Bottom Line, Up Front (BLUF): David’s forgiveness of his and God’s enemies is a picture of God’s forgiveness of sins of all those who flee to Christ in repentance and faith.

Historical Context: Wicked King Saul had committed suicide (1 Samuel 31:4); David had been anointed by Samuel to be the rightful king, the one of God’s choosing (1 Samuel 16). Now the king of Judah, what might you think David would do? What would a wise ruler do?

Listen to 2 Samuel 2:1: “After this David inquired of the LORD . . . .” Remarkable. If he had been a lesser man, he would have made everything about himself. He would have been narcissistic. He would have found himself amidst braggadocio.

But that’s not what we see. David knew he was a great sinner; he never got “too big for his britches,” if you will. He knew his promotion was all of God’s grace.

What’s more, David forgave his and God’s enemies, and even praised the ones who had been loyal to King Saul, wicked though he was, while he (Saul) had been the people’s ruler. In other words, don’t miss this: the king was forgiving sinners. Sound familiar? Sound like the gospel?

Encouragement: When we recognize that we are sinners, we come to understand and grasp the profundity of what it means to be debtors to the grace of God. It’s the gospel right there in 1-2 Samuel, guys, and it is beautiful to behold.