David traveled a long, rocky road to the throne after Samuel anointed him king at age seventeen. He was thirty when the Israelite tribes finally gathered at Hebron to crown him. Despite geographic differences and formerly divided loyalties, they all acknowledged that David was their rightful king.

“All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, ‘We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’” 2 Samuel 5:1-2

King David covenanted with Israel to lead them and then the people made him king over all of the tribes. This was the beginning of David’s forty-year reign.

The Army of Israel

Every able-bodied Israelite man was required to be available for military service. Even before Israel entered the Promised Land Moses took a census of all of the men over age twenty and knew how many were eligible to serve. All of the tribes trained their own soldiers, armed them for warfare, and brought them to the King. More than 346,000 troops were presented to David at Hebron.

“All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.” 1 Chronicles 12:38

Not only were the military men volunteers, their families voluntarily sent enough supplies with them to have a three day feast with the king. While David and his hundreds of thousands of men were celebrating, even more supplies arrived from the far northern tribes on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. Israel was all in for their new king.

“There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.” 1 Chronicles 12:40

There was no better way for King David and his army to get acquainted with each other than at a peaceful three-day festival.

The King’s First Battle

The Philistines managed to invade deep into Israel during King Saul’s reign. Saul lost his last war with them and they were determined to stay and conquer Israel. They also had a grudge against David for deceiving King Achish while raiding Philistine towns. When they heard that all of Israel had crowned David king, they wanted to eliminate him.

David heard about the threat and left Hebron. He returned to his wilderness stronghold where he asked God whether he should go and attack the Philistines at the Valley of Rephaim, just north of Jerusalem.

“The Lord answered him, ‘Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.’” 2 Samuel 5:19

David went to the Valley of Rephaim and defeated the Philistines. He gave God the glory for the victory and named the place Baal Perazim, which means “the Lord breaks out.” The king felt that God had gone before him like a flood and pushed back his enemies. The Philistines retreated so fast that they abandoned their idols and David’s men collected them up and burned them.

The Philistines returned to the Valley of Rephaim later, however, and David inquired of God whether he should go and fight again. The Lord had a creative idea this time. He told David to circle around behind the Philistines and wait for the sounds of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, then follow God into the battle. It worked and David’s army struck down Philistines across the whole region.

David Takes Jerusalem

The Jebusites were an old Canaanite tribe that still occupied the fortress at Jebus, also known as Jerusalem. The Jebusites thought their fortress was impenetrable, but David realized that he could get his men inside through the water supply shaft. He wanted the Jebusite fortress to become his royal city so he marched to Jerusalem and captured it.

“David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.” 2 Samuel 5:9-10

The first foreign king to officially recognize King David was King Hiram of Tyre. He sent envoys to David’s court, along with cedar logs for building his palace and carpenters and stonemasons to do the work. David knew he had arrived. God had established him as king and exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

David Tries to Retrieve the Ark

 The Philistines captured the Ark when Samuel the Prophet was young, long before David was born. Even after it came back to Israel, it wasn’t restored to its proper place at the center of Israel’s worship. Now King David wanted to give the Ark a new home in Jerusalem.

Using his royal authority, David called the Israelites to come and bring the Ark up from its temporary quarters in Kiriath Jearim. Israelites gathered from as far south as the Nile River in Egypt to Lebanon in the north.

“The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.” 1 Chronicles 13:4

David took thirty thousand able young men with him and went to get the Ark. They put it on a new cart and with the two priests, Uzzah and Ahio, walking in front of it, they brought the Ark away from the home of Abinadab in Gath where it had been stored for decades.

God is Displeased with Uzzah the Priest

David and all of Israel celebrated with all their might before the Lord, dancing to every kind of musical instrument. Then suddenly the celebration fell apart. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark.

“The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.” 2 Samuel 6:7

David didn’t know what to do next. He was angry that God killed Uzzah, but, also, “David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, ‘How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 2 Samuel 6:8

David took the Ark to the home of Obed-Edom and left it there for three months while he considered what to do next. God was pleased with the way Obed-Edom cared for the Ark and he blessed his household and everything he had.

What Went Wrong?

Uzzah and Ahio were the sons of Abinidab in Gath, where the Ark had resided since the Philistines returned it more than forty years earlier. They had served as priests for the Ark, but they didn’t prepare themselves well for the responsibility of moving it. There were strict laws regarding how the Ark was to be transported and they didn’t obey them.

The Ark was always to be carried on long poles on the shoulders of Levites and no one was supposed to touch it. If they had carried the Ark properly there would have been no danger of it falling. Uzzah would not have reached out his hand and broken God’s law.

David also failed to prepare himself for dealing with the Ark. One of the requirements of a king of Israel was that he learn the entire Law of Moses. If David had done that he would have known the requirements for moving the Ark and could have spared Uzzah’s life.

David was still a young man who was learning many new things. One of the things he learned was that he shouldn’t rush into God’s presence with his own agenda. Tomorrow we will see David try again to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, this time with more wisdom.