A David Was Not Without Faults
Even though David was a powerful king over Israel for 40 years and his heart was definitely inclined Godward, he was not without faults. For example, David sinned in placing confidence in human strength , and he manifested weakness as a father, whose sons brought him shame . Yet God used him! Thus Davids life is a prime example in the Scriptures of how God works through weak and frail and sinful persons, like you and me, to accomplish His purposes.
The Death Of Nabal Abigail’s Husband
So after Abigail and David separated, she went back home to her husband and found him drunken with wine, because he was having a party at his house. When Abigail saw this she went straight to bed and decided not to say anything to him until the morning.
So the next morning when Nabal woke and was sober again, his wife told him all that was done, and the Bible said: his heart was dead within him.
The man was like this for ten days and on the tenth day, the Bible said that God smote him and he died.
David Was From The Tribe Of Judah
The 12 tribes of Israel descended from Jacobs 12 sons, and with the exception of Levi, each tribe controlled a specific territory within the nation of Israel. Judah was the son who prevailed over his brothers , and while SaulIsraels first kingwas from the tribe of Benjamin, Judah became the tribe of kings.
Judahs territory included the city of Jerusalem. When David became king, he established Jerusalem as the nations capital and Gods headquarters, permanently altering Judahs importance in Jewish life and culture. Davids line ruled in Jerusalem for about 400 years, until King Nebuchadnezzar captured the city and broke the line of kings.
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David Chose To Be Alone
Not only was David living in the luxuries of his position he was alone. There is an old adage that says, It gets lonely at the top. It doesnt have to be that way, but David chose to be by himself. Even though other kings were out at battle, he stayed back in Jerusalem. While his Mighty Men were away fighting, David was in his palace near their vulnerable wives and daughters.
It was no accident that David had no one around to know what he was doing or keep him accountable. Why should he? He was the king! But alone in the shadows was where he made the decisions that destroyed his life. Of course, God saw what David did and sent Nathan to call him out, but that was not until great damage had already been done.
David Defeats The Philistines
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim 19 so David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?
The Lord answered him, Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me. So that place was called Baal Perazim.21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim 23 so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.25 So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
Footnotes
Cross references
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Davids Reign As King Of Israel
When King Saul was killed, David tore his clothes, and wept and mourned and fasted until evening. David respected Saul as the anointed king even though Saul had severely mistreated him. David did not hold a grudge.
David had known for many years that he was chosen to be the next king of Israel. He had already been anointed by Samuel, while still a lad in Bethlehem. At first David became king only over the tribe of Judah. Later he was declared king over all of Israel. 2 Samuel 5:4 says David reigned over Israel for 40 years. He greatly extended the borders of Israel, and established peace throughout much of the land. But not everything went smoothly for David.
Soon after David had conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made Jerusalem his capital city, David ordered the Ark of the Covenant brought from the house of Abinadab up to the City of Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was one of the six sacred pieces of furniture which belonged in the Jewish house of worship, the Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant was a chest made of wood overlaid with gold, in which were kept the Ten Commandments. The Ark of the Covenant was to be kept in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. Human hands were never to touch the Ark of the Lord .
During the time that David ruled over Israel, he demonstrated great wisdom and justice in dealing with people. David stood out as one of the greatest political and spiritual leaders in Old Testament history.
What Did David Achieve
As Israels second king, David built a small empire. He conquered Jerusalem, which he made Israels political and religious centre. He defeated the Philistines so thoroughly that they never seriously threatened the Israelites security again, and he annexed the coastal region. He went on to become the overlord of many small kingdoms bordering Israel.
David, , second king of ancient Israel. He founded the Judaean dynasty and united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch. His son Solomon expanded the empire that David built. David is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
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David As A Shepherd Boy
One incident in Davids boyhood days plainly denotes his character. While he was keeping his fathers sheep, a lion came and took a lamb. David went out after the lion, and got the lamb out of the lions mouth. The lion arose against him, and he caught the lion by the beard and slew it! This account shows Davids great courage.
Notice that the loss of one poor lamb was the occasion that prompted Davids bravery. Many shepherds would have considered the loss of one tiny lamb far too trifling to endanger their own lives. But not David! It was his love for that lamb and his faithfulness to the charge given him which moved him to act. David was faithful in small things, and later he was given larger duties to perform.
David was a lad who longed to know God in deeper dimensions. He wrote that he couldnt sleep until God found a place in his heart. When he was in the pastures of Bethlehem Ephratah, he was concerned for Gods glory .
Even though God had rejected Saul as king, He still allowed Saul to rule for 20 or more years. During this time, David served King Saul in his royal court. David played the harp for Saul during the Kings periods of depression. When he wasnt at the court, David continued to help his father with shepherding the sheep.
Parallels With The Messiah
David was clearly a type of the Messiah he was a prophet of God and king.
- David was born in the humble town of Bethlehem.
- Jesus was born in the same town.
- Jesus was born 1,000 years after David was born.
- Jesus Christ was the chosen of God .
- David was anointed by God through His prophet.
- Jesus was anointed by God through His Holy Spirit which came down in the form of a dove, and stood on Christs head at His baptism.
- At the age of 30 years, David became the king of Judah beginning his service to Gods Chosen People.
- At the age of 30 years, Jesus Christ began his ministry, providing abundant miraculous and prophetic evidence that He was Judeas regal Messiah.
- Davids rightful title to the throne was at first disputed.
- Jesus rightful title to the throne of Messiah was disputed.
- David reigned 33 years in Jerusalem and died there.
- Jesus lived 33 years and died in Jerusalem.
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Abigail Became David’s Wife
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he praised God and thanked Him that He pleaded the cause of his reproach from the hand of Nabal, and kept him from doing evil, because the LORD had returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head.
After this, king David sent his servants to communicate with Abigail about becoming his wife. Abigail did not hesitate but she went immediately and also took five of her women-servants along with her.
So she went and became David’s wife and she was also the third wife of David.
David Was Israels Greatest King
Despite being anointed to rule Gods people, David had a long and arduous path to kingship. Even after Saul died in combat, those loyal to him werent just going to hand over the kingdom to David. Remember, Saul was anointed, too. And David had been living with and fighting for the Philistinesthe Israelites sworn enemies.
When Saul died, the tribe of Judah anointed David as their king , but Abner son of Ner, the commander of Sauls army, made Sauls son Ish-bosheth king over all Israel. So there were two kings and two kingdoms: Ish-bosheth became the second king of Israel, and David ruled Judah.
Unfortunately for Ish-bosheth, his reign was short-lived. And while he and Abner were at war with David the whole time he was in power, Ish-bosheth didnt die by Davids hand.
Both Ish-bosheth and Abner were murdered. Abner was murdered out of revenge, and David cursed his killers and mourned his death. Ish-bosheth was murdered by Israelites who seemed to be trying to earn Davids favor. When they came to David with their good news, he had them executed for their crime.
With Sauls family out of the picture, Israels elders met with David and anointed him king over all of Israel when he was thirty years old .
During Sauls reign, Jerusalem was captured, and the Ark of the Covenant was in Judah. When David became king, he retook the fortress of Zion , conquered Jerusalem, and returned the Ark to the city.
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David Accepted The Gifts From Abigail And Repented Of The Evil He Was About To Do
The act of Abigail confronting the king with peace offering and a speech of apology, is considered by most women an example of courage and submission in the midst of danger.
Although Abigail and David have never met, the manner in which she approached the king was very humble and so the king’s heart was softened.
Because of this bold act of Abigail, David blessed the LORD GOD of Israel, and humbly accepted the peace offerings from her.
Not The Original Collection
Dr Sue Gillingham, Lecturer at Worcester College, Oxford, continues:
People think that when they open the book of Psalms it’s a collection of just 150 Psalms, but there’s much evidence, certainly from just before the time of Jesus, that there were lots of different copies of Psalms going around, and there weren’t always just 150.
There’s a place called Qumran by the Dead Sea, and in two or three of the caves there – particularly caves 4 and 11 – copies of Psalms have been found. And the order of the Psalms is quite different than the one in our Old Testament.
This is dating probably from the 2nd or 1st century, just before the time of Christ. So it’s quite late after you’d expect the collection to have been finalised. But they’re in a different order and other Psalms have been incorporated into them, which we haven’t even got in our Psalter. Some actually from other bits of the Old Testament, such as in Samuel, from Kings and from the Book of Isaiah.
So it’s as if the collection in the Psalter took quite a long time to be finalised and so we have to be careful that we don’t just assume that here are 150 Psalms and it all came from the time of David and was a solid, fixed collection from very early days.
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David Is Anointed As King
Samuel followed the instructions of the LORD despite his fears. He came to the home of Jesse. He saw his son Eliab. Based on his appearance, he thought surely this is the LORDs choice.
But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
After inquiring, Samuel finds out that Jesse has one more son, his youngest, who is tending sheep.
Then Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him for we will not sit down until he comes here. So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him for this is he.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
According to Charles R. Swindoll, Josephus, the historian, says, Samuel the aged whispered in his ear the meaning of the symbol, You will be the next king.
David was anointed as king while Saul was still on the throne.
David Lived Around 1000 Bc
The Bible doesnt explicitly say when David lived, but many scholars believe he existed around 1,000 BC. A stone inscription known as the Tel Dan Stele dates from the late ninth or early eighth century BC, and it refers to the House of David. Another inscription from around 840 BC , may refer to David as well. Parts of 1 and 2 Samuel were written as early as the seventh and sixth centuries BC, likely using earlier accounts as sources.
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David Was Ruth And Boazs Great Grandson
The Book of Ruth is a story of love and redemption. It uses the relationships between a man named Boaz, a woman named Ruth, and her mother-in-law, Naomi, to paint a picture of Gods compassion for Israel.
David is directly descended from Ruth and Boaz. Several passages record his lineage, and they all point out that he was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz and Ruthmaking him the great grandson of this significant couple .
Redemption ran in the family. Over the course of his life, David was frequently the vehicle God used to display his compassion and redeem his people. After his death, he became a symbol of Gods unique relationship with Israel and the redemption that was still to come.
David Wrote About Half The Book Of Psalms
David was a talented musician. But he also put his God-given creativity to work as a songwriter. Throughout the Old Testament narrative, we see David write laments and songs to commemorate important moments and express deep emotions, such as when he learns that Saul and Jonathan died .
According to the Masoretic Text , David wrote 73 out of the total 150 Psalms. The and the Latin Vulgate include additional Psalms, and bring the number attributed to David closer to 85.
While Psalms is often assumed to be the biggest book of the Bible, David actually didnt write that much of the Bible in comparison to authors like Moses, Ezra, Luke, Jeremiah, and Paul. They each wrote at least 32,000 words, and the entire book of Psalms is only 30,000!
Here are the 73 Psalms attributed to David, according to Jewish tradition:
| Psalm 3 |
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Rebellion Of Prince Absalom
The personal respect for David was sadly lowered by the incident of Bathsheba. There was a strong popular sentiment against the taking of the census, and the outburst of the plague in connection with it deepened the feeling of jealously that had begun to manifest itself among some of the tribes against David. Absalom, taking full advantage of this state of things, gradually gained over the people, and at length openly rebelled against his father, and usurped the throne.
Ahithophel was Absaloms chief counsellor. The revolt began in Hebron, the capital of Judah. Absalom was there proclaimed king. David was now in imminent danger, and he left Jerusalem , and once more became a fugitive. It was a momentous day in Israel. The incidents of it are recorded with a fulness of detail greater than of any other day in Old Testament history. David fled with his followers to Mahanarm, on the east of Jordan.
An unnatural civil war broke out. After a few weeks the rival armies were mustered and organized. They met in hostile array at the wood of Ephraim . Absalomsarmy was defeated and put to death by the hand of Joab .
The tidings of the death of his rebellious son filled the heart of David with the most poignant grief. He went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept , giving utterance to the heart-broken cry,