At Last, David Don Become King

Di road wey enter Hebron full. Elders from every tribe of Israel, from far north reach di desert for south, dey come see one man. Many years ago, one prophet pour oil for im head for secret. Today, everybody go know.

King Saul don die, dem kill am for battle against di Philistines, and Jonathan die with am. David don mourn dem both. Since then, David don be king over im own tribe of Judah, e dey rule from di town of Hebron, while di rest of Israel follow Saul family. Long years of fight don dey between di two sides. But now e don finish. Di tribes for north no get king, and dem know where dem go go.

All di tribes of Israel come meet David for Hebron. We be your own flesh and blood, dem talk. Even when Saul be king, na you dey lead Israel go battle and bring dem back. And Di Lord tell you, You go shepherd my people Israel, and you go be their ruler. So King David make covenant with dem there, before Di Lord, and dem anoint am king over all Israel. Di shepherd boy from Bethlehem don reach thirty years. E go reign for forty years: seven and half for Hebron, and thirty-three over all Israel and Judah together.

King of all Israel need capital. David look north, to one fortress for hill top wey one people wey dem dey call Jebusites hold. E sidon for one narrow ridge with steep valleys for three sides, and di people trust their wall reach say dem dey laugh am. You no go ever enter here. Even blind and lame people fit pursue you comot. But David take di stronghold of Zion. Di book talk say im men climb go up through di water shaft, but exactly wetin dat one be, people still dey argue am. From then, dem dey call am di City of David. David live for di fortress and build di city around am. And David continue to dey great more and more, because Di Lord God of hosts dey with am.

News spread. Hiram, di king of Tyre for di coast, send messengers, with cedar wood, carpenters and people wey sabi build with stone, and dem build palace for David. And David understand one important thing. Na Di Lord establish am as king, and na Di Lord lift up im kingdom, no be because of David imself, but because of God people Israel.

Di Philistines hear am too, and dem come up to hunt David. Dem spread across di Valley of Rephaim, just outside di city. David no rush go out. E ask Di Lord, Make I go up fight dem? Go up. I go give dem for your hand. And David win. Di Lord don break through my enemies like flood wey burst, e talk, and e name di place Baal-perazim, Lord wey dey break through. Di Philistines come back di second time. Again David ask. Dis time di answer different. No go straight face dem. Go round behind dem, come attack dem from di side of di balsam trees. When you hear sound like people dey march for di top of di trees, move quick, because Di Lord don go out before you. David do exactly as Di Lord command, and e push di Philistines back.

Why Jerusalem? According to di book of Joshua, di city dey right for di boundary between di tribe of Judah and di tribe of Benjamin, and none of di two tribes ever fit drive di Jebusites comot. So e no belong to any tribe at all. Plenty historians think say dat one make am correct capital for king wey need to join north and south together: city wey be im own, wey im own men capture, wey no owe any one tribe anything.

At last, David don become king. You go find am for Second Samuel, chapter five. David wait many years for God promise, and when e come, e still stop to ask Di Lord before every battle. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. You dey ask God for direction only when you dey stuck, or also when things dey go well?