I think it is interesting that David ruled over Judah - but not Israel - for seven and a half years. David was just the second king over Israel, and already the twelve tribes are showing signs of fracturing: David’s rule over the whole nation was preceded by a civil war of sorts.
Even David, perhaps the greatest Old Testament hero after Moses, is shown to be deeply flawed. At the beginning of the book of Samuel Hannah prays that the Lord would rule righteously over his people. At the end of the book, David - the best king over Israel - looks forward to a day when God’s righteousness would rule in Israel.
How is this righteousness described? Hannah says:
The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumble are armed with strength. Those who were well-fed hire themselves out for a piece of bread, but those who were hungry hunger no more. Even the woman who was childless gives birth to seven children, but the mother of many children grieves all alone.
The LORD kills, and he gives life. He makes [people] go down to the grave, and he raises them up [again]. The LORD causes poverty and grants wealth. He humbles [people]; he also promotes them. He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the trash heap in order to make them sit with nobles and even to make them inherit a glorious throne.
The pillars of the earth are the LORD’s. He has set the world on them. He safeguards the steps of his faithful ones, but wicked people are silenced in darkness because humans cannot succeed by their own strength.
Those who oppose the LORD are broken into pieces. He thunders at them from the heavens. The LORD judges the ends of the earth. He gives strength to his King and lifts the head of his Messiah.
The latter half of 2 Samuel is filled with the failures of David. Like Saul, he gets off to a good start, but at the end David is standing on the threshing floor, offering supplications so that the plague would stop. From this vantage point, the victories of David’s youth are several chapters back, and are overshadowed by the strife in Israel caused by his sin.
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