Sermon Illustrations for Proper 9 | OT 14 (2015)
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
With Ishbaal slain, it was perfectly natural that the north should turn to David. He was anointed king over all Israel. "The Lord's anointed" may be king "by divine right," but he is a constitutional, not an absolute monarch, for his kingship is based upon a solemn covenant with his subjects; this covenant doubtless set forth the king's duties as well as his privileges. The anointing is a solemn religious act, but it is performed, not by the priests but by the heads of the tribes.