The formerly-friendly Jebusites oppose David’s entry into Jerusalem. “Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David)” (2 Samuel 5:7 NKJV). Having heard that David has been made king over all Israel, the Philistines, gather for war. After seeking direction from God, “…David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines…” (2 Samuel 5:25 NKJV).
Pastor Kevin reviews the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15), God’s unconditional granting of the land to His people, the Jews. We see how Joshua’s conquest in accordance with God’s commands is a type of His command for us to destroy the flesh – everything in our lives that wars against God’s complete control. As the Israelites failure to completely obey God’s command to destroy all of the Canaanites had long-lasting consequences for the Jewish nation, so we suffer the consequences of our failure to completely submit to God. Pastor Kevin also draws parallels between David’s relationship with the Jebusites before and after he became king and that the relationship between the Arabs and Jews who lived in the land before and after Israel’s declaration of statehood in 1948. Finally, Pastor Kevin challenges believers to look to David as an example of one who looked to God for direction in all aspects of his life (Proverbs 3:5-7). Maranatha!