Who Was King David

The surrounding nations had an influence on the people of Israel and this was not pleasing to God. They wanted a king. They wanted to be like other nations and have a leaded. A king they could see.

From a biblical perspective we see in 1 Samuel 12:1-4 Israel’s high regard for Samuel. He was a man who exuded integrity. Samuel said to all of Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.” “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

In 2 Samuel the narrative shifts to the reign of David as he rises above Saul’s son Ish-bosheth to become the king, first of Judah and then of all the tribes of Israel (5:1–4). The book records David’s wars of conquest including the capture of Jerusalem and the relocation of the ark of the covenant to the City of David (6:1–19). But the author also records David’s failures: his adultery with Bathsheba (11:1–26), Absalom’s rebellion (15:1–18:30), Sheba’s revolt (20:1–26), and the disastrous census (24:1–25). Like all the prophetic writers, the author presents a portrait of his historical figures from the perspective of their faithfulness to God’s covenant.

Saul was the ideal king the Israelites desired. David was the king Israel needed. David was not tall or handsome but he was a man of God. When David defeated Goliath, not only did he fully trust God, David gave all the glory of his victory to God. David possessed the vital attribute that Saul never had, obedience to God. David trusted in God’s timing and plan. Despite David having the opportunity to kill Saul and reign over Israel , David continued to follow God's commands. In 1 Samuel 24:19-20 Saul said to David after spearing his life, “ When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands (NIV).” Unlike Saul David was obedient to God. God rewarded David for his obedience by anointing him King and later

However, throughout David’s leadership, there were a few mishaps where he did not always do the right thing. He committed a sin by having an affair with Bathsheba, who was married to her husband Uriah. Also, here performed an unauthorized census, which was motivated by his own pride. In addition, he chose to follow his own heart a lot instead of being a man after God’s heart. Regardless of his flaws, David had a great sensibility of courage, loyalty, faith, being a successful leader, and warrior. For example, David could look someone else’s sins that they may have done, but he could not do the same for himself. Basically, David loved his enemies and respected them, which was not a normal character trait to have. He was always willing to forgive them of their sins even when they typically opposed him.

Here we see David in his first major fall from grace. King David accomplished a great evil, a two-fold sin. Not only did he commit adultery, but also he also sent Uriah into battle so that he would be killed. David, being blinded by his selfishness, did not notice that he had committed a great sin in the eyes of God.

As Samuel grew in age he intended to appoint one of his sons as the king of Israel. His sons however did not follow the ways of their father or God. “They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice” (I Samuel 8:3). The people of Israel desired a king, “a king like all the other nations” (Hindson and Yates, 2012. P.164). The people had grown tired of oppression and felt that “the lack of a strong human leader as the cause and did not realize that the reason for the oppression was a spiritual on-their failure to serve God” (Harbin, 2005, p.219). Saul was not God’s choice for the throne but “he was the people’s choice” (Hindson and Yates, 2012. P.164). Saul’s appointment as king was against the “old

We have heard the story of David and Bathsheba many, many times before; but have you ever thought of King David (man after God’s own heart) as being a sinful and wicked

Why did the people of Israel desire a king? During the time of Samuel the leadership of the judges was unsuccessful. The people of Israel grew far from God and had to call among the Judges and Prophets to redeem their people. Hebrews tells us how the people that were called in to redeem the people of Israel were faulty and flawed.

David was truly a man after God’s own heart. David was a sinner just like so many but he set his heart and pointed it to follow God and had absolute faith. Many years had transpired between the times that David was anointed king and when he actually ascended the throne; and they were not easy years. David had Saul’s life in his hands two different times, and could have killed him and even was even encouraged to do so by his comrades. David’s response was “Behold this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed’” (Got questions).

The nation of Israel was set apart as holy to the LORD. But they When the children of Israel demanded a king, they did so to be like the other nations. The first three kings were Saul, (outwardly tall, handsome and strong—a seemingly good choice for a king, but inwardly arrogant, proud and unrepentant—not God’s choice), David (a man after God’s own heart who repented of his sins and as such was God’s choice), and Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived, but because of covenant disobedience became the catalyst for the division and ultimate exile of Israel.

Some people know what they want to do with their lives at an early age. Then there are others that their calling in not quite clear to them. David is one of the ones that had to travel several paths in order to find what he truly wanted what to do with his life. Through some trials and errors, David has built on his life’s experiences of entering into the workforce as a young adult, serving in the Navy, and marrying his soulmate to finally lead him the way to pursue what he wants to be in life.

Israel was surrounded by many nations, and all of those nations had a king. It is recorded in I Samuel 7-8 that the Israelites had requested a king. This was a rejection of God as their leader. They were warned of the consequences of their decision but they ignored all of Samuel’s warnings. For many years Israel lived under human rule beginning with the rule of Saul. Even though they had a few good kings, the many of them were evil. There were tree king who were especially vile. These three were King Ahab, Manasseh, and Amon.

Shepherding his father’s flocks (1 Sam. 16:19), playing music for King Saul (1 Sam. 16:23), and striking down Goliath (1 Sam. 17:50), were steps in the journey David undertook before his eventual rise to the throne. After many years of struggle between him and Saul, David finally took hold of the crown and became king of Israel (2 Sam. 3:9-10). Through all of David’s strife, we do not see a time where David falls out of God’s will, until we reach the grisly narrative of David and Bathsheba. At the beginning of the tragic account, David is regarded as absent from battle, where kings were to be at this time of year (2 Samuel 11:1), reminding us that from the start that David was not where he should have been. Instead, David was caught lounging on his couch until he decided to walk on to the roof.

David is King of Israel and appears to be chosen by God to rule. David has many good qualities of a strong leader like wisdom and generosity. But he does not always show great qualities. He is not a completely selfless man, and sins greatly when it came to Bathsheba. David various sinful actions cause a great consequence to the future of his