Promises from the Prophets
See also: Dawud in the Qur'an »
OUTLINE
The children of Israel in Canaan forget God
The children of Israel settled in Canaan (Palestine), and soon forgot God (Judges 2:6-15). In time, they chose a king who became wicked, Saul, to lead them, rather than trusting in God alone (1 Samuel 8:1-22). Saul was a tall, impressive man (1 Samuel 10:20-24). But God said, “they have rejected me as their king” (1 Samuel 8:7). Saul's reign was cut short, and he died shamefully (1 Samuel 31:1-9).
God chose a faithful king to lead his people
God chose a faithful king to lead his people (1 Samuel 16:1-13). David was a shepherd, musician and armour-bearer for the king. He was a boy – the youngest of his warrior brothers – but when the Philistine Goliath challenged Israel to send a challenger against him, it was David, not Saul, who went to fight (I Samuel 17:1-51).
David, the great warrior
David defeated Goliath, becoming a great warrior (1 Samuel 18:5-7). He said to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel...” (1 Samuel 17:45). David wore no armour, but trusted God to deliver him from Goliath. Using a simple sling, David struck down Goliath and killed him (1 Samuel 17:38-40).
David was a good king
When Saul died, David was anointed as king, and ruled with courage and justice (1 Samuel 13:14). He trusted God and wrote songs of praise for the people (Psalms). He called them to worship God alone (Psalms 18). He loved to follow the Law of Moses, and built a costly altar to sacrifice to God (Psalms 119:47, 2 Samuel 24:17-25).
David sinned against God, but God forgave him
For all his achievements, David knew he was a sinner, saying: “Surely I was sinful at birth.” (Psalms 51:5) One time, he lay with another man's wife and arranged for her husband to be killed in battle (2 Samuel 11:1-27). But when David saw his sin, he repented. He sacrificed, fasted and praying to God, “Have mercy on me... cleanse me from my sin... against you, you only, have I sinned...” (2 Samuel 12:13-17, Psalms 51). God heard David's prayer, and forgave him (Psalms 51:1-19, 2 Samuel 12:13).
God promised an heir to rule
God promised an heir to rule forever Despite David's sins, God called him “a man after my own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-14, Acts 13:22), and promised David a wonderful legacy in his future son (2 Samuel 7:12-16). This heir would be a righteous anointed king: the 'Messiah' ('Anointed One'). “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (Isaiah 9:6-7, Psalms 2).
REFLECTION: GOD'S KINGDOM
David was a good king, and yet a sinner.
When David was chosen as king, he wasn't an obvious choice. But God said to the prophet Samuel, 'The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.' (1 Samuel 16:7). Although David was a small shepherd boy, God enabled him to defeat giant Goliath and made his kingdom great.
Despite his victories, the Bible says that David fell into sin. He needed forgiveness from God. He faithfully followed the Law of Moses and offered burnt offerings for his sins, as required by the Torah (Leviticus 4:22-26; 2 Samuel 6:17).
DISCUSSION POINTS
- Read Psalms 51, which David wrote after committing adultery Numbers 19. What does David say about his own sinfulness?
- Read Psalms 130. What is David looking forward to? (Compare Matthew 22:41-46).