The Life and Times of

David's house is built, in Jerusalem (5:11-16)

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a house for David. 12 And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. 13 Meanwhile David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

Essentially, there were but two responses to David's rise to the position of King of Israel: (1) embrace him as a friend and ally, or (2) resist and attack him as an enemy. Hiram, the king of Tyre, chose the former, while the Philistines opted for the latter. Even though most translations suggest that verses 11-16 are two paragraphs, I have chosen to view these verses as one unit of thought, namely the building of David's house. Hiram helps David build a literal house, a palace, in Jerusalem. But while living there in Jerusalem, David continues to build his “house,” that is his family. In building both “houses” David is enhancing his position as the King of Israel.

Verses 11 & 12 introduce us to Hiram, the king of Tyre. Here is a man who could easily have viewed David as his enemy, but who chose to seek him as an ally. When God made His so-called Abrahamic Covenant with Abraham (see Genesis 12:1-3), He promised him that those who cursed him, He would curse, and that those who blessed him, He would bless. The Jebusites and the Philistines cursed David; Hiram blessed him. He sought to provide David with things he would need to build himself a palace in the city he had just defeated, and which he proceeded to strengthen and fortify. Hiram offered David the materials and the workmen who could build for him a great palace, and David gratefully accepted. Hiram's friendship with David

The text informs us that it was not until after this palace had been built that David fully grasped that he was indeed king of all Israel. It was like a dream to him for so long, but now he knew that God's promise had been fulfilled. What was it about the building of this house that brought about this realization? I am inclined to think that the reason may be related to this proverb:

Prepare your work outside And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house (Proverbs 24:27).

Israel was an agricultural nation. One would not be wise to build his house before he had prepared his field. Once the field was prepared, the farmer could devote himself to building his house, because the crops would need time to grow. It was simply a matter of putting first things first. It would be like a man moving to Dallas from Detroit, buying a house in Duncanville and fixing it up nicely, only to find that the only job available was in McKinney. He would have been far better off to tend to getting a job first, and then finding a home to purchase. Now that David had a house, a place of his own, it was obvious that his “job” as Israel's king was certain and secure. The reality that God had finally and fully fulfilled His promise that David would reign over His people finally sank in. What David had waited for more than 20 years was now his. The building of his palace in Jerusalem convinced David it had all come true.

There was a second part to the building of David's house, and that was the building of his family. While David did have wives and children before moving to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 2:2; 3:2-5), it was there in Jerusalem that he added a number of other wives and they bore him other children. In the minds of those in the ancient orient, many wives and many children meant prosperity. Measured by this standard, David truly prospered in Jerusalem! The problem was that in adding a number of wives David came dangerously close to multiplying wives, in a way that disregarded this warning to Israel's kings:

“He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself” (Deuteronomy 17:17).

David defeats the Philistines (5:17-25)

17 When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. 19 Then David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” 20 So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim. 21 They abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away. 22 Now the Philistines came up once again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. 23 When David inquired of the LORD, He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees. 24 “It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” 25 Then David did so, just as the LORD had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

One can only imagine the conversations which must have taken place among the 5 Philistine kings when they received word that David had become king of Israel. Achish must have caught the brunt of the criticism for his role in offering David sanctuary among them (1 Samuel 21:10-15; 27:1--28:2; 29:1-11). David was actually a part of the Philistine army for a short time, and this would give him knowledge that could now be used against the Philistines. And so it was that the Philistines chose to go on the offensive, hoping to break the back of David's army, and to rid themselves of a formidable foe.

From a strictly military point of view, it may have been a good decision. The longer they waited, the more David would consolidate his kingdom, and the greater his military strength would be. But David's was God's king, ruling over the people of God, and thus he would not be defeated. When David learned of the Philistine attack, he went down, we are told, to the stronghold (verse 17). From 1 Chronicles 11:15, it would seem that David and his men fled to the cave of Adullam. It was while David and his men were there that the Philistines had taken Bethlehem and were camped there (1 Chronicles 11:16ff.). Did the Philistines expect to find David there? Regardless, this is where David expressed his desire for a cup of water from his favorite well in Bethlehem, and three of his brave men broke through the Philistine lines to get it for him (1 Chronicles 11:16-19).

If, indeed, David was in the cave of Adullam at the beginning of the battle with the Philistines, I find it interesting and encouraging. God does not waste His efforts. It was at the cave of Adullam that David's family and many of his fighting men came to him. (I now see why his family came to him there. It cannot have been that far from his home in Bethlehem, so that his family could slip away, without being seized by Saul's men.) In the process of David's fleeing from Saul, he found a number of “strongholds” which would serve him well in later years, when he was fighting folks like the Philistines.

In David's first confrontation with the Philistines, it was David whom they were after, and the new king turned to God for guidance. David inquired of God if he was to go up against the Philistines. God instructed him to go up against them, with the assurance that He would give the Philistines into his hands (verse 19). At Baal-perazim David met the enemy and defeated them, naming the place Baal-perazim as a reminder that God had given this “break-through” victory over the enemy. It was there, we are told, that the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David's men gathered them (verse 21). From 1 Chronicles 14:12 we learn that they were gathered in order to be burned.

I noticed in the paper today that Mike Tyson is eager and confident about his boxing rematch with Evander Holyfield, to whom he lost last November. He is not willing to let his defeat stand. He believes that he did not take his opponent seriously enough. The Philistines must have felt the same way about David and the Israelites. They would not give up that easily; they were unwilling to let their first defeat stand. They wanted a rematch. And so they made yet another attack against David. And so once again they spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. (It is almost as though they wished to recreate the first battle all over again, isn't it?) David wondered somewhat the same thing. Should he go up against them, just as he had done before? God's answer was that he should fight the Philistines, but not in the same way he had done in the past. This time, rather than attacking them head-on, David was told to circle around behind them. They were not to attack until they heard the “sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees” (verse 24).

Some seem to think that is was merely the noise of the wind in the trees that concealed the sounds of David's approach. I think there is more to it than this. God is infinite, and He seems to delight in bringing military victory to His people in an endless array of means. He has used a thunderstorm, with its bolts of lightening and rains, which is downright unhealthy for those whose weapons are made of iron, and the mud caused by the rains don't help chariots to function well, either (see 1 Samuel 7:10). God later employed an earthquake to shake up the enemy (1 Samuel 14:15). Earlier, God gave Israel victory over the Amorites by stoning the enemy with hailstones (Joshua 10:11). In 2 Kings chapter 7, God frightened off the Syrian army by causing them to hear the sounds of a great army, yet there was none (verses 6-7). I am therefore inclined to take the words of our text (2 Samuel 5:24) as a report of another great “multimedia presentation” by God, which served to unnerve the enemy and to pave the way for their defeat at the hand of David. This defeat was such that David pursued the Philistines back to their own territory (Gezer is virtually on the border of Philistine territory). The defeat of the Philistines is decisive. Though it was Saul's task to deliver Israel from the Philistines (1 Samuel 9:16), he was killed and Israel was defeated by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31). It was King David who gave Israel relief from the Philistines (2 Samuel 19:9).