Been reading through 1 and 2 Samuel (in the 1599 Geneva Bible this time – a challenging read, but good) and one thing jumped out to me that I hadn’t really focused on before. That’s the amount of time David had to wait between when something was promised and when it came true.

Let’s look at a few examples:
David was probably a teenager, maybe 14 or 15 years old when anointed as the next king (1 Sam. 16). However, in 2 Sam. 5:4 we find that at least fifteen years elapsed before David was actually crowned king, as he was thirty years old when he became king over the tribe of Judah. The time in between was a difficult period of attempts on his life, being hunted by the king, living in caves, living among foreigners, etc.

David was 30 when he became king in Hebron, but it was another 7 years before he became king over all of Israel. This was a time marked by political unrest, with most of what was supposed to be his kingdom being ruled by a son of Saul, as well as issues in his own ranks with the impetuous of the sons of Zeruiah.

After assuming the throne in Jerusalem, David desired to build a house (of worship) for God. However, this too was delayed as it was not David who would build it, but rather David’s son Solomon. And David was also promised peace and an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7), something that was not physically fulfilled in his lifetime or even in his sons’ lifetimes, but rather in Christ and His kingdom (and ultimately not fully fulfilled until the future new heavens and new earth).

Yet another thing that stands out is how despite the long wait, David did not try to force these promised things sooner than God had ordained. He did not try to take the kingdom from Saul; nor did he try to wrest it away from Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son. No indication is given that he was discontent to return to the sheep after being anointed as the next king of Israel. Instead, he carried out what he needed to be doing at the present time, leaving the future to God and trusting in His promises of what He would eventually do.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”