1. Notice the condition of Is´ra-el at his accession. This will throw into relief the greatness of his character and his achievements.
1.) It was a subject people. Under Phi-lis´tine yoke; its warriors slain, many of its cities deserted; Da´vid himself probably at first tributary to the king of Gath.
2.) It was a disorganized people. The tribes were divided; national unity was lost; and two thrones were set up, one at He´bron, the other at Ma-ha-na´-im (2 Sam. 2. 4-9).
3.) It was a people without religion. The tabernacle was gone; the ark was in neglect; there was no altar and no sacrifice; the priests had been slain.
We can scarcely imagine Is´ra-el at a lower ebb than when Da´vid was called to the throne.
2. We ascertain Da´vid's achievements, the results of his reign. 1.) He united the tribes. At first crowned king by Ju´dah only, later he was made king over all the tribes, by the desire of all (2 Sam. 5. 1-5). During his reign we find but little trace of the old feud between E´phra-im and Ju´dah, though it was not dead, and destined yet to rend the kingdom asunder.
2.) He subjugated the land. The conquest of Pal´es-tine, left incomplete by Josh´u-a, and delayed for nearly three hundred years, was finished at last by Da´vid in the capture of Je´bus, or Je-ru´sa-lem (2 Sam. 5. 6, 7), in the overthrow of the Phi-lis´tines (2 Sam. 5. 17-25), and in the final capture of their capital city (1 Chron. 18. 1). At last Is´ra-el was possessor of its own land.
3.) He organized the government. He established a capital (2 Sam. 5. 9). He built a palace (2 Sam. 5. 11); notice that the builders were from Tyre, showing that the Is´ra-el-ites were not advanced in the arts. He established a system of government, with officers in the court and throughout the realm (1 Chron. 27. 25-34). Contrast all this with Saul, who ruled from his tent, like a Bed´ou-in sheik.
4.) He established an army. There was a royal bodyguard, probably of foreigners, like that of many European kings in modern times (2 Sam. 8. 18; 15. 18). There was a band of heroes, like Arthur's Round Table (2 Sam. 23. 8-39). There was "the host," the available military force, divided into twelve divisions, one on duty each month (1 Chron. 27. 1-15).