David, God’s King. 1 Samuel 16–2 Kings 2
Dr. Jerry Vines
Introduction; David is one of the great characters in the Bible. He is mentioned more than six hundred times in the Old Testament and sixty times in the New Testament. He appears on the first and last pages of the New Testament (Matt. 1:6; Rev. 22:16).
He was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). David was the shepherd boy, the musician, the warrior, and the great king. It was to the house of David that Jesus came. It is upon the throne of David that one day Jesus will reign.
The Waiting Years
When David was just a shepherd boy Samuel anointed him; he knew he was going to be the king (1 Sam. 16:1–13). God put him through a series of circumstances in his early years to teach him important lessons.
He fought the enemies of the sheep: the wolf, the bear, and the lion. He composed songs. When King Saul needed someone to play to soothe his troubled soul, David was selected to play (1 Sam. 16). He was learning the lesson of character.
The story of Goliath is in 1 Samuel 17. Goliath fought with a sword, spear, and shield. David fought in the name of the Lord (1 Sam. 17:45). He knew the battle was the Lord’s (1 Sam. 17:47).
God was teaching David the lesson of courage. The Lord was with him in his battles. We will face giants in our lives too.
We need to trust in His strength alone for the victory.
Next is the account of the great friendship of David and Jonathan (1 Sam. 18). It was during those days that envy began to build in Saul.
After the battle with Goliath, the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7). During this turbulent time, David behaved wisely (1 Sam. 18:14). The Lord was with him. David was learning the lesson of conduct.
Saul knew David was his successor, that his days were numbered. Next was David in the caves (1 Sam. 19–30). David was on the run as Saul tried to kill him.
David’s psalms composed at this time show what he went through on the inside. David never retaliated. He had opportunity to kill Saul but refused to do so.
David would not touch the Lord’s anointed. David was learning the lesson of convictions. Let the cave experiences of your life build your convictions and teach you to turn to the Lord.
The Working Years
David became the king of Israel and reigned forty years (2 Sam. 5:3–5). He was actually crowned king three times: by Samuel when he was just a shepherd boy (1 Sam. 16:1–13), in Hebron after Saul died (2 Sam. 2:1–4), and in these verses as king of all of Israel (2 Sam. 5:1–5).
David inherited a kingdom that was in real trouble. He worked to establish and strengthen the kingdom. He did a magnificent job. He had years of triumph.
David built his leadership team. David realized the importance of the spiritual life (2 Sam. 6). He got the ark of the covenant and had it carried to Jerusalem.
David understood the importance of worship. He wanted to build God a temple. The Lord said no, but God said He would build David a house that will be forever (2 Sam. 7:1–17).
The account of Mephibosheth shows David’s compassion (2 Sam. 9:1–13). It is a beautiful picture of grace in the Bible.
David conquered his enemies and executed judgment (2 Sam. 8). He subdued all of his enemies (2 Sam. 10). These working years were years of triumph.
Next, he had years of tragedy. When you think about the life of David, what two names come to your mind? Inevitably they are Goliath and Bathsheba, his greatest victory and his greatest failure.
When David should have gone to battle, he stayed at home (2 Sam. 11:1). David was up on the roof of the house. David saw (2 Sam. 11:2). David sent (2 Sam. 11:3). David took (2 Sam. 11:4). Later, in verse 5, he got a four-word message that shatters his world. “I am with child.”
You can’t play with sin and get by. David spent about nine months trying to hide his sin. You know the story. God saw. God knew. God was displeased (2 Sam. 11:27).
God sent Nathan the prophet with a story. Then David heard four more words that rocked his world, “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7). David confessed and repented (2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 51).
When you sin, do you repent? The longer you carry that sin without repenting, the more miserable you are going to be if you are saved.
The Waning Years
David’s life was never the same. God forgave David, but it didn’t remove the consequences. He had trouble in his family. He had trouble in his kingdom. He had rebellion breaking out everywhere. He didn’t have a trouble-free day the rest of his life.
Amnon, his son, raped Tamar, his daughter. Absalom, Tamar’s brother, killed Amnon because David neglected to punish Amnon. David had lost all moral authority to do anything. Absalom stole the kingdom and ended up dead, one of the saddest things in the whole Bible.
David heard Absalom was dead. He was overcome with grief (2 Sam. 18:33). Do you think he thought about his sin? The consequences of sin!
The close of David’s life is in 1 Kings. Even as he was dying, David had insurrection from another son, Adonijah. He then made Solomon king, as God had said (1 Kings 1; 1 Chron. 22:7–10).
Conclusion: After reigning forty years, David died (1 Kings 2:10–11). A New Testament verse summarized his life: “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep” (Acts 13:36). That ought to be our desire, to serve our own generation by the will of God.