David

• Found: 1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 2

David was Jesse's son, and Ruth's great grandson.

Annointing of Samuel (1 Samuel 16)

God spoke to Samuel the prophet. Saul had been His chosen king, but Saul had turned away from obedience, and God had chosen another to succeed Saul. Samuel had to go to Bethlehem, to Jesse's house, to annoint the next king.

Samuel told Jesse this story, and the eldest son was brought in. He was big and strong, but not God's chosen one. One by one, the sons were brought before Samuel and each time God told Samuel this was not the one. "Are these all the sons you have?" asked Samuel. There was one more, but he was the youngest, out tending the sheep. When David was called in, God told Samuel he was the one. Samuel poured the oil on his head.

Meanwhile Saul was having a troubled time. An evil spirit was tormenting him. His attendents suggested that music would help, and one of them knew a son of Jesse who could play the harp. So David was brought into the house of Saul, and his music soothed Saul's troubled spirit.

Fighting Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

The Israelites were at war with the Philistines, and they met at the valley of Elah, the Israelites on one hill and the Philistines on another. Each day, the Philistine champion, a giant of a man called Goliath, came out and challenged the Israelites. If someone could beat him the Philistines would surrender; but if he beat the Israelite, the all had to surrender to the Philistines.

David came to the camp to bring some food to his three oldest brothers, who were in the King's army. He heard the Philistine's challenge, and couldn't believe that no one was responding. He went in to Saul and asked to fight, but Saul said he was only a boy. David told him of how he had defended his sheep against a lion and a bear, and God would defend him against Goliath.

Saul put his armour on David, but it was far too heavy. So David approached Goliath with no armour, five stones from the stream and his sling in his hand. Goiath looked down on him a cursed him, but David ran towards him, took out a stone and slung it at the giant. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead, and he fell to the ground. David took Goliath's sword and cut off his head. The Philistines fled, and the Isrealites chased them down, winning the victory.

Friendship of Jonathan (1 Samuel 18v1-5)

Saul took David in to stay in the palace, and was pleased with his progress. David became firm friends with Jonathan, Saul's son, and they vowed to look after each other. David did everything so well that he quickly gained rank in Saul's army, and he was liked by the officers and all the people.

Fleeing Saul (1 Samuel 18v6 - 20v42)

When they returned from defeating the Philistines, the women were singing and dancing. They sang "Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands". Saul was incensed at this, and hatred grew in his heart towards David. The next day, while David was playing his harp, Saul threw a javelin at him, but missed. He sent David out on campaigns, hoping he'd be killed, but the Lord was with David and he did very well. Saul married his daughter Michal off to David, hoping to trap him, but failed again.

Jonathan managed to make some peace between his father and David, but only for a short while. Soon after, Saul tried again to kill David, this time with a spear. He missed again. David fled to his house, and persuaded Michal to let him down out of the window. Michal put an idol in David's bed and told Saul's men he was ill. That delayed them enough for David to make his escape.

Jonathan couldn't believe his father wanted to kill David, so he arranged to find out, and let David know by a signal the next day while he was shooting arrows. Sure enough he found out his father did intend David harm, and he and David had to part company. They made a covenant, to look after each other's families, and David left.

Pretending to be Mad (1 Samuel 21)

David ran from Saul, and found his way to a place called Nob. He asked the priest there for bread, but the only bread he had was the shewbread offered to the Lord. David happily took it. The priest also had Goliath's sword, taken from his body when David killed him. David took the sword as well. He went to the land of Gath, but the king there recognised him. David pretended he was mad, foaming at the mouth, but the king didn't want anything to do with him and had him sent out.

Hiding in Caves (1 Samuel 22-24)

And so David came the the cave of Adullam. His family went to join him, and others who were in various types of trouble, until David had charge of 400 men. He took his parents to Moab, asking the king there to keep them safe. At one point Saul was searching for David, and went into a cave to rest for a while. It was the very cave that David was hiding in. David's men told him this was what he was waiting for - a chance to kill Saul. But David respected Saul as God's anointed and only cut the hem of Saul's robe. When Saul got up and left, David hailed him, and showed him the hem he had cut, asking why Saul sought to kill him. Saul was sorrowful, and went home with his army.

He Becomes King (2 Samuel 2 v1-6, 2 Samuel 5 v1-5)

Some time later Dvaid heard of Saul's death in battle, along with Jonathan, his son and David's friend. He was very sad, both for Janathan and for Saul. When David was 30, he went to Hebron, with his men, and there the people crowned him king over Judah. It was seven years later that the rest of Israel accepted him as king, and he moved to Jerusalem to reign over all Israel for 33 more years.

Return of the Ark (2 Samuel 6)

David wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, so he took 30,000 men to go and collect it. They put the ark on a cart drawn by oxen, though God's way was for the Levites to carry it. When the oxen stumbled, a man named Uzzah reached out to steady the ark. God killed him on the spot for his irreverence. The rest were afraid, and left the ark at the house of a man called Obed-Edom. Three months later they came and tried again, this time carrying the ark. David danced before the Lord, and made sacrifices, and the people rejoiced. However, Michal, David's wife and Saul's daughter, was angry at David for making such a display of himself. She had no children from then on.

Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9)

David remembered his vow to Jonathan, to look after his family, and asked if any of Jonathan's family remained. There was one, called Mephibosheth, who was crippled from when his nurse had dropped him. David sent for him, gave him all of Saul's former possessions and land, and had him eat at the king's table for the rest of his days.

David's Great Sin (2 Samuel 11-12)

As king, David should have gone out with his armies to fight their battles with them. However, one spring he decided to stay home. While he was on the palace roof, he spotted a woman bathing, was pleased with her and sent for her. She was the wife of one of Dvaid's soldiers, Uriah, but David got Bathsheba pregnant. He sent for Uriah to return from the battlefield, hoping that he would spend time with his wife and that could explain the baby away, but Uriah insisted he wouldn't relax at home while his fellow-soldiers were out fighting. David sent Uriah back to the battle, with a note for the commander to put him in the fiercest part of the battle.

A message came back to David: some of the Israelites had been killed in battle, including Uriah. Once Bathsheba had mourned for her husband she was brought into the palace and had her child.

God sent the prophet Nathan to David. He told a story about a rich man who stole a poor man's lamb. David was angry at the story and said the rich man should be punished. Nathan pointed to him and said "You are the man". David was sorry for his sin, and the Lord forgave him, but he still had to face consequences. His son died, and David's family qould always have problems. Soon after though, Bathsheba had another child. They called him Solomon, and he was to take over after David as the king.

A Troubled Family (2 Samuel 15, 2 Samuel 18)

Absalom was David's son, yet wanted his father's power for himself. He set himself up at the city gates in Jerusalem, and gained the trust and support of many who came by. He then went to Hebron and claimed kingship there. David heard that the people were in favour of Absalom and not himself, so he gathered his supporters and left Israel to go into hiding.

David gathered his people together and sent them out to win back Israel. They were commanded by Joab, Abishai and Ittai. He wanted to go with them but they persuaded him not to, since the Israelites would be so keen to kill him. He asked them to be merciful to his son Absalom.

David's men fought against the Israelite army, and many died. Absalom's mule ran through the forest, and Absalom was caught in a tree, left hanging by his head. A soldier saw him and reported to Joab, who killed Absalom with his javelins. When the news got to David he was very sad that his son had been killed, and mourned for him.

He Desires to Build the Temple (1 Chronicles 17 v 1-12, 1 Chronicles 28)

When David sat in his palace one day, he looked around and realised how much he had, and yet the house of the Lord was still just a tent. Now that the Israelites were settled in one land, it seemed sensible to build a temple for the Lord. He enquired of Nathan the prophet, but God told him he would not build the temple, but his son would.

So David gathered all the people together and explained to them. He was a man of war, and so not fit to build the house of the Lord; but his son Solomon would be a peaceful king, and he would construct the temple. David prepared as much as he could, and donated much gold and silver, along with plans for the temple building. He encouraged his son to carry out the task, and trust in God to be with him.

David's Death (1 Kings 2 v10-12)

Finally, David's reign was over. He died after 40 years as the king over Judah, 33 of those over the whole of Israel. When he died, his son Solomon became king in his place.

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