“The king started back and arrived at the Yarden, while Y’hudah came to Gilgal in order to meet the king and bring the king over the Yarden.”-2 Samuel 19:16
I wanna kick things off with a couple of quiz questions today.
Where was Saul first anointed king of Saul?
Where did Samuel later take the throne away from Saul?
Where was the central sanctuary located in Israel?
Which area was considered holy for all 12 tribes of Israel?
The answer to all of the above is one word.
HINT: At this time, it was NOT Jerusalem.
Have any idea which area I’m talking about?
The answer is GILGAL.
Notice in verse 16 that Gilgal practically bordered the banks of the Jordan River.
There were many convenient shallow spots where David could’ve crossed the Jordan.
But he chose to do it at Gilgal.
Why?
Historically and spiritually, Gilgal was a significant location for the Israelites.
On top of that, Gilgal was part of Benjamin’s territory at this time.
Why is that important?
Because the tribe of Benjamin was allied with Judah, but at the same time, they were on good terms with the 10 northern tribes.
My point is, David is about to be restored as Messiah and King over all 12 tribes of Israel.
So what better place for this coronation ceremony to happen than at Gilgal?
Ya feeling me here?
It was the PERFECT location to reunite all the tribes under their King.
What was about to commence was essentially a peace settlement following the ugly Civil War that had just occurred.
So what takeaway can we extract from this?
Simple.
Geography is vitally important to the Lord.
Plus, we’re given another prophetic snapshot pointing to the future Messiah.
But this time, it isn’t going to be King David.
He’s going to be the resurrected Yeshua of Nazareth.
The location is going to be Jerusalem.
And the Hebrew welcome wagon isn’t gonna be just the Jews (members of the tribe of Yehuda)…
But representatives from all 11 tribes.
Finally, Messiah won’t just be ruling over Israel from his throne in Jerusalem.
He’ll be ruling over the entire world.
He’ll truly be a king over the entire universe.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the
throne of his father David,
and he will reign over
Jacob’s descendants forever;
his kingdom will never end.”
— Luke 1:32–33
“Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things,
when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,
you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
— Matthew 19:28
“Repentance for the forgiveness of sins
will be preached in his name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.”
— Luke 24:47
“Then they gathered around him and asked him,
‘Lord, are you at this time going to
restore the kingdom to Israel?’
He said to them:
‘It is not for you to know the times or dates
the Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.’”
— Acts 1:6–8
“Therefore God exalted him to the
highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge
that Messiah Yeshua is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
— Philippians 2:9–11
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
— Revelation 11:15
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