David and Divided Kingdom

The prophets promise that a new David will arise to reign over a united kingdom. Judah and Israel will be bound back together under a single king.

That sounds like a prophetic extension of David’s story, but in fact it’s something more like a simple repetition. David was first anointed king, after all, during Saul’s reign, and from that point to Saul’s death the kingdom of Israel was divided between the small band of warriors around David and the company of king Saul.

After Saul died, David reigned over Judah at Hebron for seven years, and for some of those years Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, reigned over the rest of Israel. Israel began as a divided kingdom, and David’s ascent to the throne was simultaneously a union of divided tribes. 

The new David unites a divided Israel – just like the original David.