If you were to play the game, “word association” what would
your answer be if I said, “LeBron James”? If you said, “Akron, Ohio,” you would
be right in line with my thinking. How about Sinatra? You would say, “Hoboken,
New Jersey” or “NYC”. How about NASA? You would say, “Houston”. How about
Arnold Palmer? You would say, “Latrobe”. Well, what about David a.k.a. King
David? You would have to say, “Jerusalem”.
Someone has said, “When we take for granted that David
captured Jerusalem and made it Israel’s capital, we need to remember that at
the time this was a surprising move. No judge or king had established any
capital, let alone one in a place that was difficult to conquer.” But David did
just that. Throughout the five-thousand year history of this place it has been
recognized by over 70 different names, but none more frequently referenced than
“The City of David”.
This Sunday in a message entitled, “The Fresh Prince of
Salem”, we are going to dig into the amazing, yet cryptic, account of David’s
capture of Jerusalem and his turning it from a pagan stronghold into the
capital of Israel (II Samuel 5:1-10).
Throughout modern scholarship there have been four principal
reasons cited for David’s decision to leave the city of Hebron, 28.5 miles
south of Jerusalem and conquer the city as his own.
The first is the presence of an abundant water supply. In a
desert region where water is scarce, the city of Jerusalem with its numerous
springs was a prize.
Second, Jerusalem was surrounded by deep valleys and natural
rock outcroppings, making it a natural fortress. Add to that its elevation, and
Jerusalem was a formidable defense against all foes.
Third, Jerusalem was at a crossroads of north/south, east/west
trade routes. It was accessible to all travelers wishing to trade and to
worship. It also was not part of any tribal territory, making it even more
desirable.
But the fourth reason is clearly the most important and
profound. The tradition of Jerusalem being God’s dwelling place had been passed
down throughout the centuries. It is clear from his psalms that this tradition
had a powerful impact on David. He knew what God had done there through
Melchizedek and Abraham. David’s desire was to establish Jerusalem as the
eternal capital of Israel; the city of God. It was the place God had put in his
heart to build the Temple. As we will see in our Fall Series: “Nehemiah: A Study
in Comfort,” it is the place that a remnant of Jews never forgot. How David
conquered this city and staked God’s claim on it for perpetuity is fascinating.
It is a wonderful guide to what every servant of the Lord should be doing. We
will dig in deeply this week.
In preparation for Sunday’s study you may wish to consider
the following:
1. Who are these tribes that came to David at Hebron?
2. What was their relationship with David prior to chapter 5?
3. What do they mean in verse 2 when they say, “It was you who
led out and brought in Israel?
4. What do they believe to be David’s role as God has assigned
it? (verse 2(b) )
5. What covenant do they make with David in verse 3?
6. How far is Jerusalem from Hebron?
7. The place was called Jebus
by the Jebusites, it was their stronghold. Why is the capture of this place
David’s first priority?
8. What is meant by the taunt in verse 6? “…the blind and the
lame will ward you off”?
9. Why are the lame and the blind hated by David’s soul? (verse
8)
10. How does David capture the city?
See you Sunday!
