David From humble beginnings as the youngest son of a Bethlehem shepherd named Jesse, David rose to become Israel’s greatest king. He established a dynasty out of which, according to God’s plan, came the great Messiah, the son of David, who was Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world (1 Samuel 16:1,11; 2 Samuel 1:5-4,12; Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:1-33; Luke 2:11).
Early progress
After the failure of Saul as king, God directed Samuel to the young man David, whom Samuel marked out to be Israel’s next king (1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 15:28; 1 Samuel 16:11-14). Many years passed before David became king, and during those years he steadily matured in mind and body. He became skilled in speech, writing and music, and grew into a brave fighter through having to defend his flocks against wild animals and raiding Philistines (1 Samuel 16:18; 1 Samuel 17:34-36; cf. Ps 23).
David’s introduction to Saul’s court was as one whose music relaxed the king’s troubled nerves (1 Samuel 16:16). After his victory over the Philistines’ champion fighter, he became Saul’s armour-bearer and full-time court musician (1 Samuel 16:21; 1 Samuel 17:50; 1 Samuel 18:2). At this time a close friendship began to develop between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. It lasted many years, and was ended only by Jonathan’s tragic death in battle (1 Samuel 18:1; See Jonathan). David’s successes in battle won him promotion, but further successes and growing popularity so stirred up Saul’s jealousy against him that Saul tried to kill him (1 Samuel 1:18-11).
by this time David had no doubt begun the psalm-writing activity for which he is well known. The biblical book of Psalms contains many of the songs and poems he wrote during his long and eventful career. In these writings David gives his personal views of many of the incidents that another writer records in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel (See PSALMS, BOOK OF).
Flight from Saul
Unsuccessful in his direct attacks on David, Saul tried to have him killed in battle. He promised that if David could kill one hundred Philistines, he would give his daughter Michal to David for a wife. David again succeeded and, through marrying Michal, became part of the royal family (1 Samuel 1:18-29). but Saul’s jealousy resulted in further attempts to kill him (1 Samuel 19:1,1 Samuel 19:10-11; Ps 59).
After seeking temporary shelter with Samuel at Ramah (1 Samuel 19:18), David returned in secret to find out from Jonathan whether it was safe for him to enter Saul’s court. Upon discovering it was not, he obtained provisions from a priest at Nob and fled (1 Samuel 20:1,1 Samuel 20:12-14; 1 Samuel 21:1-9).
When the Philistine city of Gath proved an insecure refuge (1 Samuel 1:21-15; Ps 34; 56), David found a good hiding place in a cave at Adullam. Here he was joined by his family along with several hundred others, who for various reasons were dissatisfied with Saul’s administration (1 Samuel 1:22-2; Ps 57; 63; 142). From these people David built himself a strong fighting unit, which in later times became the central force of his royal army (1 Samuel 22:2; 1 Samuel 23:13; 1 Chronicles 11:10,15; 1 Chronicles 12:8-18). but as long as Saul was king, David never allowed his men to attack him (1 Samuel 24:7; 1 Samuel 26:9).
Saul’s pursuit drove David increasingly into the semi-barren regions of Judah. David was pleased to use his fighting force to rescue the town of Keilah from the raiding Philistines (1 Samuel 23:4), but he was angry when the people of another Judean town, Ziph, betrayed him to Saul (1 Samuel 23:19; Ps 54). On two occasions when he had an opportunity to kill Saul, he refused to (1 Samuel 1:24-7; 1 Samuel 26:5,9).
David supported his small army by protecting farmers against the raiding Philistines and then demanding food supplies as payment (1 Samuel 1:25-8; 1 Samuel 25:16,21). When one farmer refused to pay, David was saved from rash retaliation only by the quick thinking and wise words of the farmer’s wife, Abigail. When the farmer died, David married Abigail (1 Samuel 25:39).
Tired at the cruel pursuit by Saul and his Benjaminite supporters, David fell to the temptation to give up defending his righteousness. He decided to avoid further hardship by going and joining the enemy Philistines (1 Samuel 26:19; 1 Samuel 27:1-2; cf. Ps. 7; 11). From Philistia David enriched himself by carrying out brutal raids on neighbouring tribal people, though he repeatedly deceived the Philistine king concerning his activities. It was a disgraceful sixteen months David spent in Philistia, and, so far as we know, no psalm of his comes from this period (1 Samuel 1:27-11). Only after his own camp was cruelly raided did David stop his ungodly behaviour and return to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:30-7).
At this time the Philistines had gone to battle against Israel. David and his men had set out with the Philistines, but the Philistine leaders sent them back. They feared that David’s men might betray them and fight for Israel (1 Samuel 1:29-4). In the battle that followed, both Saul and Jonathan died (1 Samuel 1:31-5), and David composed a song in memory of them (2 Samuel 1:1-27).
Established as king
After Saul’s death there was confusion in Israel. David was declared king in Hebron, which was in the area of his own tribe Judah in the south, but one of Saul’s sons was declared king in the territory east of Jordan (2 Samuel 1:2-4,8). After two years of conflict, the supporters of David overpowered their opponents. However, David executed the murderers of Saul’s son, to make it clear that he had no desire to gain Saul’s throne by murder (2 Samuel 3:1; 2 Samuel 4:9-12; cf. 1 :14-16).
For the next five years David ruled from Hebron (2 Samuel 1:5). Being deep in the territory of Judah to the south, Hebron was not a suitable place from which to rule all Israel. Therefore, in an attempt to ensure the allegiance of the northern tribes, David decided to make Jerusalem his capital. Jerusalem was on a well fortified hill and belonged to no tribe, for it had remained under the control of the enemy since the time of Joshua. David conquered Jerusalem and soon united all the tribes under his rule (2 Samuel 1:5-7,12).
David then set out to make Jerusalem the religious as well as the political centre of the nation. He brought the ark from the country house where it had sat neglected during Saul’s reign, and placed it in a special tent he had erected for it (2 Samuel 6:2,17; cf. 1 Samuel 1:7-2; 1 Chronicles 13:6). The conquest of Jerusalem and the arrival of the ark there are celebrated in some of David’s best known psalms (Ps 24; 68; 110). Further psalms show the ideals he aimed at in his government (2 Samuel 1:23-7; Ps 101), and express his deep gratitude to God for all his gracious blessings (Ps 8; 103).
When David expressed his desire to build God a permanent house (meaning a temple), Nathan the prophet told him that God had a better purpose, and that was to build David a permanent house (meaning a dynasty). God had chosen David as the one through whose royal family he would bring the Messiah, the Saviour of the world (2 Samuel 1:7-17; Psalms 1:2-9; Psalms 89:19-37; Matthew 22:42; Luke 1:1-70; Acts 1:13-23).
As David’s military victories continued, Israel’s power grew, showing that God was strengthening David’s throne according to his promise. David’s power spread beyond the borders of Israel, so that he dominated all the neighbouring peoples, from the Nile River and the Red Sea in the south to the Euphrates River in the north (2 Samuel 1:8-18; cf. Ps 18). Unfortunately, pride in his expanding power prompted David to carry out a census. He knew he deserved God’s punishment, but asked that it be mixed with mercy (2 Samuel 24:10,14; cf. Ps 32).
David’s military conquests had involved him in much bloodshed. Therefore, although God granted David’s request for a temple, he considered that he was not a fit person to build it (1 Chronicles 28:3,6). That privilege was given to David’s son, Solomon, though David helped him by preparing plans and setting aside money and materials for its completion (1 Chronicles 1:22-6; 1 Chronicles 28:11).
Family troubles
When he was at the height of his power, David committed a series of deliberate sins that affected the rest of his life. His sexual desire for Bathsheba led him to adultery and murder, as a result of which God assured him that his own family would be torn apart through adultery and murder (2 Samuel 1:12). David confessed his sin and God in his mercy forgave him (2 Samuel 1:12-14; Ps 51), but that did not remove the suffering and distress that David had brought upon himself and his family.
David’s example of adultery and murder was followed in the family. One of the sons raped his sister, only to be murdered by another of the sons (2 Samuel 1:13-14,28). The murderer, Absalom, fled into exile. Three years later he returned to Jerusalem, but a further two years passed before David allowed him back into the palace (2 Samuel 13:38; 2 Samuel 14:24,28,33).
Over the next four years Absalom strengthened his position, till he was able to launch a surprise rebellion. David was forced to flee Jerusalem, and Absalom seized the throne (2 Samuel 1:15-7,14; Ps 3). In the battle that followed, Absalom was killed, in spite of David’s instructions that no harm be done to him (2 Samuel 18:5,14). Only after the people had shown they wanted David back as their king did he return to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 1:19-15).
The peace of former times never returned to David’s throne. Soon he had to deal with another rebellion, this one led by a man called Sheba, who tried unsuccessfully to lead the northern tribes to break away from David (2 Samuel 20:1,22).
David’s closing years were saddened by conflict in the palace concerning which son would succeed him as king. His choice was Solomon, but the ambitious Adonijah tried to seize the throne for himself before David died. Again the rebellion failed. These stirring events gave the weak and aged David renewed strength, and with great haste he had Solomon anointed as the new king (1 Kings 1:1-8,16). In due course he arranged a second anointing, this one public and with full regal ceremony, where he presented Solomon to the people as the divinely chosen successor (1 Chronicles 1:28-10; See Adonijah; Solomon).
Hope for the future
In spite of his failures, David was one of the greatest men that Israel produced. In the centuries that followed, when Israelites looked for the coming of the Messiah, the best example by which they could imagine an ideal king was that of David (Hosea 3:5). The Messiah was, as it were, a greater David (Ezekiel 1:34-24; Ezekiel 37:24-25). Being of David’s family, he was known as David’s son and he sat on David’s throne (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15; Matthew 12:23; Matthew 20:31; Matthew 21:15; Luke 1:32; John 7:42). Yet he was also David’s Lord (Matthew 1:22-45; cf. Psalms 110:1). As to his humanity, the Messiah Jesus was descended from David, but as to his divinity he was the eternal Son of God (Romans 1:1-4; Revelation 22:16; See Messiah).
Because many of David’s psalms celebrate his victories and express the ideals that he looked for in his kingdom, the New Testament sometimes quotes them in relation to the Messiah Jesus (cf. Ps 2 with Acts 4:25; Acts 13:33-34; 1 Corinthians 1:15-25; Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5; Revelation 12:5; Revelation 19:15; cf. Ps 110 with Matthew 1:22-45; Hebrews 1:7-17,21). Other psalms speak of David’s sufferings, and the New Testament quotes these also in relation to Jesus (cf. Ps 22 with Matthew 1:27-43,46; John 19:24; Hebrews 2:12; cf. Ps 69 with Matthew 27:34,38; John 2:17; John 15:25; Romans 15:3).
Not all David’s psalms, however, may be quoted as applying to Jesus, for many reflect David’s wrongdoings. The reader’s first consideration must be to consider the psalms in relation to the immediate circumstances about which David wrote (Psalms 38:3; Psalms 41:4; Psalms 51:1-2). (For further details concerning the use of David’s psalms in the New Testament See PSALMS, BOOK OF.)
According to the titles in the book of Psalms, David wrote 73 of the 150 in the collection. His poetry appears in 2 Samuel also (2 Samuel 1:1-27; 2 Samuel 3:33-34; 2 Samuel 22:1-51; 2 Samuel 23:1-7). His exceptional abilities as a musician and a poet were well known (1 Samuel 1:16-18,23; 2 Samuel 23:1). He used those abilities in organizing the services for the proposed temple and in setting up official groups of singers and musicians (1 Chronicles 1:6-32; 1 Chronicles 15:16-28; 1 Chronicles 16:7; Ezra 3:10; Nehemiah 12:24,36,45-46). David served God faithfully in his own generation, and through his music and psalms has been of service to God’s people throughout succeeding generations (Acts 13:36).