the complete history of David 's life can teach us valuable lessons as he was a man after God's Own Heart we first hear about David after Saul who was made King at the people's request proved to be an inadequate leader as Saul continued to make errors God sent Samuel to find David the son of Jesse 1 Samuel 16 1-3 Amplified Bible the Lord said to Samuel how long will you grieve for Saul when I have rejected him as king over Israel fill your horn with oil and go I will send you to Jesse the bethlehemite
for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons but Samuel said how can I go when Saul hears about it he will kill me and the Lord said take the heifer from the herd with you and say I have come to sacrifice to the Lord you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do after that and you shall anoint for me the one whom I designate God was not telling Samuel to lie about his intentions in Bethlehem he really did offer a sacrifice there the anointing of
the new King was kept a secret and was not to be made public for many years 1 Samuel 16 6-7 Amplified Bible so it happened when they had come he looked for a liar the eldest son and thought surely the Lord's anointed is before him 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 the Lord sees not as men sees for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart Samuel learned from his experience with Saul
that what matters most is the inner character and not the outward appearance God judges the heart throughout history the principle stated in verse 7 has proven to be accurate people tend to make judgments based on appearance clothing and outward appearance in today's society the media promotes unrealistic beauty standards through the use of attractive individuals in advertisements TV shows and print material as a result average looking people may feel inadequate Saul was tall dark and handsome actually David was good looking too 1 Samuel 16. now he had a ruddy complexion with beautiful eyes and a handsome
appearance David appeared too young to serve in a major role the prophet Samuel was actually very interested in him despite seven of Jessie's Sons passing before Samuel God had chosen none of them 1 Samuel 16 11-13 then Samuel said to Jesse are all your sons here Jesse replied there is still one left the youngest he is tending the Sheep Samuel said to Jesse send word and bring him because we will not sit down to eat the sacrificial meal until he comes here so Jesse sent word and brought him in now he had a ruddy complexion
with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance the Lord said to Samuel arise anoint him for this is he then Samuel took the Horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward and Samuel Rose and went to Rama It is believed that David was anointed as the king of Israel when he was between the ages of 12 and 16. Samuel anointed David with oil and from that day on the spirit of the Lord Came powerfully Upon David the word of
God also says that the spirit of the Lord departed from King Saul and an evil spirit tormented him 1 Samuel 16 14-18 Amplified Bible now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and terrified him Saul's servants said to him behold an evil spirit from God is tormenting you let our Lord Now command your servants who are here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the harp and when the evil spirit from God is on you you shall play the half with his hand and
you will be well so Saul told his servants find me a man who plays well and bring him to me one of the young men said behold I have seen a son of Jesse the bethlehemite who is a skillful musician a brave and competent man a warrior Discerning prudent eloquent in speech and a handsome man and the Lord is with him in verse 18 it is evident that David had already gained significant recognition prior to his encounter with Goliath David's music had a profound effect on the king lifting him out of his depression Saul was
so impressed by David's talent that He appointed him as his personal armor-bearer therefore David came into the King's Service 1 Samuel 16 21 Amplified Bible then David came to Saul and attended him so loved him greatly and later David became his armor-bearer Saul's admiration for David disappeared rapidly as David gained more power and became more famous in perhaps one of the best known biblical accounts David slew the Giant Goliath during the war between the Philistines and the Israelites the Philistines challenged the Israelite Army by boasting about their Champion Goliath from gath they proposed a jewel
between Goliath and whoever would fight him but no one in Israel volunteered to battle the Giant David's older brothers were members of Saul's Army when Goliath had been insulting the Israelites for 40 days David went to the battlefield to see his brothers and overheard the Philistines grandiosity 1 Samuel 17 26 Amplified Bible then David spoke to the men who were standing by him what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace of his taunting from Israel for who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has taunted and defied the armies
of the Living God David's oldest brother became angry and accused David of Pride and coming only to watch the battle but David continued to talk about the issue Saul soon got word that a young man had been found to fight for Israel and David was brought before him at first Saul had doubts about David's ability but David had already experienced the power of God when he defended his flock against a lion and a bear he had proven his faith in private and was now ready to rely on God in public Saul was impressed by David's
courage and determination and even offered him his armor but David declined as it would only slow him down instead he went into battle with five smooth Stones a sling a staff and unwavering faith in God when Goliath saw David who was probably around 20 at the time he was incensed that Israel should insult him by sending out what in his eyes was a mere child to fight him David responded to the Giant's curses without showing any fear he had unwavering trust that the Lord would Grant him victory as Goliath moved toward him David slung the
first stone hitting him in the forehead the giant fell forward on his face David then used the philistine's own sword to kill him and cut off his head when the Philistine saw this they fled with Israel in haunt Pursuit 1 Samuel 17 57-58 Amplified Bible when David returned from killing Goliath the Philistine Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand Saul asked him whose son are you young man and David answered I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem afterward he began working for Saul
on a permanent basis and no longer took care of his father's sheep it was at this period that Saul's son Jonathan became one in spirit with David 1 Samuel 18 1-5 Amplified Bible when David had finished speaking to Saul the soul of Jonathan was bonded to the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as himself took David that day and did not let him return to his father's house then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself Jonathan stripped himself of the outer robe that he was wearing and gave it to
David with his armor including his sword his bow and his belt so David went out wherever Saul sent him and he acted wisely and prospered and Saul appointed him over the men of war and he pleased all the people and also saw servants Jonathan and David developed a strong enduring friendship they were Kindred Spirits who possessed the rare traits of true courage Jonathan had the right to succeed his father on the throne but he chose to give his robe to David instead indicating his willingness to relinquish his claim and see David crowned in his place
Jonathan despite being the son of the king and having a rightful claim to the throne chose to support David instead he recognized and embraced God's plan and went out of his way to protect his friend Jonathan's actions showcase his humility and Selfless Love after the incident with Goliath David continued to grow in Fame 1 Samuel 18 6-9 Amplified Bible as they were coming home when David returned from killing the Philistine the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines songs of joy and musical instruments the
women sang as they played and danced saying Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands then Saul became very angry for this saying displeased him and he said they have ascribed to David ten thousands but to me have ascribed only thousands now what more can he have but the kingdom Saul looked at David with suspicion and jealousy from that day forward in Source Camp the people sang songs that praised David while belittling King Saul which made Saul extremely jealous and he never got over it Saul looked at David with suspicion and jealousy from
that day forward now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul and he raved madly inside his house while David was playing the harp with his hand as usual and there was a spear in Saul's hand so held the spear for he thought I will pin David to the wall but David evaded him twice now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul so Saul had David removed from his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand
and he publicly associated with the people David acted wisely and prospered in all his ways and the Lord was with him when Saul saw that he was prospering greatly he was afraid of him but all Israel and Judah loved David because he publicly associated with them 1 Samuel 18 9-16 on two occasions the king attempted to assassinate David but David managed to evade him each time Saul then appointed David as the captain of a thousand soldiers likely in the hopes that he would perish while battling the Philistines David had the favor of the Lord and
his accomplishments made him known to all of Israel Saul's jealousy of David turned murderous he first tried to have David destroyed by the hand of the Philistines by asking David to become his son-in-law the king proposed a deal where David would receive his daughter as a reward for his military service however David respectfully declined and the King's Daughter was given to someone else instead this may have been Saul's way of trying to shame David but Saul's younger daughter Michael loved David and Saul agreed to give her to him provided he produced a dowry of 100
philistine foreskins Seoul once again attempted to kill David through the Philistines but David was not easily eliminated he returned with a unique and generous Dowry and successfully married mecco David's ongoing success in battle showed that the Lord was on his side but this only fueled Saul's increasing hatred and fear towards him after David slew 200 Philistines which was twice the expected amount Saul realized that he was no match for him Jonathan and Michael warned David about their father's desire to kill him and he spent years running away from the King during this period David composed
various songs such as Psalms 57 59 and 142. the Spy Souls continuous Pursuits to slay him David never retaliated against his King 1 Samuel 24 5-7 Amplified Bible after David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the Hem of Saul's robe he said to his men the Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master the Lord's anointed to put out my hand against him since he is the anointed of the Lord so David strongly rebuked his men with these words and did not let them rise up against Saul Saul got up
left the cave and went on his way when Saul eventually died David mourned even knowing that he was God's anointed David did not use any Force to become the King instead he acknowledged God's ultimate power and respected the current authorities that God had placed he trusted that God would accomplish his plans in his own time while on the Run David built a strong Army of God's help and was victorious in every battle he always sought God's guidance and permission before engaging in any Warfare which remained a consistent practice when he became king once King David
remained a powerful military commander and Soldier second Samuel 23 recount some of the exploits of David's so-called Mighty Men David's obedience resulted in God honoring and rewarding him leading to success in all of his endeavors 2 Samuel 8. the Lord helped David wherever he went David married Abigail a widow from Carmel and her gnome from Jezreel taking them as His additional wives after becoming King David remarried Michael he also successfully conquered Jerusalem from the jebusites which increased his power and influence as the Lord Almighty favored him the Philistines previously captured the Ark of the Covenant
after being brought back to Israel the ark was kept at kiriyath jiren David had a desire to relocate the art to Jerusalem King David decided to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem David investigated the scriptures to see how the ark was to be transported afterward the ark was brought to a temporary tent in the city of David and there were people dancing in the streets the King was overjoyed and danced before the Lord with all his might 2 Samuel 6 14-23 Amplified Bible and David was dancing before the Lord with great enthusiasm and David
was wearing a linen ephod a priest's upper garment so David and all the house of Israel were bringing the Ark of the Lord up to the city of David with shouts of joy and with the sound of trumpets then as the Ark of the Lord came into the city of David Michael Saul's daughter David's wife looked down from the window above and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord and she felt contempt for him in her heart because she fought him undignified they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in
its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts armies and distributed to all the people the entire multitude of Israel both to the men and women to each a ring-shaped loaf of bread a cake of dates and a cake of raisins then all the people departed each to his house then David returned to bless his household but his wife Micah the
daughter of Seoul came out to meet David and said how glorious and distinguished was the king of Israel today who uncovered himself and stripped off his kingly robes in the eyes of his servants Maids like one of the riffraff who shamelessly uncovers himself so David said to Michael it was before the Lord that I did this who chose me above your father and or his house to appoint me as ruler over Israel the people of the Lord therefore I will celebrate in pure enjoyment before the Lord yet I will demean myself even more than this
and will be humbled abased in my own sight and yours as I please but by the maids whom you mentioned by them I shall be held in honor Michael the daughter of Soul had no child to the day of her death David realized that genuine worship is meant solely for God we don't worship to impress others but rather to humbly respond to God once David had established himself in his Palace and achieved peace with his enemies he had the desire to construct a temple for the Lord initially Prophet Nathan gave David the freedom to act
as he wished however God later informed Nathan that David was not the chosen one to build his Temple instead God promised to build a house for David the promise not only predicted that Solomon would build the temple but also foretold the arrival of the Messiah the Son of David who would Reign eternally for my loving kindness and mercy will not depart from him as I took it from Saul whom I removed from before you your house Royal Dynasty in your kingdom will endure forever before me your throne will be established forever Nathan spoke to David
in accordance with all these words and all of this vision deeply moved by God's Covenant of Grace David went into the temporary tent and offered the prayer of Thanksgiving had made preparations for the temple before he passed away God had prohibited him from constructing it because of the extensive Bloodshed he had caused however David's son Solomon who was a peaceful man would be responsible for the Temple's Construction David shed a lot of blood in Wars but he also had one of his powerful soldiers killed in a bad incident despite being a man beloved by God
David was still human and capable of sin during one spring while his armies were at War David stayed home while on his rooftop David caught a glimpse of a stunning woman bathing he later learned that she was Bathsheba the wife of yoria one of his brave soldiers fighting in the war David then sent Messengers to fetch her David slept with Bathsheba and she became pregnant David attempted to deceive by bringing him back from Battle hoping he would have relations and assume the resulting child was his own however yuria refused to abandon his comrades who were
still at War David had Uria destroyed in the battle and subsequently married Bathsheba David's experience reminds us that even those we admire can succumb to sin it also warns us about the dangers of Temptation and how easily sin can escalate when David sinned with Bathsheba the prophet Nathan confronted him David showed repentance in response during that period David wrote Psalm 51 which reflects his genuine humility and love for the Lord Nathan had warned David that his son would perish because of his sin but David still implored the Lord to spare his child's life David had
a strong relationship with God which motivated him to maintain his faith and hold on to the hope that God might change his mind when God enacted his judgment David accepted it completely in this story we also see God's grace and sovereignty Solomon David's son who succeeded him and through whom Jesus descended was born of David and Bathsheba through Nathan God had also told David that the sword would not depart from his house David's household had much trouble from that time on we see this among David's children when Ammon ravishes Tamar leading to absalom's murder of
Ammon and absalom's conspiracy against David David was informed by Nathan that his wife would be given to someone close to him but this time it will be done publicly instead of in secret like David's sin with Bathsheba the prophecy came true when Absalom publicly slept with his father's concubines on the roof David is the author of many of the Psalms in them we see the way he sought after and glorified God he's often thought of as a Shepherd king and a warrior poet scriptures call him the sweet psalmist of Israel 1 Samuel 23 1 Amplified
Bible now these are the last words of David David the son of Jesse declares the man who was raised on high declares the anointed of the god of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel David's life was a roller coaster of emotions he started as a simple Shepherd boy with a strong faith in God's loyalty later he had to escape for his safety and eventually became the king who set the standard for all future kings of Israel David achieved many military victories but also experienced moments of grave sin which caused suffering for his family nevertheless
David remained faithful to God and trusted in him even in his moments of Despair as expressed in the Psalms David would look up to his maker and offer praise his unwavering Reliance on God and constant pursuit of a relationship with him is what earned David the title of a man after God's Own Heart foreign
