2 Samuel 5:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

NIV: Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

NASB: And David realized that the Lord had appointed him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

CSB: Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

NLT: And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

KJV: And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

NKJV: So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

David grows greater and more powerful because the Lord is with him (2 Samuel 5:10). David understands clearly that his success does not come from him and is not for him. Hew knew that it was the Lord who had established his kingdom, and he understood that the Lord had done so for the good of His people Israel. Every believer should be challenged to view our own lives with such humility. We, too, can know that every good thing we have comes from the Lord (James 1:17) and that our purpose is not to serve ourselves but to be used by God to accomplish the good works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

David's Song of Deliverance, the spoken version of the song Psalm 18, proves David relies only on God for his deliverance and his victories. The poem ends:

"The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
the God who gave me vengeance
and brought down peoples under me,
who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from men of violence.
"For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever."
2 Samuel 22:47–51

Second Samuel 5:11–16 gives more examples of God's blessings on David. He and his men have taken Jebus and renamed it Jerusalem: a place established in peace (1 Chronicles 11:9—12:40). The king of Tyre sends the materials and tradesmen necessary to build a house. David takes more wives and concubines and has several more sons. First Chronicles 14:1 also records Hiram's contributions, and 1 Chronicles 3:1–9 and 14:3–7 repeat the list of David's expanding family. Next, David furthers his domination over the armies of the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17–25).

Second Samuel 5 is a series of vignettes describing how God blesses David after his inauguration as king over the nation. David took Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made the city the nation's capital (2 Samuel 5:6–9). His first international ally, Hiram, king of Tyre, built his palace (2 Samuel 5:11). His family grew: exponentially (2 Samuel 5:13–16)! And he soundly beat his enemies (2 Samuel 5:17–25). David did all this because of God's favor, to bless the nation, not through his own skill or because of any good in him (2 Samuel 5:10, 12). First Chronicles 11:1–9 and 14:1–17 also record these events.

Second Samuel 5 is a pivot point for all of Israel's history. After Saul's son Ish-bosheth is killed, no opposition remains to David's kingship (2 Samuel 4:5–6). Convinced by Abner before his death to follow David (2 Samuel 3:17–19), the elders of Israel gather at Hebron to anoint David king over the entire nation. David moves his capital to Jerusalem and defends the nation against the Philistines. Now, he has enough security to bring the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–15). The following chapters seem to collectively describe David's accomplishments (2 Samuel 5:9—10:19) and his mistakes (2 Samuel 11—20).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.