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Jesus in 2 Samuel

 
Carl Laferton | Jan. 18, 2011

Jesus is everywhere in the Old Testament: He said so Himself (in Luke 24 v 27).

There are the famous bits, like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 and the Passover in Exodus 12-13. But recently I've been reading through 2 Samuel, mainly because I'm not sure I've ever read through it from start to finish before. And in 2 Samuel 15, God's chosen king David faces a rebellion. His own son has set himself up as king in his place; Israel has rejected him. He's been betrayed by a trusted companion, Ahithophel. He has to flee Jerusalem, passing through the Mount of Olives as he does so. Those who see him weep.

It looks as though all is lost: God's christ, David, has lost God's kingdom.

But outside Jerusalem, David wins a great victory, and is restored to the throne.

It should be a happy ending, but it isn't. His rebellious son, Absalom, is killed, and David mourns for him: “My son Absolom! If only I had died instead of you!” (2 Samuel 18 v 33).

David's kingship is secured, but his rebellious son could not be saved.

I was happily reading through this historical account (I'm a history geek) when the penny dropped: what happened to God's "christ" David is a glimpse of what would happen a millennium later to God's ultimate Christ, Jesus.

  • Rebelled against by His own children, His own creation, who'd set themselves up as rulers of this world in His place.
  • Rejected by Israel.
  • Betrayed by His friend Judas.
  • Thrown out of Jerusalem, having spent His final hours of freedom on the Mount of Olives.
  • Followed to the cross by weeping women.
  • All seemed lost—yet His death was not a crushing defeat, but a great victory.
  • Rose to life, to reign on His heavenly throne.

But Jesus could do what David only wished he could: save His rebellious people, by dying instead of them. On Jesus' lips, David's “If only I had died instead of you” became “This is my body, given for you” (Luke 22 v 19).

Jesus both secured his kingship and saved his rebellious children.

That's our King. Isn't He amazing?

Jesus in 2 Samuel. Wow.

If you've come across Jesus in the Old Testament recently, do share it below so we can all say “Wow” (or, in more theological language, “Alleluia”).

Carl Laferton

Carl is Editorial Director at The Good Book Company and is a member of Grace Church Worcester Park, London. He is the best-selling author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and also serves as series editor of the God's Word for You series. Before joining TGBC, he worked as a journalist and then as a teacher, and pastored a congregation in Hull. Carl is married to Lizzie, and they have two children. He studied history at Oxford University.