Ancient History Encyclopedia, 18 Oct 2017. (I Samuel 18). King David was a descendant of Judah as well as Ruth, and was promised by G‑d that his children would rule Israel forever. Everywhere Saul sent him, he prospered. He has the men killed, cuts off their feet and hands, and hangs their bodies in shameful display. As Absalom’s conspiracy and its support grows, David flees from the forces of Absalom, not wanting to kill his son. 1 Samuel 18:2–3 states, “From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family.”. The book of 2 Samuel begins with David hearing the news that his best friend and God’s anointed king have been slaughtered by the Philistines. 1:2). Photo Courtesy: Thinkstock/aradaphotography, Bible Study Resources - Tips, Online Bible Search, Devotions, A Prayer to Finish 2020 with Wisdom - Your Daily Prayer - December 26, 10 Best Bible Study Tools Articles of 2020, 10 False Versions of Jesus People Are Falling For. Like King Saul and King Solomon, David reigned for 40 years in one of the highest and most prosperous periods in Israel’s history - called by many, “The Golden Age” of Israel. To the masses he was a hero. Not just any king, but a king worthy of becoming a foreshadow of the … The book ends with David enjoying more and more success on the battlefield and in his domestic life, but for Saul and his family, the tide will turn and run red at their last battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. Eventually, David goes to his best friend, Jonathan, who is also King Saul’s eldest son, for help. With Ish-Bosheth dead, David is offered the crown by the elders of Israel, and 2 Samuel 5:4 records, “David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” He then conquers Jerusalem - Zion - to which he soon also brings the ark of the covenant. His life was filled with much happiness and much pain. Why Is He Important? He came to the home of Jesse. King David in the Bible – Who Was He? That is why he was able to unite the Jewish people. “Speak truth to power” originates with David. He was a powerful warrior. Born in 907 BCE, he reigns as king of Israel for 40 years, dying at age 70 in 837 BCE. Because there was there was no prophetic word from God during this time, this period is sometimes called “the four hundred silent years.” Though the voice of God was silent, the hand of God was actively directing the course of events during these centuries. So, Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” (I Samuel 8:4-5), “But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.' The appellation “son of Jesse” served as a synonym for David both at Saul’s court and, subsequently, when David became king. Samuel, who has been so depressed over King Saul, finds hope and blessing in the young shepherd from Bethlehem in Judea. “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:17, emphasis added), “Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.' Sure, he was an important king, but in terms of the overall storyline of the Bible, why is David such a big deal? Later, he buries Ish-Bosheth’s head, properly and respectfully in Abner’s tomb (Abner was Saul's cousin and commander-in-chief of his army). A former shepherd, David was renowned for his passion for God, his touching psalms and musical abilities, his inspiring courage and expertise in warfare, his good looks and illicit relationship with Bathsheba, and his ancestral connections to Jesu… 10 Times Jesus Showed Up in the Old Testament and What They Reveal, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Third, any loyalty of Joab to David is gone. 1 Samuel 20:16–17 states, “So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ‘May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.’ And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.”. In David's early life, … “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. And Nathan said to David, 'The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. Then she went back home.” Unfortunately for the pair, Bathsheba becomes pregnant with David’s child. By the end of David’s life, he had lost touch with Israelite society and eventually lost political control of it, as well. Although David does not look like a king should look, he has the heart of a lion - a courageous spirit - and even more, a deep, unending love for God. (I Samuel 8:10-22) God must have felt the sting of rejection. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. The primary evidence for David’s career consists of several chapters of the books 1 and 2 Samuel in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Saul’s servants knew about David and they sent for him on Saul’s command to find someone who could play well. Cite This Work Surely, loneliness was his constant companion. David was the first king in Jerusalem whose reign was later looked back on as a golden era. Thus, the arrangement of a marriage between Saul's daughter Michal and David is more about Saul's desire to ensnare or ultimately assassinate David than a holy union, ironically. God is so wonderful that u have to praise & worship him in ridiculous or madness way weather is in public or privite u have to done it because he deserve it . The son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah, David initially gained attention through the killing of Goliath. King David is one of the most important figures in Jewish history. Saul’s madness still rages inside him, sadly, and continues to pursue David who, in another moment of opportunity, spares Saul’s life. King David established Jerusalem as Israel's capital over 3,000 years ago. Moreover, David’s illicit affair and subsequent devious actions (leading to the assassination of Uriah the Hittite and its cover up) complicated the rest of his reign - along with the rape of Tamar, the murder of Amnon, and the attempted coup of Absalom, among other controversies. But David's prominence in Scripture is primarily due to his relationship with God. According to biblical tradition (and some say myth), David (c. 1035 - 970 BCE) was the second king in the ancient United Kingdom of Israel who helped establish the eternal throne of God. No doubt he was thinking of the goodness of the Lord to him. King David had to have been thinking of King Saul when he penned those famous words in Psalm 51:11. But there was also the ill-advised census motivated by Davids pride, not to mention a series of lessons in how not to manage your household well. David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons. Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.’” (I Samuel 16:1, emphasis added). 1 Samuel 31:4–6 states. David conspired to have her husband killed in the field of battle so that he could take Bathsheba as his wife. David’s plans soon begin to backfire upon him. As a young man, David was a shepherd. Keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn... for you are a wise man. Member of the Lord despite his fears love to her and made love to her and made love her! Guest writer for Bible.org his land was at peace enemy instead of a loyal army and sought God s... “... your servant was tending the flock, he sings of being. Whom he now sees as the Lord to him own heart the murder of husband. 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