I wrote this to further clarify my first Post
The Kingdom of Israel during the Mosaic Covenant was a physical kingdom, like all the other physical kingdoms of the time: ( Philistia, Aram/Syria, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Phoenicia) The requirement of all Kings, David not excluded, was to advance and defend their kingdoms through war and bloodshed (violence) This is not a statement on the people of Israel or Israelites at the time or in present day. It is just the nature of physical kingdoms. Wars were a regular part of nation-building. Both Israel and the Gentile nation-initiated wars to expand their territories.
- (Numbers 21:1-3) Canaanite King of Arad The Canaanite king attacks Israel and takes prisoners but is defeated when Israel vows to destroy their cities.
- (1 Samuel 31): Philistine Battle at Mount Gilboa: The Philistines attack, resulting in the death of King Saul and his sons.
- (Joshua 6) Battle of Jericho: Joshua leads the attack on Jericho, with the city walls collapsing under divine action.
- (1 Samuel 30): David's Wars David pursues the Amalekites to rescue captives from Ziklag.
Bloodshed commanded by the God of Israel, which signifies complete destruction or dedication to God as an act of judgment.
- (Deuteronomy 20:16-17 )16 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 Completely destroy[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.,
- 1 Samuel 15:3 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy[a] all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
What’s unique about Israel under the Mosaic and the Davidic Covenant is:
- The Divine relationship or marriage between Israel and God, and the importance of proper worship of the God of Israel by its King, Priesthood, and nation. When that relationship is in alignment, the community thrives. But when that relationship became misaligned from sin and idolatry, the nation suffered. This can be seen in:
- Deuteronomy 30:27-28 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
- Deuteronomy 8:19-20 19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
Isaiah, Joel, Micah, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, and all the rest of the prophets will repeat the same warnings to the nation over and over again until the fall of the 2nd Temple.
This can also be seen in the King’s victories and losses at war over other nations:
- (Joshua 7) The First Battle of Ai: Following the victory at Jericho, Israel suffered a shocking defeat at Ai, losing 36 men. The loss was caused by Achan's theft of "devoted things" from Jericho, which the Bible describes as breaking the covenant and committing sin (Joshua 7:1-12).
- (2 Kings 17): The Fall of the Northern Kingdom: After persistent idolatry, adopting Canaanite practices, and ignoring the prophets, God delivered the ten northern tribes into the hands of the Assyrians. This culminated in the siege of Samaria and the exile of its inhabitants.
- (2 Kings 21:11–12): The Fall of the Southern Kingdom of Judah: because Manasseh, king of Judah, did more evil than the nations before them, God decreed disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah.
The roles of the King and the Priests were separate. The King was forbidden from offering sacrifices, participating in the priestly rituals that helped purify the sins of the nation, or leading the worship inside the Temple. The worship, Temple rituals, and festivals were led by the priests. Priests worked to ensure the nation's right worship of God.
I differentiated the role of the King, Priest, and Kingdom of the Mosaic covenant with the New Covenant to illustrate the following:
- The Kingdom in the New Covenant is spiritual (in this world, but not of this world), so it cannot be advanced or defended the same way the physical Kingdom of David or any other ancient or modern kingdom is advanced or defended. It can only be expanded by spiritual means.
- The King, Priest, Church, and Kingdom are one and the same – The God of Israel tabernacles in the flesh and fulfills the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which is a divine pledge to establish an unbreakable, internal relationship with Israel and Judah, replacing the broken Mosaic law with laws written on their hearts. It promises direct, universal knowledge of God, the total forgiveness of sins, and an everlasting, intimate covenant bond.
- The role of the New King was to transfigure the Kingdom of David from an earthly physical Kingdom to that of the Spiritual Kingdom of God, which can only be expanded through spiritual means.
- (2 Samuel 7:12–16): God promises David that his descendant will rule, and "your throne shall be established forever". This is the foundational covenant promising a permanent, glorified kingdom.
- (Isaiah 9:7): "There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore".
- (Isaiah 11:1–10): Predicts a "branch" (Messiah) from the stump of Jesse (David’s father) who will bring peace and justice, transforming the world, with "the earth... full of the knowledge of the Lord".
The Crusades did not expand the Transfigured Kingdom of David, World War I. did not expand it, and this war with Iran, no matter what Christian leaders say, does not expand it. God forbidding David to build the temple was a foretaste of the spiritual kingdom to come and how it would be built and expanded. I hope this helps explain my write-up.