072. XLIX. The Liberation And Consolidation Of All Israel

§ XLIX. THE LIBERATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF ALL ISRAEL 2 Samuel 5:17; 2 Samuel 23:13-17; 2 Samuel 5:18-25; 2 Samuel 5:6-12, 2 Samuel 6, 2 Samuel 8:16-18; 2 Samuel 20:24-25

1. The Philistine advance. Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and when David heard of this he went down to the stronghold.

2. Brave deed of the warriors at Bethlehem. And three of the Thirty went down, and came to the rock to David to the stronghold of Adullam, while a force of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem. And David longed and said, O that one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And the three famous warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took and brought it to David; he would not drink of it, however, but poured it out to Jehovah. And he said, Jehovah forbid that I should do this. It is the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

3. The first victory in the valley of Rephaim. Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said to David, Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy hand. And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said, Jehovah hath broken down mine enemies before me, like the breaking of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim [Lord of the breakings through]. And they left their gods there, and David and his men carried them away.

4. The second victory. And the Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of Jehovah, he said, Thou shalt not go up; go about to their rear and come upon them opposite the balsam trees. And when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, make haste, for then Jehovah hath gone out before thee to smite the camp of the Philistines. And David did as Jehovah commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.

5. Advance against Jebus. Then the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, You shall not come in here, but the blind and the lame shall turn you away, thinking, David cannot come in here.

6. Its capture and fortification. Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is the city of David). And David said on that day, Whoever smites the Jebusites, let him get up through the watercourse and smite the lame and the blind, whom David’s soul hates. Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David constructed an encircling wall from Millo and inward.

7. David’s prestige. And David kept on growing greater, for Jehovah of hosts was with him. And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees and carpenters and masons and they built David a palace. Thus David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel, for his kingdom had been exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

8. The first attempt to bring up the ark. Then David again assembled all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him, to Baal-Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the name of Jehovah of hosts who sits enthroned upon the cherubim. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, that was on the hill, with Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab guiding the cart: Uzzah went with the ark of God, while Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were dancing before Jehovah with all their might and with songs and harps and lyres and cymbals.

9. Death of Uzzah. And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah stretched out his hand to the ark of God to hold it, for the oxen slipped. Then the anger of Jehovah was aroused against Uzzah and God smote him there because he had stretched out his hand to the ark, so that he died there in the presence of God. And David was angry because he had broken forth upon Uzzah. Therefore that place is called Perez-uzzah [Breach of Uzzah] to this day. And David was afraid of Jehovah that day, so that he said, How can the ark of Jehovah come to me? And David was unwilling to remove the ark of Jehovah to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. So the ark remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months. And Jehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his house.

10. Transfer of the ark to Jerusalem. And when the report came to King David: Jehovah hath blessed Obededom and all his house because of the ark of God, David went and brought up with joy the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David. And when the bearers of the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before Jehovah with all his might, and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and the sound of the trumpet.

11. Its reception. Now when the ark of Jehovah was coming into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and when she saw King David leaping and dancing before Jehovah, she despised him in her heart. And when they brought in the ark of Jehovah and set it in its place in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.

12. Gifts to the people. And when David had finished sacrificing the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts. And he distributed to all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a bunch of raisins. Then all the people departed each to his home.

13. David and Michal. But when David returned to greet his family, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel as he exposed himself to the eyes of his servants’ maids, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly exposes himself! And David said to Michal, It was before Jehovah that I was dancing. Blessed be Jehovah, who chose me rather than your father and rather than any of his family to appoint me as prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel. Therefore I will sport before Jehovah and I will be yet more lightly esteemed than this and I will be despised by you. But of the maids of whom you have spoken I shall indeed be held in honor. And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

14. David’s state official. And David was king over all Israel. And David administered justice and righteousness to all his people. And Joab the son of Zeruiah was in command of the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was chancellor, and Zadok and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech were priests, and Shousha was scribe, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests; Ira the Jairite was also a priest of David, and Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

I. The Wars with the Philistines. The account of David’s wars with the Philistines is exceedingly brief. Apparently David’s acceptance of the kingship of all Israel was the signal for a general Philistine attack. The war seems to have continued for some years. The incidental references in the popular stories regarding the achievements of David’s warriors indicate that at first David was obliged to take refuge in his old stronghold at Adullam and to resort to the method of warfare of his outlaw days. His past experiences and the character of the battlefield gave him a great advantage over his foes. Gradually the people rallied about him, until he was able to meet the Philistines in open battle. In the valley of Rephaim, which led up from the Philistine plain to the west or southwest of Jerusalem, two decisive engagements were fought, and in both cases the Hebrews won a sweeping victory. After the final battle they drove the Philistines out upon the western plain, as far as the Canaanite city of Gezer.

Henceforth the two rival nations settled down on peaceful terms, and for many years neither made an attempt to conquer the other. Ittai, David’s most honored friend and trusted counsellor, came from the Philistine town of Gath. The king’s body-guard of six hundred, which at a later crisis was effective in preserving the integrity of the empire, was enlisted from the ranks of his old friends and foes, the Philistines.

II. The Capture of Jebus. The capture of the strong fortress of Jebus appears to have followed soon after David’s victory over the Philistines. In the famous el-Amarna letters, Urusalamu figures as one of the most important towns of southern Canaan. The letters written by its governor to the kings of Egypt are the most interesting documents in that ancient correspondence. This fortress was so strong that it had remained in the hands of the Canaanite tribe, known as the Jebusites, until David sought a capital midway between the rival Hebrew tribes of the north and the south. Jerusalem also possessed the important advantage of being a city which belonged originally to neither the tribes of the north nor the south, but had been conquered by their united forces. It was, therefore, common ground. Its retired position up among the hills of the central plateau protected it from foreign attack. Its natural strength also gave good ground for the note of defiance with which its ancient Jebusite inhabitants met the advance of David’s forces. According to the parallel account in I Chronicles the daring of Joab and his followers was alone equal to the task of taking the city. Crawling up through the water courses, a few of them found entrance into the otherwise impregnable citadel. With this capture of Jebus the conquest of the Canaanites was complete; in a generation or two the older native population was entirely absorbed by the Israelites.

III. The Situation of Jebus. Recent excavations leave little doubt that the original city of David and the Jebusites was the hill of Ophel, on the eastern side of the present city. It was bounded on the east by the deep ravine of the Kidron, which met the valley of Hinnom on the south. Originally the valley of the Tyropoean bounded the hill of Ophel on the west, cutting through the centre of the present city just west of the temple area. Although the debris, which has come from the many sieges of Jerusalem, has filled this valley to a depth of from forty to ninety feet, its presence is still marked by a slight depression. The fortress of Jebus apparently stood on the southern slope of the hill. A slight cutting in the sloping rocky hillside furnished a practically impregnable defence on three sides. On its northern side the hill rises to the present temple area and further on broadens out into a level plateau. On the north, therefore, the fortress was doubtless protected by a strong wall. It was probably not until the days of Solomon or later that the western hill, which extends to the valley of Hinnom, was included in Jerusalem.

IV. The Transfer of the Ark. Like Gideon before him, David evidently desired to make his new capital a religious centre. During the early part of the period of settlement, the ark had been kept at Shiloh, in the territory of the strong northern tribe of Ephraim. In bringing the ark to Jerusalem, therefore, David aimed to enlist still further the loyalty of these strong northern tribes. The ark stood for the presence of Jehovah among his people and recalled the military glories of their early history. In transferring it to Jerusalem, David attracted to his new capital not only the patriotism but the religious zeal of all his subjects. The act was far reaching in its consequences. Many other sanctuaries throughout the land of Israel enjoyed the homage and loyalty of the different tribes and clans, but Jerusalem came to be regarded more and more as the special abiding place of Jehovah. The account of the transfer of the ark to Jerusalem reveals the current beliefs of that early day. While it was being carried up the hill of Ophel, one of its attendants stretched out his hand to keep it from falling. The act was prompted by a worthy motive, and there was apparently nothing in the ceremonial usage of the day to condemn it. His sudden death, however, was interpreted as a clear signal of Jehovah’s displeasure, and the ark was left in the home of one of David’s Philistine body-guard. The prosperity which came to this Philistine soon influenced the Hebrews again to attempt to carry the ark to Jerusalem. Amidst song and oriental dancing, in which the king participated with great religious zeal, it was borne in triumph to the city of David. There it was deposited in a tent especially prepared for it. Rich offerings to Jehovah were also presented by David, and food was distributed from the royal bounty among the assembled people in commemoration of this event which symbolized the entrance of the God of Sinai and the wilderness into the capital of his united people.

V. David’s Court. At his new capital David established his simple court. He himself stood as the supreme judge and court of appeal of the nation. To him, as to Moses, all difficult cases were referred. Joab, his loyal, fearless kinsman was in command of the army. The needs of the growing kingdom led to the establishment of the office of chancellor or grand vizier. Another official kept the state records and conducted the royal correspondence. Abiathar, the priest of the house of Eh, continued in charge of the oracle. His priestly duties, however, were shared by a certain Zadok of unknown origin, who in time became the head of the Jerusalem priesthood. Certain of David’s sons also acted as priests. All these officials were appointed by David and were probably supported from the royal exchequer. Benaiah, one of David’s valiant warriors, was at the head of the royal body-guard, whose presence reveals the well-founded fear with which David regarded the rivalry between the different factions in his nation. It is significant that, like the popes of to-day, he preferred to entrust the protection of his person to aliens, who were influenced by no personal or factional feeling, but were responsible only to himself and supported directly by him.

David’s establishment on the throne of united Israel marks another important stage in Hebrew history. At last a king, who was able not only to lead but to organize, was at the head of the confederacy of tribes. It was during David’s reign that the foundations were firmly laid for Israel’s future growth and greatness. For the next four centuries the dynasty which he founded continued on the throne at Jerusalem. Israel had finally found its place in the assembly of nations.