brings the ark to its place. She watches, as David offers burnt offerings and peace offerings as all Israel worships God and shares in the covenant meal she watches. David blesses the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. God's peace has come to Jerusalem. This is the city where God will make his name to dwell. And David, as the gracious king, provides all the multitude of Israel with a cake of bread, a portion of meat from the sacrifice, and a cake of raisins. But as all Israel worships God and praises him for establishing David as king, Michal broods alone watching from her window. In 1 Samuel 18 we were told that Michal loved David. Later we were told that she protected David from her father. Now we discover that does not really understand what God is doing. When David returns "to bless his household" Michal does not wait for him to come into the house. She goes out to meet him and rebukes him for uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself. She doesn't see the point. She thinks of the great honor of being king, and wants David to "act the part!" But David rebukes her. (Read v21-22) David has learned his lesson about how to worship God. Have you? Uzzah fell prey to the temptation to think of "God in a box" He thought that he could "manage" God. You will never worship God aright if you think that you can manage the holy God. God will break out of whatever box you put him in. And when God breaks out of your box he will destroy you. Michal fell prey to the temptation to think of herself too highly. She was the daughter of Saul! David was the King! You will never worship God aright if you think of yourself too highly. God will humble you just as Michal was humbled in the place where it hurt most she was barren. There is no worse fate for a woman in the OT. Her barrenness is but a symbol of the rottenness of her soul. And David? David started down the same path as Saul he was relying upon his own bright ideas in worship. But he humbled himself. He who was the LORD's anointed did not consider himself too highly, but humbled himself, and took the form of a servant. You can never be David. You are not the LORD's anointed. That is what Jesus has done. You and I could never endure the outburst of God's holiness against us. We would be fried to a crisp, like Uzzah. That is why Jesus humbled himself. He endured the outburst of God's holy fire. He took upon himself the penalty that was due to us for our sin. And he alone dances before the LORD because no one else could look upon the face of God and live! Perhaps you've been wondering why this sermon is titled "the City of David." It's because the coming of the kingdom of God is signaled in the establishment of the City of David. David establishes a new city a city where God will dwell with his people. And that is what Jesus has done. On that first Easter Sunday Jesus danced alone. But when he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he established the New Jerusalem, and now all his servant boys and servant girls have been called to dance with him! The Jerusalem above, she is free, and she is our mother! The heavenly city is our home. The heavenly city is where we gather with the Son of David to dance with him! And unlike Uzzah, we get to touch him! That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands . . . (1 John 1:1)