The leaders of the northern tribes of Israel came to meet with David in Hebron. In their initial presentation they are quick to point out that the northern tribes are related to David and his tribe of Judah is part of their family. The elders from Israel also point out that David has already gained experience as their leader when he served as a general in the military defending the united kingdom led by Saul. They make a third, and the most important point, when they quote the prophecy from the Lord stating that David was to become the ruler. The leaders of Israel request that David become the king of a united Israel based on those three points:

• They are all family
• They have past experience
• The Lord wills it

A covenant is drawn up and agreed upon by all the parties involved. This covenant would have included the king’s duties and responsibilities, the people’s obligations as citizens under the kingship to support the royal throne (provisions, military service, political, etc.). And, also included would have been both the king’s and the citizen’s responsibilities before the Lord.

It is worth noticing that God’s prophecy of David’s kingship is likened to a shepherd. The king is a “ruler” and serves the people for God as a “shepherd.”

Most worthy of mention is the fact that the northern tribes came to David and reasoned with him concerning why he should be their king. This is most unusual since so frequently kings and politicians come to people with threats of violence or promises of benefits to force the people to accept them as the ruler and to live under their authority. But, here with David both Israel in the north and Judah in the south have come to ask David to be the ruler. David accepted their offer of a covenant.

David has become king without assassinating his personal enemy, Saul; without eliminating others who threatened to take the throne; without marching an army into some capital city to take over; without conspiring with leaders concerning backroom politics behind closed doors. David has successfully waited on God and avoided so many of the pitfalls men of ambition so often slip into in their attempt to achieve “God’s will.”

"Nobody ever outgrows scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years." - C.H. Spurgeon

Matthew includes the names of questionable woman in Jesus family tree in Matthew chapter one. These include Tamar who slept with her father-in-law Jacob, Rahab the prostitute, Bathsheba who committed adultery with David and Ruth, a foreigner from Moab. This may have been done for several reasons, but one reason would be to demonstrate that woman with questionable backgrounds and dubious stories, like Jesus’ mother Mary had, where the mothers of great men and kings throughout Israel’s history.