Of King David’s House and Our Own

“Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.” 2 Samuel 23:5

It had to extremely difficult for King David, who at the end of his life, acknowledged that not all of his family knew and obeyed God. What was more difficult for him, as it should be for us, is to know that he was at fault for what happened to his sons as a consequence of his sinful actions. Of course, as we learn, the first born of his murderous relationship with Bathsheba died, as another son who was killed by Absalom; whom himself was hung from a tree and killed after he rebelled against his father. Also, as foretold, David’s wives were humiliated openly before the public. Then again there was Michal, his wife; daughter of King Saul, who came to hate him. It was written that she initially loved him, but her father gave her to another man, Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. Five of her sons with Adriel were later executed for what her father, Saul, had done to the Gibeonites. Let’s just say that Saul sought constituent approval; not God’s, and violated an oath that was made to the Gibeonites. David was the one who turned Michal’s sons over for execution. I’m sure that didn’t foster improvement in their relationship. As a matter of fact, after the way Michal scoffed and berated David after she watched him enter Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant; dancing and exposing himself, it was said that David did not see her again. She was childless.   

Now, as a father of three children, I know my many sins, and it would be a lie for me to suggest that my children were not affected by what they observed when I did not obey God. Sin is ugly; destructive. In the marriage relationship, it leads to nothing, but at first, a trail of tears, followed by anger; then hatred, such as was seen in the deterioration of David’s and Michal’s relationship. Without confession and forgiveness, it is inevitable that a wicked trail will lead to destruction; not only affecting our relationship to one and another, but to God. However, what we learn also from this verse is that God, who made an everlasting covenant with David, was true to His name and forgave him; while it is questionable whether such a covenant was extended to everyone in his family; including Michal. Needless to say, we all must carry, as did Michal who bore no sons for David, the consequence of our sin, whatever the result may be even physical death (1 Cor. 5:5). The seed that God chose to carry forward in David’s house (Solomon) came from the woman, Bathsheba, with whom  David had the affair and murdered her husband to cover up his sin. Can you accept from David’s life how God allowed him to bear the consequence of his sin and yet kept His covenant in accordance with his sovereign purpose and grace? How could that be?

David understood the sovereignty of God, even saying in the next line of the verse that God ordered all things; and those things were set (or sure) from time in eternity. If that is difficult to conceive, consider what happened in 2 Samuel 24:1 when the verse states that God moved David against Israel and Judah: “And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.” (See also 1 Ch. 21:1, where it was stated that Satan moved David.) God’s involvement in this does not mean that God participated in David’s past sins or caused him to perform the census. Rather, God permitted the Devil to tempt David even as He permitted Satan to afflict Job (Job 1:6-12) and later to sift Peter’s commitment to the Lord on the night Jesus was taken into custody (Luke 22:31). Why this is essential to know, is because of what David asserts next, ‘for this is all my salvation, and all my desire.’ What David declares here is what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  David knew, as did the prophet Isaiah and the other prominent men of faith that God works all things; good and evil, together for good. For us, today, we live under God’s new covenant; which provides us the assurance of our salvation based on Christ’s death and His righteousness. While we should pray continually for our family; even as David had for his newborn son before he learned that the child died, we must follow David’s example once he knew that God’s decision was final: “So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.” (2 Sam. 12:20)

Indeed, ““Although my house be not so with God…and although he make it not to grow,” we can trust and praise Him for His wisdom and love.