2 Samuel 5:1-12

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

David Becomes King Over Israel

¹ All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. ² In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' "

³ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David Conquers Jerusalem

⁶ The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

⁸ On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft ^a]'>[a] to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies. ^b]'>[b] " That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."

⁹ David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces ^c]'>[c] inward. ¹⁰ And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.

¹¹ Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. ¹² And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

After a civil war culminating in some vicious murders, David is finally king over all Israel. One of the first thing he does is conquer Jerusalem. Evidently, the Jebusites had fortified the area well and were secure in the belief they could defeat David. They weren't and they didn't.

Why Jerusalem? The city of Zion was a neutral city in the tribes of Israel. David was wise enough to know that if he stayed in Hebron the rest of the country would talk. If he moved to Saul's capital, Judah would feel slighted. Also, Jerusalem was the last town in the promised land that was still under foreign, (non Hebrew) control.

Questions:

1. Why was Jerusalem important?

2. Does David wait before his conquest?

3. What does he do immediately after taking Jerusalem?