April 8 Daily Devotional

2 Samuel 2–7

After the death of Saul, David enquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord answered, “Go up … unto Hebron.” So David went up thither. And the men of Judah came and there they made him king over Judah, the southern part of the land of Canaan. Later he became king over the whole land. David was thirty years old when he began to rule, and the Lord was with him.

David made the city of Jerusalem the capital of the land and called it the City of David. There he built a beautiful palace for himself. At that time the ark of the covenant was at Kirjath­jearim. David went with all the people to bring the ark to Jerusalem. With rejoicing and all manner of music they brought it and set it in the tent which the king had made for it. Jerusalem became not only the seat of the government, but also the center of Israel’s worship. “For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.” Psalm 132:13. The great festivals were celebrated at Jerusalem. The pious Israelite longed for this city in the day of trouble; there he felt the nearness of the Lord; and in days of joy he longed to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving.

David became a great and powerful king. He subdued many nations and extended his kingdom beyond the borders of Canaan. He looked up to God for guidance and executed judgment and justice among all his people. As he dwelt in his royal house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies, he said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.” David wanted to build a house of God, a proper place for sacrifice and worship. Nathan replied, “Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee.” But the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me a house? …The Lord will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee … and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son … Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever.”

This was a promise of God, that at some future time the Savior, the Eternal King, should be born of David’s descendants. So he rejoiced greatly and said, “Who am I, O Lord, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? … And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true.”