I have never preached this text before, or at least do not remember preaching it. Did some fairly extensive study of the text and found lots of interesting things about the text. In fact, the sermon may have been too much Bible study and not enough preaching!
I sort of stumbled through the sermon at times. Not sure why, but I was not as dialed in this morning as I would like to be when preaching.
“Shepherds and Kings” July 8, 2018, SAPC, Denton; 2 Samuel 5: 1-10
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. 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.” 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. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 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.
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. 8 David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.”[a] Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
Introduction: Lots of stuff happening in this story of David’s coronation at Hebron.
a. From a political perspective, we see David consolidating his power.
a. As you may recall, at this time God’s people had been divided into two kingdoms - Israel to the north and Judah to the south.
1. David had been king of Judah, the southern kingdom, for about 7.5 years, and now he unites the two kingdoms and consolidates his power by becoming king of Israel, the northern kingdom.
1. perhaps reluctantly by some.
2. “Ruler” in vs. 2 could be “prince,” but the word for king is not used. (Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation: A bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, First and Second Samuel, 238).
3. Maybe a subtle comment about the northern kingdom’s reluctance to make David king.
b. this story also lifts up the importance of the city of Jerusalem.
1. when we think of Israel today, we automatically think of Jerusalem. In fact, we may think of Jerusalem first and then Israel second.
2. But until this moment, Jerusalem has had little impact on Israelites history.
3. In fact, when zion, a word associated with Israel and Jerusalem, is mentioned in vs. 7, it is the first time zion is mentioned in the Bible (Eugene Peterson, First and Second Samuel, Westminster Bible Companion, 160).
4. Jerusalem, the city of David, the place that will carry with it the imagination and hopes of God’s people, comes to the forefront in this story.
c. Fascintating battle for Jerusalem.
1. David shows his military brilliance by sending his soldiers through the water shaft to overcome the seemingly impregnable Jerusalem.
2. His attack also has some strange comments associated with the “blind and the lame.” the Jebusites apparently thought Jerusalem was so well fortified that even the blind and lame could keep out David.
3. When David conquers Jerusalem, he has some comments about the blind and the lame.
4. somehow, biblical scholars are not sure of the exact connections, but somehow this leads to the blind and the lame being forbidden from entering the house, that is, the Temple. Samuel Giere, workingpreacher.org, http:/www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1322
d. Lots going on in this story, but perhaps the most powerful commentary comes in the use of a couple of words: shepherd and the phrase God of hosts.
Move 1: Let’s begin with the reference to shepherd.
a. the elders of Israel gathering to anoint David as King of Israel note that the Lord said to David: “it is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.”
1. Shepherd is a theme that is an ongoing part of King David’s story.
2. We remember when David was anointed for the first time by Samuel, Samuel shows up at the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons. David was not there initially because he was out working as a shepherd in the fields.
3. Now, when David is anointed for the third time (for you biblical scholars, David was anointed as King of Judah earlier in the story), his task is compared to a shepherd’s task.
b. Shepherd has long-standing tradition both in the time of antiquity and the biblical record.
1. The word shepherd in antiquity was a synonym for king.
2. Biblical images of shepherd - 23rd psalm
3. Ezekiel - judges the leaders of Israel by how well they have acted as shepherds to God’s people.
4. Jesus tells a parable about the shepherd who is not satisfied with having 99 sheep, but will go out looking for the one lost sheep
5. Jesus likens himself to the good shepherd.
6. Task given to Peter: “feed my sheep.”
7. rich images for shepherd.
c. shepherd defines David’s role as king of God’s people.
1. The people have experienced what a God like Saul could be like - a king who had erratic behavior; a king who acted out of jealous impulese; a king who forgot he was God’s anointed and became obsessed with his own power and riches.
2. In the anointing of David, they are hoping for better.
3. God’s people are looking for something more from David; something closer to the the image of God; something like a shepherd.
3. a king who will protect them, provide for them, find them when they are lost, just like a shepherd would for the sheep.
4. they are hoping David redefines king in a more biblical, more like one of God’s anointed.
5. they want a king who is God’s shepherd to God’s people.
Move 2: let’s reflect for a few minutes on the phrase “God of hosts.
a. Comes at the end fo the story.
1. As if to give some significance to what has transpired with David ascending to the throne.
2. All the political intrigue, all the fighting, the conquest of Jerusalem, David’s growing power, because the ”lord, the God of hosts was with David.”
b. for the listener of the story in the time of David, they understand the message they are being told.
1. the story has just moved from the telling of a good story to one with theological implications.
2. Sort of like if we are telling a story in SS or in the narthex and we mention the phrase pre-destination, everyone who hears the word knows we have just moved from story theological reflection..
c. David reign connects to God.
1. So when the story finishes with “god of hosts” it puts David’s reign as king in the context of God’s reign.
2. A reminder that the king ought to reflect to will and the values of God.
3. The hope of God’s people rests not in any king, but a king anointed by God.
4. As king, David is called to lead God’s people in the direction God calls him, and David will be held accountable to God.
5. The phrase “God of hosts” marks David and holds him accountable.
Move 3: what do we do with this story.
a. Begin with the reminder that the “God of hosts” is still in our midst and lays claim on us.
1. It is not enough to live and tell a good story. we must continually reframe our lives in the context of the claim the “God of hosts has on us.
2. In other words, how we act ought to reflect we know the God of hosts in our midst.
b. Consider for example an issue in the forefront of our conversations today - the role of church and state.
1. Several recent Supreme court cases have tried to establish some parameters on taht issue.
2. In fact, since our nation’s inception those parameters have been drawn and redrawn.
3. If we read commentary on who will be the next Supreme Court justice, much of the commentary is on how potential nominees approach this issue.
c. But David’s story reminds us that those court decision are secondary to our serving and being accountable to the God of hosts.
1. obviously, court decisions matter as a rule of law and for the processes we must follow in our country, but what the courts decide do not change the expectations God has for us.
2. the God of hosts expects us to live out our calling as God’s people in all that we do.
d. And that looks a lot like a shepherd.
1. the shepherd who is there to protect and provide for the sheep, who even goes after the one lost sheep.
2. the shepherd who is there to protect and provide fo God’s people, who even goes after the lost.
Conclusion: I finish with an interesting note from the biblical text.
in the story of David conquering Jerusalem, we see the strange interplay with the blind and the lame, which ultimately leads to the blind and lame being forbidden from coming into the Temple.
Fast forward to the the gospel of Matthew’s story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and cleaning out the Temple. the first thing Christ does is heal the blind and the lame(Eugene Peterson, First and Second Samuel, Westminster Bible Companion, 158)
David is called to be a king who acts like a shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Follow him into the world. Amen.
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