Why Did David Get Away With This...


sixpacktr
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I was reading in the OT today, 2nd Samuel Chapter 6, and it says that David offered sacrifices to the Lord, to whit:

12 ¶ And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.

13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.17 ¶ And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.

(Old Testament | 2 Samuel 6:12 - 18)

And what was the consequence?

1 AND it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.

(Old Testament | 2 Samuel 7:1 - 3)

Here is the story of Saul:

8 ¶ And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.

10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

11 ¶ And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.

13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

(Old Testament | 1 Samuel 13:8 - 14)

I understand that Saul did foolishly, but he was reprimanded because he tried to act in the name of God without the authority to do so. I thought that, except for the prophets, the priesthood was confined to the tribe of Levi to offer sacrifices, etc. But David is of the tribe of Judah, and he got away with it.

Just wondering why...

Could David have also been a prophet, and not just a warrior? Would that explain the terribleness of his sin before the Lord with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah as well??

Interested in your comments...

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Guest Yediyd

I haven't had the chance to read these two accounts thoroughly, but here are the thoughts that come to mind as I read your post... Saul was anointed king after the people INSISTED on having a king. G-d finally said,"OK, I'll give ya enough rope to hang yourselves with." He was placed as king over a rebellious people, but he was not a prophet of G-d. He was not even what G-d would have chosen for his people...G-d just allowed him to be kind because the people insisted, but he told the people that they would be sorry for insisting on a king... David, on the other hand, was chosen of G-d from the very beginning, he was a man after G-d's own heart...maybe that had something to do with it....heart attitude...David was all about his G-d, and Saul was all about himself.

When Cain and Able offered sacrifices to G-d...one was obedient and the other was not...yet in their minds...both were sacrificing to G-d....I think with G-d, it is all about the heart attitude.

When David ate the Shewbread...it was unlawful to do so...but G-d was with him, even after the priest helped David...Saul came and killed the priest for letting David eat the Shewbread and giving him Goliath's sword. The priest was helping David protect himself from Saul and Saul saw that as a threat so he had the priest killed....I think it is all about the heart... as I already stated.

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An intriguing clue is in 2 Sam. 6:14. It says David had on a linen ephod. The linen ephod was the attire of the High Priest and Levitical Priests (Ex. 28).

So we have David offering sacrifices as a Levitical Priest...and wearing the attire of a Levitical Priest. Perhaps David was in some way an exception to the priesthood ban on all tribes but Levi, just as Jesus was. :hmmm:

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Simple me. Me thinks that Saul got in trouble because he was told to wait for the Prophet Samuel, and disobeyed. King David, on the other hand, had no such instructions, and appears to have been led in his actions by a pure and obedient worship of God.

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Guest Yediyd

Simple me. Me thinks that Saul got in trouble because he was told to wait for the Prophet Samuel, and disobeyed. King David, on the other hand, had no such instructions, and appears to have been led in his actions by a pure and obedient worship of God.

The simple answer is usually the best one!!! :D
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But PH authority is where the rub comes. I don't think that someone could just decide that God wanted them to do it and then do it (AF 5). I thought of the linen ephod thing, and that is why I was confused, because that was the garb of priests, and reserved for the HP, if I remember, of the tribe of Levi. If that is the case, did David really sin then when he ate of the shewbread? The Savior mentioned David specifically when talking to the Pharisees about the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, so I don't think David was a "priest" per se.

I think that PC got it with Saul in that he did it, but his motives too (if you believe him) were right: he didn't want to go to battle without the protection and help of the Lord. Somewhere David got the PH, I think...

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I think that PC got it with Saul in that he did it, but his motives too (if you believe him) were right: he didn't want to go to battle without the protection and help of the Lord. Somewhere David got the PH, I think...

Saul was told not to do what he did. He was told to wait. So, his motives were wrong, because they were tainted by direct disobedience.

This is the same problem with the soldier who tried to catch the Ark of the Covenant. Yes, he appeared to be doing a noble, "good motive" thing. However, everyone new that only those authorized could touch it. The soldier's act was one of direct disobedience.

To obey is better than sacrifice . . .

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