Christian Exodus Out of Babylon by Michael Dean Haller - HTML preview

CHAPTER 5

KING DAVID

King David was also a “type” of the last days Church. He also had to flee into the wilderness when he was being persecuted by King Saul. I believe he was also in the wilderness for three and one-half (3 ½) years. There are no exact dates in the Bible showing how long David was in the wilderness but there are several clues.

First, I believe that from the time David is first recognized by King Saul until he becomes King of Judah is seven (7) years. You may be thinking, “hold on, wasn’t King David a boy when he killed Goliath?” That is what everybody is taught in Sunday school and that is also what all the paintings and pictures seem to teach us. We have all seen pictures of a little boy with a sling facing down a giant in bronze armor.

From my research I find most people believe David was a boy because three of his brothers were in the battle at Shochoh, which is where the armies of Israel were facing off against the Philistines, and of course they were also facing Goliath. Therefore, people figure only three of David’s seven brothers were old enough to fight in the battle. Since David was the youngest of eight brothers, he must have been between thirteen (13) and fifteen (15) years old. According to the Old Testament, only men twenty years or older fought in the armies of Israel. Therefore, people figure David’s age like this:

1) Eliab = 22

2) Abinadab = 21

3) Shammah = 20

4) Nethaneel = 19

5) Raddai = 18

6) Ozem = 17

7) Elihu = 16

8) David = 15

This arithmetic appears perfectly logical if we assume David’s siblings were all born in rapid succession and were all very close in age.

Num 1:3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

There are a few reasons why I believe this logic does not necessarily bear up under careful scrutiny of the Bible. First, although all the Israelites had to go to war while they were wandering in the wilderness, after they entered into the Promised Land, Moses allowed some Israelite men to avoid going to war.

Deu 20:5  And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

Deu 20:6  And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

Deu 20:7  And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

Deu 20:8  And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.

According to the exemptions outlined in the Book of Deuteronomy, a man could be exempt from fighting for several reasons and for several years. If you plant a vineyard, it will take several years before the first grapes ever grow. You could be betrothed to a wife and also not be married for several years. If you were afraid to fight, you did not have to go to war. I think there might be another very important reason not mentioned in Deuteronomy. Your father might have decided he does not want you to go.

Ancient Israel was a patriarchal society. A son or daughter obeyed their father first and the king second. When King Saul needed somebody to play music for him, he does not ask David’s permission, who was a full grown adult at the time, we see that Saul sends a messenger to David’s father, Jesse, asking permission for David not to return home.

1Sa 16:22  And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.

David’s father, Jesse, owned sheep, he probably also owned many other livestock, vineyards, orchards, and fields of barley and wheat. As long as the father was alive, the children served him. According to the Book of Ruth his grandfather Boaz was a very rich man. Perhaps Jesse could only spare his three oldest sons and kept the five youngest to help him manage his own business affairs.

Second, prior to the battle with Goliath, one of Saul’s servant’s describes David as a man of war which does not match that of a young boy:

1Sa 16:18  Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

David is described as a mighty man, and a man of war. Therefore, he must have proved himself in at least one battle with the Philistines and probably more than one. Does one battle make a man of war? He must have been at least twenty (2o) years old before he fights in his first battle and defeats the giant Goliath.

Third, after David volunteers to fight Goliath, King Saul actually fits David with his own armor. Unless Saul was playing a cruel joke on a little boy, this offer does not make any sense at all.

1Sa 17:38  And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

1Sa 17:39  And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

David refuses the armor because he had not “proved” (tested) it, not because it did not fit.

PROVE: H5254, nasah, naw-saw', A primitive root; to test; by implication to attempt: - adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try.

David was basically saying he was not comfortable wearing the kings armor. It was probably more elaborate and heavy than what David would have been use to wearing. David may have mainly fought using his sling or a bow from a distance and he probably had never worn heavy armor before, which would have been something only wealthier more experienced men could have afforded. We know from the Book of Judges that there were men who specifically used slings during battle:

Jdg 20:16  Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

Ancient armies usually arrayed themselves in formations with heavily armored troops in front and archers and men with slings in the rear. If the more heavily armored soldiers needed to retreat the archers and men with slings could slow the advancing enemy down and give the heavily armored troops a chance to escape:

FRONT OF BATTLE LINE

HEAVY ARMOR

ARCHERS

SLINGS

I believe there is a method that will help us determine David’s approximate age when he went out to fight Goliath. When modern people think of war, they tend to think in terms of the modern era, where nations fight continually, often for years, until one nation is completely subjugated. However, ancient peoples more likely fought wars of attrition, slowly wearing each other down intermittently and over long periods of time. We know that according to the Bible there was a “season” for war:

2Sa 11:1  And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

According to the writings of Josephus, early spring was the time that “kings go forth to battle”. It is clear that without modern supply lines, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for armies to fight for more than a short period of time. If you needed to maintain chariots or cavalry, you must only fight when there is feed for your horses and forage for your soldiers. Also, reading the stories in the Bible informs us that the wars they fought were often glorified raiding parties to steal their neighbor’s cattle and flocks of sheep. You would need to attack your enemies when there was grass and you had some chance of getting stolen livestock back to your homeland alive.

I believe these “wars” are an excellent way to keep track of time, especially during the specific Bible time period associated with King Saul because the Israelites and Philistines appear to be fighting every spring almost like clockwork. A clue we have is the phrase: “after the year expired” in 2 Samuel 11:1. The beginning of the Hebrew religious calendar was the month of Nissan (the month of Passover).

One other clue is not a war but another springtime event:

1Sa 25:4  And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

Sheep are sheared in the spring when their coats are thick after winter but the wool is no longer needed by the sheep because the days and nights are becoming warmer. David hears that Nabal, a very rich descendent of Caleb, has gathered his sheep for shearing and David sends some of his young men to request a few sheep for him and his men. Nabal’s sheep herds have flourished because David and his men have been guarding them. Nabal informs David’s young men that he is not going to give them any of his sheep and David in a fury goes forth to kill Nabal.

Abigail, Nabal’s wife and one of King David’s future wives, rushes out to meet David with gifts of food and begs him not to seek vengeance or to shed blood because of the actions of her foolish husband. Apparently, this is a rare year of peace and plenty probably because Judah’s enemies have either been killed or are too afraid to attack because of the presence of David and his men. However, this peace is short lived because David finally becomes tired of running from Saul and flees to the land of the Philistines to live for sixteen months.

 The Bible gives us this final clue about the amount of time David remained living in the land of the Philistines:

1Sa 27:6  Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

1Sa 27:7  And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Therefore, from the time David is recognized by Saul to the time David becomes King of Judah is approximately seven years.

The Bible does not tell us how old David was when he killed Goliath but it does tell us he was thirty (30) years old when he became King of Judah.

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

2Sa 5:5  In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Bible also tells us of the wars he fought with the Philistines starting from when he killed Goliath until he becomes King in Judah after Saul and his sons die at the battle of Gilboa. According to Hebrew tradition King David was born and died on the same day: Pentecost. Therefore, if we can determine that David was twenty-nine (29) years old when King Saul dies in the spring and he becomes King a short time later after he turns thirty (30), we can count backwards and determine his age when he kills Goliath.

David’s Battles Before he Becomes King of Judah

#                                                                    Verse                          David’s Age

After David is anointed by Samuel the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. The very next verse tells us that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubles him. 1 Sam. 16:14

The Bible says that David played his harp and the evil spirit that troubled Saul would leave. Apparently after the evil spirit was gone, David was free to go back to his father’s house.  After David killed Goliath at Shochoh, Saul sends a message to David’s father, Jesse, requesting that David stay with him permanently. Saul’s request is not because of his love for David, it appears Saul begins to suspect that David is God’s new anointed and wants to keep an eye on him. Also, he wants to kill him but does not want to kill him openly, probably because David is a hero to the people. Therefore, Saul sends David out to fight the Philistines hoping that he will be killed in battle. A strategy David later uses successfully later to kill Uriah the Hittite.

When David is not killed but wins victory after victory and Saul realizes David is indeed the Lord’s anointed, Saul openly tells his servants and his son Jonathan that he wants them to kill David. Then the Bible tells us plainly that the evil spirit returns to Saul and inspires him to murder David with his javelin. This is when it becomes obvious to David that King Saul wants to kill him and he flees to see the Prophet Samuel and they both dwell together in the town of Naioth. When Jonathan warns David that there is no doubt that his father Saul wants to kill him, David flees into the wilderness of Judah, probably he chooses Judah because he was more familiar with his own tribal territory.

KING SAUL IS A TYPE OF ANTICHRIST

Like Saul, the antichrist and the rulers of the world will have an unreasonable hatred and fear of Christians. The antichrist will view Christians as a threat and he will be inspired by Satan to search out and destroy Christians because he will know that the Church of Jesus Christ will replace his own world government system. The Church, like David, will be protected and preserved in the wilderness for three and one-half (3 1/2 ) years.

Dan 7:25  And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Dan 7:26  But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

Dan 7:27  And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

How is David an allegory of the Last Days Church? Let’s look at a list:

I believe this period in King David’s life is an excellent allegory for the last days Church. The Bible informs us that prior to the coming of the Lord, he will pour out his spirit on all flesh. Just like David, the manifestation of the sons of God by this outpouring of the Holy Spirit will also be associated with the blessing of the Lord, success will follow success and victory will follow victory.

Joe 2:22  Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

Joe 2:23  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

Joe 2:24  And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

This great outpouring of blessing and miracles from God will be so spectacular it will bring a lot of attention from the world, including unwanted attention from the present false rulers of the world. While this blessing is being poured out on the Church, the people of the World will be suffering a great amount of pain and bewilderment:

Joe 1:10  The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

Joe 1:11  Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

Joe 1:12  The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Joe 1:13  Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Everything the people of the world relied upon and counted on will disappear like a mirage in the desert. The world economy will collapse, many governments of the world will collapse, famine, pestilence, and war will engulf the world. The people of the world will be turning to the Church for answers and there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like no other time in history:

Joe 2:26  And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Joe 2:27  And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Joe 2:28  And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Joe 2:29  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

People might ask, “Are these promises for the Church or for the modern state of Israel?”

First, people try to soft peddle the idea that there is a special “race” called Jews, the Jews are NOT a race, they are a group of people who follow a specific religion (Judaism). There are literally hundreds of millions of people with genetic code from Abraham, who do not identify themselves as “Jews”!

There is a gene specifically identified as the “Cohen Gene”—the genetic signature shared by the majority of Kohanim—the Jewish priestly family worldwide. Guess what? This “Cohen Gene” can be found in millions of people throughout the world, who do not identify themselves as from a Jewish priestly family, nor do they identify themselves as “Jews”. I guess they would more rightly identify themselves as Levites. The “Jews” and most of the people in the Middle East are very closely related. The point is there is no pure race anywhere! Most of the “human race” shares about 99% of genetic material. The cause of the differences in our appearance (phenotype) is due to slight differences in the 1% of genetic material, we do not share.

The Apostle Paul explained that the promises to Abraham and to Israel are to Abraham’s seed, which is Jesus Christ. The children of the flesh do not inherit the promises of God (since a large portion of the world’s population are descendants of Abraham), but the children of the spirit inherit the promises. There are numerous allegories in the Bible: Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, etc., etc. The children of the spirit are those who trust in the perfect sacrifice and completed work of Jesus Christ