Two weeks ago we noted that in 1 Kings 11, God sent a prophet to tell Solomon that the kingdom would be torn away from him because of his unfaithfulness in his old age, but that God had also made two extra heart-warming points. Because of God’s love for David, he would modify the deserved punishment in two ways:
- delay it until the time of Solomon’s son, and
- not take away all of the kingdom but leave two tribes for Solomon’s son to reign over.
In this article we will concentrate on the long-term effects of David on the kingdom he ruled as time went on.
After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam replaced him as king and the kingdom of Israel split into two parts as God had threatened. For three years, Rehoboam was encouraged to walk in God’s paths by the dedicated priests and Levites who had sought refuge in Judah when the kingdom of Israel began to worship Jeroboam’s golden calves. However, Rehoboam was not a good king and in the fifth year of his reign, God sent Pharaoh to punish Judah. Much of the wealth that had been accumulated
in the reigns of David and Solomon was taken away.
The peak of Israel’s importance in the world had passed and the newly divided kingdom would never achieve such greatness again.
Why had Israel been so great? Because of King David’s godliness. It wasn’t because he was a great administrator, a brilliant strategist, an amazing warrior or even a stunning musician. Instead, God made it clear to him that it was his attitude to God’s leadership that would show whether he was a good or bad king. David’s report of God’s words is beautifully expressed:
“The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
‘When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.’ ”
2 Samuel 23:3-4
And David did rule justly in the fear of God, so he stood out amongst the kings of Judah and Israel as the brightest ray of sunlight in the history of the kingdom.
After Rehoboam died, his son Abijah (also called Abijam) reigned. He was not a wholly good king, but we are told that God let him reign because of David.[1] The expression “for David’s sake” is used to explain God’s actions, and it is an inspiring lesson for us. David was still having an impact on the nation more than 50 years after his death because of his godliness. Will you have an effect like that in your family or your society?
Fast-forward another three generations and the king of Judah was Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat. He was an evil king, married to the daughter of an evil king, but God said that he was not willing to destroy Judah for the sake of David.[2]
Another seven generations takes us to the time of Hezekiah, a good king, yet it was not his character alone that saved Jerusalem when the city was threatened by the Assyrians.[3] Instead, God said that he would spare the city for his own sake and the sake of David. Wouldn’t it be amazing for God to link his name to yours as part of the reason for saving your city about 250 years after you had died!
That really would be leaving something valuable to your descendants, wouldn’t it?
God’s promises to David[4] meant that God did not destroy David’s dynasty, although he did punish David’s descendants.
In the end, God’s love for David delayed the punishment of Judah by more than 350 years. Yet, eventually, the accumulated weight of evil from generations of kings who did not live up to David’s example outweighed the effects of David’s godliness.[5] The nation was defeated by Babylon and Jerusalem destroyed by fire. A sad end to a glorious kingdom.
However, the story wasn’t over. God’s promises to David had included a king reigning forever who would also be God’s son.[6] After several hundred more years, the next stage of the saga began. Jesus was born: the descendant of David who is to reign as king forever.[7]
Several places in the Old Testament speak of the future king who is to reign over Israel as “David”, but these passages probably refer to Jesus. For example: Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25 and Hosea 3:5.
Conclusion
David was a great king. The Old Testament mentions his name more than 1,000 times: more than any other person.
But his fame didn’t end there, either. Of all the Old Testament characters named in the New Testament, only Moses and Abraham are mentioned more often than David.
David really does stand out in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart”.[8] The kings who followed him were measured against his example and the kingdom of Judah was maintained for hundreds of years for his sake.
Notes
[1] 1 Kings 15:3-5
[2] 2 Kings 8:18-19; 2 Chronicles 21:6-7
[3] 2 Kings 19:32-34; 20:6; Isaiah 37:35
[4] 2 Samuel 7:1-17, 1 Chronicles 17:1-15; Psalm 89:3-4, 20-37
[5] Isaiah 7:13; Jeremiah 22:1-5; Psalm 89
[6] 2 Samuel 7:12-14; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Psalm 89:26-27, 35-36
[7] Luke 1:32-33; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 5:5; 11:15; 22:16
[8] 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22-23
