King David did what most kings do when setting up his administration. He appointed men he knew and trusted from years spent together in the fields of battle. Most of them were from his corps of mighty men.

Joab was in charge of the army despite the fact that David cursed him and his family after Joab killed Abner. He was very successful as a warrior and general and he was loyal to Israel and his king. There must have been mutual respect between them despite their differences.

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was part of David’s personal body guard in the early days. He entered the story David’s reign in the annals of the kings.

Zadok and Ahimelek were chief priests ministering in David’s court. Seraiah was David’s secretary and Benaiah was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites who probably made up David’s bodyguards.

There was one more category of men who served in David’s court, his own sons. They were chief officials at his side. They achieved this status merely by being born into David’s family. We will learn more about the character of David’s sons as we continue reading.

The Priestly Class

During the time of the judges some of the priests and Levites lost their way. There was the young Levite in Judges 17 & 18, who helped Micah and his household with idol worship. He went with the tribe of Dan when they stole Micah’s silver idol and took it to Laish. He and his sons led the worship of God, but mixed it with idolatry.

There was also the Levite whose concubine ran away, whom he later gave up to be abused and killed by the men of Gibeah in Judges 19. That Levite started a civil war that nearly wiped out the tribe of Benjamin.

By the end of the period of the judges the high priest Eli and his sons were so corrupt that God cursed their descendants and eventually ended their priesthood.

King David refined the priesthood. At first he was unfamiliar with priestly roles, but once he understood them he quickly elevated the priests back to their proper places.

First their names and lineages were recorded in 1 Chronicles 6. Then David provided them with equipment to carry out their tasks.

He re-instituted worship at the tabernacle and made it better than ever by adding the ministry of music to it. In the list of Kohathite musicians we find Asaph who authored twelve psalms. King David fostered that kind of creativity.

It was a new golden age for the priests. Worship, which was a hallmark of David’s life, flourished again in Israel.

David and Mephibosheth

David remembered his dear friend Jonathan and he wondered what had become of Jonathan’s family. He summoned Ziba who had been a servant in Saul’s household and asked,

“Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” 2 Samuel 9:3

Ziba knew that there was still one son of Jonathan living in Manasseh. It was Mephibosheth who was dropped by his nurse as a little boy when she fled with him after King Saul died. He was disabled and had a hard life. When David sent for Mephibosheth the young man felt so low that he said to the king,

“What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” 2 Samuel 9:7

David had only kindness in his heart for Mephibosheth.

“’Don’t be afraid,’ David said to him, ‘for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’” 2 Samuel 9:7

Mephibosheth was suddenly royalty again. David gave him the services of Ziba and his family to manage the property that belonged to King Saul, and Mephibosheth moved to Jerusalem where he was always welcome at the king’s table.

David honored his friend Jonathan by caring for Jonathan’s son. And he honored his predecessor King Saul by keeping his royal estate intact. Finally, he honored God by keeping his promises to Jonathan and Saul and showing kindness to Mephibosheth in the Lord’s name.

David and the Ammonites

King Nahash of the Ammonites died and David decided to send condolences to his son Hanun.

“David thought, ‘I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.’ So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.” 2 Samuel 10:2

The Bible doesn’t say what sort of kindness King Nahash had shown David; King Nahash was not known for being a kind man.

Early in King Saul’s reign Nahash attacked the tribe of Gad and when they asked for a peace treaty his terms were that all of the men would have their right eyes gouged out (1 Samuel 11:1-15) Saul swooped in and defeated Ammon at that time, and rescued Gad.

King Nahash’s son Hanun was no better than his father. When David’s envoys arrived with a message of sympathy, Hanun listened to his commanders and treated the envoys like suspected spies. He shaved their beards and cut off their clothes, humiliating them so much that they couldn’t even go home.

War with Ammon

Ammon was not really prepared for war with Israel, so when they realized the consequences of what Hanun had done, they quickly hired mercenary soldiers from Aram. They set up a defense around their capitol city gate and stationed battalions in the surrounding areas so they could attack from two sides if Israel marched upon them.

David sent Joab to Ammon with the entire army of fighting men. When they arrived Joab scoped out the situation and divided his best fighters into two companies to attack on both fronts. He led his men against the Arameans in the field and his brother Abhishai attacked the Ammonites at the city.

The mercenaries from Aram ran away when they saw Joab and the army advancing upon them. When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they also turned and ran into the city and shut the gates. Joab and Abishai had no one left to fight so they returned to Jerusalem.

King David wasn’t finished with Ammon and the Arameans, though. This time he led the army himself and crossed the Jordan to do battle with the Arameans who were still in the region.

The Arameans fought at first, but then they turned and ran away from Israel again. This time David and his army pursued them and killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak, the commander of their army.

These Aramean mercenaries were vassals of King Hadadezer of Lebanon. They were a long way from home, so when they were routed by Israel they made peace with David and became his subjects. They weren’t willing to help Ammon against Israel anymore and peace was achieved by removing Ammon’s means of making war.

How David Learned to be a King

What prepares a man to become a king? Most kings are carefully trained up from childhood, tutored in all of the things a king must know.

But David was trained to be a shepherd. His prospects as the eighth son in Jesse’s household were modest. His father probably planned for him to marry someday and have a family. He might inherit a small part of his father’s estate, but mostly he would have been expected to work in the family business and never amount to much.

God didn’t see David the way the rest of the world did, however. God looked at David’s heart and saw a warrior, a poet, and a king. So he took David from the sheep pens and put him into his own training program. He tested and tried David and David passed every test on his way to the throne.

God loved David and was with him. As long as David maintained his integrity and obedience to God, he would live a victorious life. God would deliver him from every enemy. The only thing that could defeat David would be some kind of weakness within him – which, sadly, we will read about tomorrow.