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David, taken from his father’s flocks, becomes the Lord’s Anointed, the king of all Israel. He is a man endowed with all the natural gifts; he loves his people, his wives, his children; he retains a simplicity in his way of life. His reign leaves a decisive mark on the religious and political future of Israel. Himself an able politician and a matchless warrior, he wins the permanent freedom of his people from the Philistine yoke, and turns them into a sovereign nation as he united Judah and Israel under his rule. This unity will, however, be broken as early as the time of his second successor and will thenceforth be an abiding nostalgic ideal.
Amid the conflicts that accompany his attainment of power and amid the intrigues of those who aspire to succeed him, David, a deeply religious man, retains a simplicity of heart that pleases God. In every circumstance he recognizes God at work, and he struggles unceasingly to remain faithful to the Lord and to the mission which the Lord gives to his people. To understand David’s extraordinary personality and also his limitations, we must take into account the customs and civilization of the time; in any case, his many examples of virtue have permanent value, and the Books of Kings will constantly refer to him as the prototype of the king who is a faithful servant of Yahweh. As far as the house of David is concerned, the entire story from this point on, as told here and in the Books of Kings, is paralleled and supplemented by the two Books of Chronicles.
The Second Book of Samuel may be divided as follows:
I: The Reign of David (2:8—20:26)
II: Appendices (21:1—24:25)