David

Israel had a king, Saul, but Saul disappointed God by disobeying. God had sought for Himself “a man after his own heart”.

Samuel Goes to Bethlehem

God sent Samuel to a man named Jesse in Bethlehem and told him that the future king was one of his sons.

Jesse brought his sons one by one. When Samuel saw Eliab, the tallest and most handsome, he thought he must be the chosen one. But God told him:

The Youngest Son

Seven sons passed in front of Samuel, and God chose none of them. Samuel asked: “Are here all thy children?”

Jesse answered a little awkwardly: “There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.” They sent for David. He was ruddy, with a fine face. And God said: “Arise, anoint him: for this is he.”

Samuel anointed David with oil in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David with power.

David was anointed as the future king, but he was still tending his father’s sheep. God prepared him through everyday work, and through music.

David’s Talent

David played the harp and made up songs for God. These songs became the Psalms, the most beautiful prayers in the whole Bible.

Singing alone on the hills with the sheep, David also went through times of real danger. He himself said that he killed a lion and a bear to protect his flock.

Called to the Palace

King Saul was tormented by an evil spirit. His servants looked for a man who played the harp well. One of them said: “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.”

Saul called David to the palace. When David played the harp, Saul was refreshed, and the evil spirit left him.

Israel was at war with the Philistines. Every day a giant came out of the Philistine camp, Goliath of Gath, almost 10 feet (3 meters) tall and wearing heavy bronze armor.

The Giant’s Challenge

Goliath shouted to Israel: “choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.”

For 40 days no one dared to come out. Even Saul, the tallest man in Israel, was afraid.

David Reaches the Camp

Jesse sent David to his brothers with food. David arrived and heard Goliath. He asked: “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

His brothers scolded him. But David went to Saul and said: “thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

The Showdown

David refused Saul’s armor because it was too heavy. He took his sling and 5 stones from the brook. Goliath saw him and looked down on him: “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?”

David answered: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts.”

He put a stone in the sling and let it fly… and Goliath fell on his face to the ground.

After David’s victory over Goliath, King Saul called him to the palace to stay permanently. There he met Jonathan, King Saul’s son.

A Covenant of Friendship

Jonathan was the heir to the throne. He could have seen David as a rival. But the Bible says: “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

Jonathan gave David his royal robe, his sword, his bow, and his belt, signs that he was giving up his right to the throne in favor of David. They made a covenant of friendship before God.

Friendship in Danger

When Saul wanted to kill David, Jonathan defended him. He spoke well of David to his father. He risked the king’s anger to save his friend.

When he understood that his father was determined to kill David, Jonathan helped him escape, even though it meant they would not see each other for a long time.

They wept together as they said goodbye.

Saul realized that God had chosen David in his place and tried to kill him many times. David fled into the wilderness with a group of faithful men.

Years on the Run

David lived in caves and wild places for several years. He hid in the wilderness of En-gedi, in the hills of Judah, and even among the Philistines.

During all that time he wrote some of the most beautiful psalms, songs of trust in God even in the middle of fear.

The Golden Opportunity

One day Saul went alone into a cave, not knowing that David and his men were at the back of it. David’s men whispered: “Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand.”

David crept up and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. But right away his heart troubled him. He said to his men:

When You Have the Power but Choose Not to Use It

David let Saul leave unharmed. Then he came out of the cave and called out: “my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand.”

Saul wept. He admitted that David would be king. But David still had to wait.

After many years of running and waiting, King Saul died in battle. David, anointed king by Samuel 15 years earlier, could finally receive the throne.

King of Judah, Then of All Israel

At first David was anointed king only over the tribe of Judah in the city of Hebron. He ruled there for 7 and a half years.

Then all the other tribes of Israel came to him, recognizing that God had chosen him to be their leader. David became king of all Israel.

Capturing Jerusalem

David captured the stronghold of Zion, Jerusalem, which was held by the Jebusites. He made it the City of David and established it as the new capital of the kingdom.

He also brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, dancing before the Lord with all his might. Jerusalem became both the political and the spiritual capital of Israel.

God’s Promise

God promised David through the prophet Nathan that an eternal King would come from his family. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

David was not a perfect king. He made serious mistakes too, but what defined him was that he kept turning back to God with a sincere heart, repenting and praising.

The Book of Psalms

David wrote 73 of the 150 psalms: prayers, songs of praise, cries in suffering, thanksgivings after victory. They are some of the most beautiful words ever written.

Through the psalms we see all of David’s feelings: fear, joy, guilt, hope, love for God.

Psalm 23, the Most Loved Psalm

David wrote from his experience as a shepherd. He saw how a good shepherd takes care of his sheep and understood that God takes care of us in the same way:

A good shepherd gives his sheep green pasture (food), still waters (rest), right paths (direction), and his presence (protection), even in dark valleys.

David’s Legacy

David prepared everything needed for the temple that his son Solomon would build. And from David’s family was born Jesus, the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep.