Setting Up the Kingdom: 2 Samuel 8:15-18
David ensures his kingdom has future leadership. While needing to deal with the problems of the moment, he also plans for the future. The kingdom God told David to build needed solid leadership now as well as in the future. This means appointing leaders to whom he can delegate.
David was a mighty general, but he knew his limitations. David appointed advisors around him to help him rule. This is especially important because the position of king and the idea of a Hebrew nation was only a few decades old. It is easy to forget the kingdom started with Saul, who ruled for at most forty years.
One of the main differences David brings to the organization of the Hebrew people are the appointed leaders. That isn’t to say Saul didn’t have them. We don’t know if he had them or not because the Bible doesn’t record them. We hear about Doeg the shepherd, who turns out to be a spy. We hear about Abner and David and Jonathan, but they are all military generals. We don’t see Saul bringing together a team of advisors as we see with David. We certainly don’t see Saul listening to advisors. Saul’s leadership was impulsively dictatorial.
David, on the other hand, sets a much safer course in leading the Hebrew people. Instead of trying to single-handedly lead a confederation of tribes, David’s advisory panels help him set up a unified kingdom. The specialized roles allow the management of more people, but each position has a much smaller scope. The nation can come together and act as a single body because one person is in charge at any moment. In a military setting, the general has had time to plan and can lead. In a worship setting, that leader has had time to prepare and can lead. When people come to pay taxes, the record can be organized and led. By having advisors, the Hebrew nation comes together effectively and efficiently.
There is a note at the end of the passage about David’s sons being priests. This is a literal translation, and it is appropriate. However, since David was of the tribe of Judah and not Levi, his sons couldn’t be priests in the worship of the people. Even more to the point, many of David’s sons were born from women who weren’t part of the Hebrew nation, making them even less likely to qualify as priests. In the parallel passage found in the book of Chronicles, the Chronicler elucidates that David’s sons were royal advisors. This is a less literal translation of the word used here for priest.
David was inviting his sons into the political realm. David was teaching his sons how to work with people and how to lead. David knew one of his sons would become king; God told him as much. David didn’t know which son would become king, so he trained as many of them as he could. David ensures his kingdom has future leadership.
