The King's City

Q: What does the Bible say about the significance of David taking Jerusalem?

David's conquest of Jerusalem symbolizes Christ's victory over sin and death. David's taking of Jerusalem is not merely a historical event but a profound symbol that points to Christ's ultimate triumph. Just as David fought against the seemingly invincible Jebusites, Christ confronts the fortresses of sin, death, and rebellion. David's victory illustrates that what appears impossible for humanity is entirely within the realm of God's capability. The Jebusites believed they were secure in their stronghold, much like humanity is often prideful in their sin, but David's success demonstrates the power of divine intervention through God's chosen leader. This victorious image is fulfilled in Christ, who conquers the hearts of sinners through His grace, breaking the chains of sin and granting salvation.

Q: Why is understanding Christ as King important for Christians?

Recognizing Christ as King assures us of His authority to save and rule our lives. Understanding Christ as King is central to Christian faith because it emphasizes His sovereign authority over all creation and His ability to redeem His people. David's establishment as king over Jerusalem was a necessary step in fulfilling God's promise, which serves as a precursor to Christ's reign over His eternal kingdom. Just as David actively pursued the Jebusites, Christ seeks out sinners, establishing His rule not just externally, but internally within the hearts of believers. This recognition is vital for Christians as it instills confidence in the inherent power of Christ to transform lives and ensure the security of our salvation.

Q: How does the conquest of Jerusalem relate to the gospel message?

David's conquest serves as a picture of the gospel's transformative power through Christ. The conquest of Jerusalem illustrates the gospel message by showcasing the transformation that occurs when Christ enters a life previously dominated by sin. As David overcame the Jebusites, so Christ overcomes the hardness of human hearts. The symbolic act of David entering through the gutter, a seemingly insignificant and shameful point, highlights how God frequently uses humble means to achieve great victories. This serves as a reminder that salvation comes not through human merit but through Christ's humble submission and ultimate sacrifice. Thus, the message of the gospel stands firmly on hope and divine victory rather than human strength.

Q: What does 'nevertheless' indicate in the context of salvation?

'Nevertheless' underscores the hope that, despite our failings, Christ still brings salvation. 'Nevertheless' is a powerful term in scripture reflecting God's grace despite human unworthiness. This term echoes throughout the narrative of David conquering Jerusalem. Despite the apparent strength of the Jebusites and the obstacles, David succeeded because of God’s promise. In the same way, our lives are often marred by sin and doubt, yet God asserts that through Christ, our failures do not nullify His grace. This assurance should propel believers to find confidence in God's promise that salvation does not depend on our performance, but on His faithfulness and ability to overcome our sinfulness. It speaks to the heart of the gospel, reminding us that Christ's power is greater than any barrier we perceive.

If you would, go ahead and turn with me again tonight to 2 Samuel chapter 5. My title tonight is The King's City. The King's City. Last study we touched on verses 6 and 7, and we want to look at this passage here in chapter 5 a little closer, beginning in verse 6. 2 Samuel 5 verse 6, And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither. thinking David cannot come in hither.

Now a little history on the Jebusites. They were one of the Canaanite tribes living in the land of Canaan before Israel's victories under Joshua. You remember God promised Israel the promised land. They entered into it and they started with Jericho and they begin to eliminate these enemies. But these Jebusites were most famous for inhabiting Jerusalem, which at that time was called Jebus, for Jebusites.

And they controlled the surrounding area. And the scriptures, interesting enough, traces their ancestry back to a man named Canaan. And Canaan was the son of Ham, who was the son of Noah. And in Genesis 9, 25, it tells us, it cursed be Canaan. A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And this curse foretold that Canaan's descendants, the Canaanites, all these Canaanite nations that Joshua and them defeated, they didn't defeat them all. as you remember, including these Jebusite descendants would eventually be subdued. And just as you know, centuries later, when Israel entered that promised land under Joshua, many of these nations were conquered again, but not all of them.

But these Jebusites, still reigned in Jerusalem is called Jebus before David's reign. And tonight we're going to see David's conquest after all these years of finally driving the Jebusites out of Israel and taking that city to be Israel's. And it's called the city of David. Jebus, Jerusalem was a city that Israel had been unable to possess for generations, but that's going to change.

And David's conquering of this famous city points us again to Christ, as all scripture does, especially David, who is a marvelous type. The son of David is David's Lord, and he conquers the deceitful hearts of sinners that seem impossible to reclaim.

And David's victory in these verses again point us to the Lord's finished work, who secures the kingdom of heaven for his people. Heaven is secure. The Lord has gone to prepare a place for his people. It's secure because of the Lord Jesus Christ. made heaven possible for sinners and wretches like us.

So the first thing we see, and we touched on it last time briefly, is that the city of Jerusalem was a stronghold that natural Israel could not in and of themselves conquer. The Jebusites still lived there. But David, as God's king, would. Did you hear me? David is God's king would, and yet we see that the Jebusites were so confident that their city would never be taken. And humanly speaking, Jerusalem seemed undefeatable. It's the same with our hearts. There's such a picture, fallen humanities under the dominion of sin and cannot free itself. God's got to divinely intervene. Christ, the King of King has got to divinely intervene, interrupt into our lives.

Romans 5.21 declares that sin hath reigned unto death. Scripture reveals to us all to be the servants of sin.

God's word reveals that sin reigns, Romans 5.21. Scripture says both Jews and Gentiles, they are all under sin. That takes in the whole scheme of humanity that doesn't leave anyone out. You're either a Jew or Gentile, so you're covered in that. All under sin is what God said. Only Christ can break that reign, Romans 6. The gospel isn't just advice for improvement. That's how many men preach it today. The gospel is being delivered from a ruling, reigning, captive power.

And the Jebusites, as I've said, have occupied Jerusalem for hundreds of years now, and they arrogantly sit within their elevated, heavily fortified city, And with great confidence, they mock David saying that his attempt is futile to take their city. They are sarcastically saying to him, except I'll take away the blind and the lame. You shall not come in hither, verse six. And in essence, what they were saying was this, you're not ever gonna take our city.

It's too fortified. Our walls are too big. Our gates are too strong. You're not taking our city. The stronghold, this stronghold they believed to have so well pictures our human heart apart from God's grace. A sinner's heart is just naturally fortified against God. Sin reigns there. You're not gonna deliver yourself. You're not gonna give yourself a new heart. That's God's doing, and only God can do it. That's what Paul meant when he said, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, talking about his own heart, his own soul.

He said, dwelleth no good thing. against popular belief by many. Man doesn't start out being good and then just do a few things wrong and then partially bad. No, he's born bad. Bad to the bone, as they say. We're conceived in sin. We come forth from the womb speaking lies. There's none that doeth good. No, not one. Has God revealed that to you about yourself? if he has thinking, because you'll never have a need of a position until you see your need of such.

Pride occupies the stony throne of the heart, and Satan in the scriptures referred to as the strong man who keeps his palace, his city, and his goods in place. And the king of kings has got to break into this thing here. I don't know what to call it. Deceitful above all things, desperately wicked. We call it a heart.

The Jebusites thought themselves secure. Natural man imagines the same. Humanity resists God's authority. They believe they can keep Christ outside. Yet, every saved sinner, every believer knows that Christ conquered a fortress that seemed impossible to conquer. The gospel begins with this reality.

We were not seeking Christ. Christ came seeking us, and He conquered us. Aren't you glad He did? Boy, I sure am. No other way for us to be saved. Secondly, we see the King who came to claim the invincible city. David didn't admire Jerusalem from a distance. He didn't say, well, you know, that'd be a good place for God's people to reign. God gave us this land hundreds of years ago. It'd be nice. Maybe someday we'll try to take that. No, sir. He didn't admire it from a distance. He came to take it. He came to possess it. And like the Lord Jesus Christ, He did not come to supervise how His elect would fare on their own. The kind of teaching that we're here today. God's watching us from a distance. God's keeping an eye on us to see how we're going to fare on our own. No sir. No sirree. Nobody would ever be saved if that was the case. God doesn't watch us from a distance. He did not come to offer His people advice from time to time. Okay, now you're sliding a little to the left or you're sliding a little to the right here. You need to get back on track. No, that's not what the Lord does.

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Well, if everyone's lost and He's come to save everybody, most people don't know they're lost. Maybe it would be better to say that He comes to seek and to save that which He's revealed to them that they're lost. Right? Because if you're lost, if you're not lost, you don't even need to be found.

David marched toward this very place that resisted him. David took the city that mocked him and said, you'll never take our city. David came to take what God had promised to give his ancestors hundreds of years before. And hear me when I say, our great King, the Lord Jesus, did the same. He did the same. So it is with salvation. Christ comes to rebels. He comes to those who are dead and trespasses in sin. He comes to those who would never ever surrender apart from His grace. Does that sound like you? Thank God if it does. The wonder of the Gospel is not that sinners seek Christ, but that Christ seeks sinners. And naturally speaking, there's none that seeketh after God. Someone told me not long ago, I found Jesus. Didn't know He was lost. You're the one that's lost. He found you.

Thirdly, we see that the stronghold falls before the King. Verse seven, nevertheless, oh, what a beautiful word. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion. The same is the city of David. It's not Jebus anymore. It's Jerusalem, the city of David. David is God's chosen king, goes up against an entrenched, humanly undefeatable fortress, and he takes it. He takes it by force. Zion becomes the center of His reign as King. And Zion points forward to the place where God sets His King and dwells with His people. What David does physically, the Lord Jesus does spiritually and permanently. What David accomplished only in part, the Lord Jesus accomplished completely through His cross and His resurrection, defeating all His enemies and ours. Our enemies are His enemies, and His enemies become our enemies.

You see, we're one. We're one. You don't separate the two. And He establishes His eternal kingdom. So the teaching is this. David's victory in Zion pictures Christ's victory. That's what this whole book is about. How the Lord Jesus defeated sin and Satan on our behalf and gave us the keys to life eternal. The stronghold falls before the King. And Zion becomes the throne of an earthly king. Yet again, this directs our eye to the greater king who overcomes every spiritual fortress.

And there's a bunch of them. There's a bunch of things that always get in the way. They're strongholds, they're fortresses. And He gathers His redeemed people and He reigns over His heavenly kingdom. He is our King, capital K, the King of kings. That simply means that all kings are under this King. He's the King's King. He's David's King. He's our King.

And again, that word nevertheless. In verse seven, boy, that's just full of gospel hope, isn't it? But God, who's rich in mercy, nevertheless. The enemy said it wouldn't happen. The city appeared impregnable. The obstacles seemed overwhelming. Nevertheless, David took it. Isn't that the truth of Christ? Our enemy said, no, it's not gonna happen. Listen, when God does something, it is never the less.

It's always the more. It's always the more. The sinner says, my heart's too hard. My heart's too wicked. The devil says, that soul belongs to me. The world says, nothing ever changes. Everything's the same. Yet when Christ determines to save, every single barrier fails and falls. No match for Him. He's God. He's God in the flesh. Your Savior is God. Your Father is God. He's out to do you good. The Gospel is a story of the divine conquest. At Calvary, Christ defeated sin. At the empty tomb, the Lord defeated death. Christ defeated unbelief.

There was a time when you and I could not believe. We could not believe. Because we were dead. A dead man can't believe. You can tell a dead man anything, and he won't believe it. Because he's dead. And you know, when we say something like that, well, go tell a dead man, well, that's being ridiculous. Yet that's what men preach. Well, you need to come to the front. You need to give your heart to Jesus. You need to let go and let God. You're dead. How are you going to do that?

Divine conquest. Zion becomes the king's dwelling place. Verse seven tells us that after the city was taken, it became the city of David. This conquered city, Jerusalem, became the residence of David. What a beautiful picture of salvation this is. When Christ saves a sinner, He doesn't forgive them and depart. He comes to dwell with them. He lives with us. He dwells with us. The believer becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Men have just taken that and just made a whole religion out of it. That's why men become monks and move off and hide in a cave. That's going to keep them from sinning. Listen, they took the problem with them. That's the heart. Sin follows us because sin's what we are.

The heart that once belonged to sin becomes now the dwelling place of God. The fortress of rebellion becomes a sanctuary of worship. The place where sin once dwelled now becomes the place where the Spirit of God resides in you. Christ in you is what? The hope of glory. It's the place where Christ reigns. 1 Corinthians 6, 9. What?

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? In the Old Testament, God's presence was associated with the tabernacle. God dwelt with His people in the tabernacle, and later, Our story tonight, later on, as we'll see in future studies, it became the place where Solomon built the temple.

But, and let me say this, though we will always fall short, yet out of love for Christ, and what he's done for us, God's people strive They strive to glorify God in all that they say, and all that they think, and all they do, and we just fail miserably.

So miserably that oftentimes we doubt our own salvation. Satan says to us, you know, a real believer wouldn't do that. A real believer wouldn't act like that. And it's easy to believe, isn't it? Because it's true. But, thank God, I thank God every single day that it's not based upon what I do. My salvation is not based upon what I do. And you know, there will be people that will disagree with you on that. If salvation is according to the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, then it doesn't have anything to do with me. And in the New Testament, Christ dwells with His people here. He dwells with us in our hearts. And in Christ, we glorify God perfectly. He makes our bodies temples of the Holy Ghost.

Verse 8. I look at this verse, I've been looking at it a lot since last week, and it's been such a blessing to me. Verse 8, And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. Now, the reference here to the blind and the lame in verses 6-8, have generated a lot of discussion because the wording is difficult when it's translated in the Hebrew. The immediate historical meaning is that the Jebusites were mocking God, as I've already said. They were mocking David and therefore mocking David's God.

And they were so confident in Jerusalem's defenses that they essentially said, Hey, even the blind and the lame can keep you out. You're no threat to me. You're no threat to us. Even a blind and a lame can keep you out. And then David turns their taunt back against them.

And there's a great, great spiritual lesson found here in verses 8 concerning the blind and the lame. By the blind and the lame cannot enter into the kingdom by their own strength." That's the Scripture that teaches that through this whole book. This speaks of all sinners spiritually speaking. We're spiritually blind to God's truth. 2 Corinthians 4. We are lame and unable to walk in God's ways. Romans 3. 10-12. All of us are blind and lame before God. All of us.

But the Gospel declares that Christ welcomes the blind and the lame. That's the difference. You know, I love how David's a type of Christ, and I love how David's not a type of Christ. I love how Christ takes it to the next level. David calls for the death of the blind and the lame that opposed him, but that's who Christ came to save. Isn't that something? And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them, Matthew chapter 21. Did you hear that? The blind and the lame came to Him and He healed them.

Yet if the blind and the lame reject and oppose Christ, they're going to perish too. And then we see the greater David reverses the curse. David's kingdom was established through military conquest. They took the city by force. Christ's kingdom is established through redemption and healing and forgiveness and blood. The shedding of His own blood. The blind receive their sight. The lame walk. The spiritually dead are made alive. John the Baptist is in prison.

He's a man just like the rest of us. He begins to doubt. He sends his disciples out and says, go inquire of the Lord. Is He the One? Is He really the One? And this is after John at Christ's baptism said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And now he's in prison. And now fear and doubt begin to enter into his heart. And he says, Ask Him if He's the one or do we look for another? And you remember what the Lord said? You tell John that the blind receive their sight. You tell John that the lame walk. You tell John that the dead rise.

You see, friends, those who could not enter by merit are brought in by grace. I love that. In 2 Samuel 5, the blind and the lame are part of the Jebusites' mockery, but in the gospel, the blind and the lame are among the first to experience the mercy of the Son of David. And that's so encouraging to me because that's what we are spiritually. We're blind and we're lame and we're dead in trespasses and sin. And the greater David doesn't merely conquer a fortress here, he conquers sin and then he welcomes the weak and the broken and the blind and the helpless into his kingdom.

Come ye that labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest. I'll make you rest. I'll cause you to rest. One other observation in verse 8 is how David and his men took this fortress. Did you notice? It was through the gutter. The Lord delivers His people through and from the gutter of humanity. The gutter mentioned here could have likely been a hidden water shaft, many of the commentators say, but you know what? I tend to believe that it was a sewer drain. A gutter, that's what I think of when I hear the word gutter. Detestable, stinky, nasty.

That's how every sinner is given the kingdom. Through the sewer of depravity, they reach the glory of heavenly Jerusalem in Christ. Isn't that something? These words aren't just, you know, bad translations. They mean something. This is how every sinner is given the kingdom.

What a picture this gives us of God's wisdom in granting victory while at the same time showing us the futility of trusting in what seems to be an impregnable defense. God brings victory through what seems insignificant. Think about that for a second.

Jerusalem's People trusted their walls and mocked David as if access was impossible. The Jebusites, they resided in Jebus, which is now Jerusalem. And they trusted in their walls and they said, you're not gonna get in there. You're not gonna break into our city. Yet the decisive entry point was not the visible gate of strong defense. It was a sewer, a gutter.

The point's simple. God often routes his purposes through what people overlook or just dismiss as insignificant. Pride is bypassed and humility is the entrance. How did Christ come into his kingdom? Through the humility of the cross. The Jebusites represent confidence and self-made security. The gutter represents the opposite. God used the low, concealed, unglamorous way of access of the cross to gain victory over the enemy.

I think it was Sunday I mentioned, or recently anyway, that the religious leaders of our Lord's day, his own people, by the way, Jews. Oh, they riled up the Romans to crucify the Lord, but the Jews are the one that killed him, his own people, the one that killed him. And they pulled up chairs to watch him die on the cross.

And I pictured this in my mind so many times, they're sitting there, this is a big party. It's like sitting there watching the Superbowl or the championship game in basketball, you know, they're having a good time. We pulled up chaired, look, we've got this, we took care of it. We successful in what we wanted to do.

And it was proof that God chooses the weak things to confound the things that are mighty. God's kingdom advances through unexpected means. What looks like a weak point becomes the point of breakthrough. Isn't that something? What a picture. We repeatedly see in scripture that God advances His reign, not through obvious human strength, but through what the world would never choose, what the world calls foolishness. What does the world call foolishness? Preaching? Gospel preaching? It's the means that God uses to save his people.

You never get in this city. God says, yeah, I will. And it won't be the way you think. We ain't going to bust through your gates. We're going to come in through the sewer of humanity. Christ became a man. My, my. Without sin. To save those who were nothing but sin.

Jerusalem, no fortress can stand against God's promise. God gave this promise, all the land to be yours, and all these years later, God's promise stands. Jerusalem was invincible in human terms, but the gutter shows us that what is impossible with man is not at all difficult with God.

Do you believe that? He can do anything. Do you believe that? I do. He can do anything. He can do everything. I can't do nothing. That's a double negative, ain't it? That's poor English. It's true. I can't do nothing. And here we have a quiet warning against spiritual self-security. The Jebusites thought their position made them untouchable. Spiritually, that mirrors any and every attitude of self-confidence.

And next we see the David's kingdom continues to grow. Look at verse nine. So David dwelt in the fort and called it the city of David. And David built roundabout from Milo and inward. And David went on and grew great. And the Lord God of hosts was with him. David's kingdom was established and it just kept expanding.

Christ, likewise, does not merely save sinners. And then says, okay, I'm leaving now. I'm gonna go prepare a place for you. Hope everything works out all right. No, the Lord doesn't do that. He continues to teach us. He continues to enable us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him. Christ builds His church. He strengthens His people. He advances His kingdom. The gospel is not merely about conversion only. It's about Christ's continued reign. He's on the throne. He's always been on the throne. And he's on the throne now. And where he is, so are we.

The same king who conquers the heart continues to strengthen and conform and preserve his people until the day of glory. And on that day when Christ returns, or if it's tonight for me, if I go out to meet God tonight, I'll be perfect in the eyes of Him and He'll accept me in the beloved God's will, the Lord Jesus. He's gonna preserve us until the day of glory.

So we see clearly in these verses David's capture of an earthly city, but we see Christ's capture of the soul. We see David established an earthly kingdom, but we see Christ establishing an everlasting kingdom. That's the kingdom that we as believers are resident of. David ruled from Jerusalem. Christ rules and reigns from heavenly Jerusalem. There is no fortress too strong for our king. No sinner is beyond His reach. No heart is too hard. No chain is too strong. No wall is too high.

And every believer is a living testimony to that victorious Word nevertheless. But preacher, you don't know how bad a sinner I am. Yeah, I do. Because I'm sane. And God knows. Well, you don't know the things that I've done. No, but I know what I've done. And God knows what I've done. And what does He say? Nevertheless. But you don't know what I still think and the things that I say. I've got a pretty good idea. because of the things that I still do and the things I still say. And God definitely knows. He knows all things. But He says, nevertheless, nevertheless of how you are, nevertheless, sin resisted, Satan opposed, our hearts rebelled, but nevertheless, Christ prevailed. He cannot lose. He cannot lose.

The King's City

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the significance of David taking Jerusalem?

Why is understanding Christ as King important for Christians?

How does the conquest of Jerusalem relate to the gospel message?

What does 'nevertheless' indicate in the context of salvation?

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The King's City

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the significance of David taking Jerusalem?

Why is understanding Christ as King important for Christians?

How does the conquest of Jerusalem relate to the gospel message?

What does 'nevertheless' indicate in the context of salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About David Eddmenson

Comments

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