SUNDAY SCHOOL MATERIALS FOR ADULTS

LESSON 7

KING DAVID KEEPS A PROMISE

David had great success in military campaigns. It was not because of his wisdom or
superior numbers. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. The Lord did
this because David kept his vows. Promises must be kept. It is God who gives success and
victory. Our salvation is by the love and grace of God. We may all have His preserving power
as David did, and on the same conditions.

MEMORY VERSE: Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow
and not pay. – Ecclesiastes 5:5

Enemies Subdued

2 Samuel 8:1-14 After God gave David the wonderful news of the coming Messiah,
David fought battles with the surrounding peoples. The Philistines, Moab, a combination of
Syrian kingdoms, and Edom all felt the power of his mighty sword. In the statement: And the
Lord preserved David whithersoever he went, we find the secret of David's success over
his enemies.
In gratitude for the defeat of his enemy, the king of Zobah, King Toi of Hamath sent
thanks and gifts of silver, gold, and brass to David. David dedicated these and other gifts and
spoils to the Lord to be used later in the building of the temple. The kingdom of Israel
increased in size and strength, as well as internal solidarity. The record further tells of David's
conquests of Ammon and their hired Syrian allies. Again we read, And the Lord preserved
David . . . .

Administrative Genius

2 Samuel 8:15-18 The organization of the kingdom was the result of long years of effort and planning on
the part of David. He was the head, the "anointed of the Lord." He was the leader of a great nation. In him God
had placed all the qualities of kingship that characterized an ideal king.
Under the king were countless officials in Jerusalem and throughout the land who administered the
numerous activities of the government. Some of these were: the keeper of the treasury, the recorder of records,
the scribe or secretary, and many counselors, who were David's own sons. He had his advisors, one of whom
was the prophet, Nathan. Then there were the priests who headed the religious system, and the leaders of armies
and affairs of war. There were overseers of his royal estate, and hundreds who cared for his storehouses.
It must be remembered that in spite of these intricate details of an amazing organization, David always
thought of himself as the representative of the Divine Sovereign. To Him, he was directly responsible, and he
tried to be a king after God's own heart. He executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.

A Vow Kept

2 Samuel 9:1-4 At the height of his power, when there was a pause in his political duties, David thought of
Jonathan, his dearly loved friend, son of King Saul. He remembered the day when he fled for his life from Saul,
and Jonathan helped him. He remembered his vow made then (1 Samuel 20:14-15, 1 Samuel 20:42) to show
kindness forever to Jonathan's house. He must keep it. To do so, he started a search, found a servant of Saul, and
through him, a crippled son of Jonathan. The only member of Saul's house who was still alive was
Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, who lived in hiding in the home of Machir, a wealthy citizen of Lo-debar.
© 2014 Church of God King David Keeps a Promise ─ Lesson 7 www.GodsAcres.org
SUNDAY SCHOOL MATERIALS FOR ADULTS
LESSON 7

The youth, Mephibosheth, having been fortunate enough to escape destruction when his family was
destroyed had also been unfortunate. The Bible records that when he was five years old, upon learning of Israel's
defeat at Mount Gilboa, and the death of Saul and Jonathan, his nurse took up the child and fled. In her haste to
get away, she dropped him and he became lame in both feet (2 Samuel 4:4). Incapable of contributing to his
own support, he found shelter in the neighborhood where his uncle, Ishbosheth, had unsuccessfully set up his
kingdom in rebellion against David. Here he lived neglected and unknown until this time.

Kindness to Mephibosheth

2 Samuel 9:5-10 David now called Mephibosheth to him. In dejection and with fearful heart he fell on his
face before the king, ready to hear words of condemnation and death for himself as the last descendant of Saul.
Instead, for the sake of Jonathan, his father, David restored unto him all the land of Saul, made him a member of
his own house, and invited him to eat regularly at the king's table as one of his sons.
In gratitude, Mephibosheth cried out, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as
I am?" Instead of disgrace and shame and death as the descendant of Saul, David's worst enemy, Mephibosheth,
now became a member of the royal family. The restored land was put into the hands of Ziba to till and take care
of. And all of this because David had so greatly loved Jonathan, the father.
This is a touching scene, as David, at the zenith of his power, reveals the true nature of his character. As
king, he would have had every right to do away with this despised descendant of Saul. But power and success
had not changed his inner nature. "For Jonathan's sake" and "the kindness of God" are expressions from the lips
of David that show his heart was filled with love to God and his fellow men.

David's Nature

David felt obligated to keep his vow to Jonathan because he loved him dearly. His sincere promise was
binding. Someone has said, "Make few promises, but keep those you make." We must keep promises just as God
keeps His promises. Children should be taught the sacredness of a promise. The only time a promise should be
broken is when it will be a sin to keep it.
Today we have seen David at war. This is the strong, commanding, severe side of David's nature. He was a
man of war and shed much blood. This is partly the reason for God's refusal of David's plan to build a temple of
worship.
David also had another side, shown in his treatment of Mephibosheth, and in his desire to keep his vow.
Mephibosheth's experience may be considered a type of salvation. In God's sight the sinner is even more
helpless and more worthy of condemnation than Mephibosheth. Yet even while we were sinners, Christ died for
us, and through His death we are cleansed of our sin and restored to our rightful position as sons of God, and
members of His family. Jesus invites us, unworthy though we are, to sit at His table and partake of His body and
blood.
In continual fightings of the Old Testament, we see in Israel the physical counterpart of the Christian's
battles against those spiritual forces that are continually opposing him. Joshua, David, and other great warriors
of Israel were not only fighting political and military battles, they were at the same time fighting the forces of
darkness and heathenism which were intent on destroying God's people and true religion.
It is significant that in Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan sees Christian fitted out as a warrior before he
makes his way to the City of Zion. He was led into the armory where he was shown all manner of equipment
which the Lord had provided for pilgrims: sword, shield, helmet, breastplate, all-prayer, and shoes that would
not wear out. God will preserve us as He did David if we keep our promise to Him.

This lesson is adapted from a lesson by Mary Lehmann.

© 2014 Church of God King David Keeps a Promise ─ Lesson 7 www.GodsAcres.org