5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said,
"Look, we are your bone and flesh.
5:2 For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led
out Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is you who
shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over
Israel."
5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King
David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they
anointed David king over Israel.
5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned forty years.
5:5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and
at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three
years.
5:9 David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David.
David built the city all around from the Millo inward.
5:10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of
hosts, was with him.
"Look, we are your bone and your flesh."
Everyone loves a hometown hero, someone who is "one of us," a guy
like you and me whom we can respect. ...Everyone, that is, except
the Nazarenes in this week's Gospel passage.
DSS
Does anyone else see the great irony in a Middle Eastern nation
choosing a leader of age 30 who would reign for 40 years? Who could
see this possibly happening today in any country in that region? And
a shepherd of "my people?" Rulers today make better wolves than
shepherds, admired for their cunning, not for their caring. Could
such a "swearing in" ceremony change the way we look at leadership
today? Affirm the bone-and-flesh nature of the relationship, the
shepherding, and the covenant, and a new type of political leader
might arise. And in the ancient Middle East, one did arise, by the
name of David. Mark in Rockwall, Texas
Mu'ammar Gadhafi came to power in Libya when he was 27 years old. In
2009 he will celebrate his 40th year as the sole leader of Libya.
The late King Hussein of Jordan was only 17 when he took the throne,
which he kept over 46 years until his death in 1999.
I find vs. 10 remarkable. The source of David becoming greater and
grearter, the longevity of his reign, was not his political savvy,
his military conquest, or his moral superiority, but the fact that
the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. The promised blessing that
comes with God's presence found repeatedly in Scripture. That is
what God wants more than anything else, to be with us. O the great
lengths that God went just to be with us, to be in relationship with
us, to bless us. God wants more than anything else for us to be in
relationship with his as our heavenly father, and we as his
children. The great commandment that Jesus gave was not that we do
this and that for God, but that we love the Lord with all our heart,
soul, mind, and strength. Jesus also promised that if we keep his
word, the Father will abide in us. He will be with us! Amazing,
isn't it? ES in OK
The thing that caught my attention from this passage (one that
doesn't seem to offer much for a sermon at first glance) is that
David "built the city." The "City of David" subsequently became an
important symbol for the Jewish people.
How are we building a city for God? How are we building our churches
in such a way that they become important symbols for our
communities? And can we build a city for God in our own lives?
Danny in CA
I've had an idea about the anointing--perhaps anoint people for
service to Christ during the worship service, as well as talking
about all the times we are set aside as disciples--baptism,
confirmation, installations, ordination, etc. David was anointed
twice--once in secret, once publically. Perhaps that can be the lead
in to this anointing of the congregation--a public affirmation of
willingness to carry on God's work. JMK in PA
I've been thinking about this passage and it's nationalistic theme.
We have David who is King - and he's king because of his might and
strength. So, the people see him as holding God's favor. This is a
real contrast to the passage from Corinthians where Paul speaks of
the thorn in his flesh. And, how God shows strength through his
weakness. It begs the question of how do know God's favor? I'd like
to explore this further -- any thoughts?
The Iowa Star
These days I am mulling about the images of a "city of God" is what
we are called to. THere is such a tendency to image the Kingdom in
pastoral terms (empty but fruitful fields..sheep etc) that we forget
that the Kingdom has to do with humans and justice. Here is an
ancient image of an early "city of God". Just a thought...Deborah
Reading the passages that lead up to the establishment of Jerusalem,
I am struck by the fighting, treachery, and political maneuvering
that brought about the unification of the kingdom. On one hand David
seems to wiggle out of being responsible for the assasinations and
on the other hand he seems to stand for justice. Justice meaning
that he seems to want to establish his kingdom not on a
military/covert violent way, but on responsibility and fairness. I'm
particularly concerned with the unfair killing of Abner which
brought about the destruction of Ishbaal's government. Just
thoughts.
Zack in Atlanta
In some ways today's lesson completes the rags to riches story of
the shepherd boy anointed by Samuel to one day be king. It is hard
to believe the poet made it, but he did. Sometimes we fail to do
what God wants us to do because we lack faith in God and in
ourselves. David had both. Fred in NC
In many ways todays lesson completes the rags to riches story of the
little shepherd boy anointed by Samuel to be king. It is hard to
believe the poet made it but he did. We also sometimes fail to do
the great things God expects of us because we fail to believe in God
and in ourselves. David had both. Fred in NC
Responding to Zack. Somewhere I picked up the idea that the
contrast...the standing apart from the culture..is something to pay
attention to. So David, comes up with a different idea of building
the Kingdom on something other than violence...a step in the
direction of the Kingdom of Peace. The step, or the movement is
something to note. Thanks for your observation. Deborah
