Alrighty, so let’s dive into examining the true meaning of David’s words about the lame and blind at Zion.
Prepare to have your mind blown into tiny little smithereens all over the kitchen floor as you read this today.
So let’s get started.
To solve this mystery, lemme start by saying we have to apply the principle of progressive revelation to this issue.
In other words, we need to look at the Bible as a whole, not just one part of it.
We need to remember that David points to the future Messiah.
Whether you follow Judaism or Christianity, David is seen as the model for the Messiah, and both religions believe the Messiah will come from David’s lineage.
So, when we read about the blind and the lame in 2 Samuel 5, we should think about it like we do with some of David’s Psalms
In other words, they foreshadow the future Messiah.
The full meaning of these words doesn’t become clear until we read the New Testament.
Check out these verses:
“Yeshua replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have skin afflictions are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.'”-Matthew 11:4-6
And this one:
“The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”-Matthew 15:31
Can you see the connection between David’s descendant, Yeshua, entering Jerusalem and healing the lame and blind?
In 2 Samuel 5, the people of Jerusalem are saying to David (and to the Messiah) that unless you can heal the lame and the blind, you are not welcome in Jerusalem.
Both David and the Messiah show they care about healing the suffering of people.
Many translators think David is saying he hates lame and blind people, but how can that be true?
David means he hates the condition of lameness and blindness, not the people.
So when Yeshua says in Matthew 11:6, “How blessed is anyone not offended by me” (talking about the blind and lame), it fits perfectly with David’s response in 2 Samuel 5:8.
David goes on to conquer Zion and expand the city’s boundaries.
His first step was to start building at the north end of the city, just outside the city walls.
This area was called the Millo at that time, and later it was known as the Ophel.
Homes were built in this open space between the City of David and the top of the hill called Mt. Moriah, where the Temple would be built later.
Over time, the walls of the City of David were expanded to include the new housing area inside David’s city.
So, the takeaway here should be pretty clear.
The New Testament is organically connected to the Hebrew Bible like peanut butter and jelly.
Or I think a better way to say it is without the “Old” Testament, you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of understanding the New Testament.
Ya feel me?
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