The transition to the kingdom marks the first of three major developmental transitions in the life of the people Israel. It is, as we have discussed, the rebirth of Israel in the House of God and their coming to a certain maturity. David is the major agent of this transformation. David is analogized to Moses in three key ways.
First, David, like Moses, spends a significant portion of his life as a shepherd. This carries symbolic freight, as the people of God are often analogized to a flock and the kings are analogized to shepherds. Remember that Moses himself, as a figure of the coming Messiah, is described in kingly terms. Deuteronomy 33 even says that he “became king” by giving Israel the Torah. Moses’ role in the life of the nation reflects his kingly role: he commands Israel’s armies. He gives Israel laws. He is described in Numbers as “carrying” the nation like a mother carries her offspring, reflecting the parental imagery that is predicated of kings. There is a reason Jesus, the King of Kings, is framed in the New Testament as both New Moses and Son of David!
Second, Moses and David both are intensely involved in the upbuilding of Israel’s liturgy and worship. This is Moses’ principal task: to unlock the door which had separated heaven from earth so that Israel, in her priestly capacity, could participate to some degree in the heavenly liturgy for which mankind was created. This is the main thing Moses receives on Sinai. David is also tied closely to the liturgy of Israel. Remember that the ark of the covenant was still in exile when David was anointed, being watched over by gentiles. David does two things in this vein. First, he carries the ark of the covenant to Zion and sets up a special sanctuary before which he sits. This is sometimes called the “tabernacle of David.” Chronicles describes the major liturgical reforms enacted by David at this point in history. The most important element of David’s liturgical legacy- which lasts right down to the time of Jesus- is his creation of the Levitical choir. David has musical instruments fashioned and trains the Levites in their use. He writes the original Psalter for liturgical use with musical accompaniment. These instruments are described in the same language that the sacrificial implements are described with in the Torah.
The movement from Moses to David anticipates the movement from old to new covenants: the old covenant focuses on the bloody animal sacrifices put on the altar. The new covenant focuses on the sacrifice of praise offered from pure lips.
Third, both David and Moses deliver a five-book work of scripture to Israel. The Psalter is not a haphazard collection of poetry. While the book was expanded and its arrangement altered later in Israel’s history, likely being given its final form by Ezra as the return from exile, David did more than write individual psalms. He wrote a book with a literary structure and pattern, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. For example, the Psalter has a messianic accent. It begins with a meditation on the “Blessed Man” who meditates on the Torah day and night. The Torah is that which kings study to become good kings, according to Deuteronomy 17. It then describes how God has set the king of David’s dynasty on the throne and promised him the obedience of the nations. The five book Psalter ends with five concluding Psalms which celebrate the reign of God in all aspects of creation and the coming of the Kingdom of God. The Psalter is a messianic book.