Fit to be King - Today’s lesson reminds us how far David has come-from sheepherder to shepherd of Israel, from boy to king, from eighth son to throne. Representatives arrive at David’s HQ with the request for him to become their king. Recent events have led them to the request: their current king, Ishbosheth, has just been assassinated with no successor in sight. Their mighty military commander Abner too, is dead so in desperation they turn to David. [1]

Fit for a King - Why would David want Jerusalem? He had headquartered in Hebron for quite some time. Some suggest that Jerusalem would provide a "neutral ground" between the northern and southern tribes. Perhaps. But Jerusalem also had a history of nasty resistance to invasion-it was believed impregnable. To conquer Jerusalem would add great credibility and prestige to David’s newly united realm.

NIB Quote -

The text encourages us to reflect on the importance of holy place in religious experience. In our mobile society, we lose sight of the possibilities for place as a bearer of tradition and a repository for the sense of God’s presence. . . This vision reminds us of the larger vision that our modest places must always serve and be judged by. When the places of our religious life begin to become "our" places rather than God’s place-when we exclude and have failed to open to God’s more inclusive vision-then we need to hear again the story of Jerusalem with its beginnings in conquest and its completion as the crown of God’s coming kingdom. Like Jerusalem, our places can be transformed by the vision of God’s presence. [2]

Notice the life-map that the text suggests of David: from shepherd of sheep to shepherd of people. Sketch out your own time-line of God’s activity in your life. Note important moments, watersheds, low points, changes of directions, etc. What could you conclude about your own journey from "shepherd of sheep," to "shepherd of Israel?"

Please see the sermon for this week on DPS based on this text.

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible II (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998), page 1233.
[2] Ibid, page 1239.