Thursday, December 13, 2012

Why Jerusalem? 2 Samuel 5:6


And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites - 2 Sam 5:6

Now that David was king over all of Israel, he needed a capital city to reign from.  Choosing a capital city is a big deal – not just any place will do. There are political, geographical, and military implications that play into the choosing of a capital city – the “heart, soul, and mind” of a nation. And, Jerusalem was an interesting choice:

Politically
Hebron, where David had ruled, would have offered more political and tribal support to David.  Gibeah, where Saul had reigned from, would have sent the message that David did not hold any grudges against Saul or the Benjamites.

Spiritually: 
Bethel, where Abraham had built an altar to the Lord, and where Jacob received confirmation of God’s covenant to the descendants of Abraham (the ladder dream), might have been a better choice.

Or Shechem, another significant city where Abraham erected an alter, and where Joshua assembled all of the people to reaffirm the covenant with God before entering the promised land – that would have been a better choice.

But Jerusalem actually was apparently God’s choice, with two significant events that give us a clue to why. Three events that have eternal significance:  (click the link below to read the entire article)