A King called David - Part 1

David is probably best known in history as the person who slew Goliath the Philistine giant. However, that is only a part of his story.

God chose David to be King over Israel. David's journey to the throne was difficult and life threatening. King Saul, Israel's first king initially thought well of David but ended up repeatedly trying to kill David. Why was this?

Some background information will be helpful at this stage. The prophet Samuel was the last of the Judges to rule Israel. God used Samuel to bring about the transition from Israel being ruled by Judges to Israel being ruled by their own King. The first king was a man called Saul, the son of Kish, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. Samuel was chosen by God to anoint Saul as King of Israel. However, Samuel retained his office as prophet and priest before God.

King Saul started out well, but along the way chose not to fully comply with God's instructions to him.

1 Samuel 15:1-3

"(1) Samuel also said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.

(2) Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.

(3) Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' "

Saul is given explicit instructions to completely destroy Amalek. Now let's see how Saul carries out the instructions.

1 Samuel 15:7-9

"(7) And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.

(8) He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

(9) But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed."

Saul did what he thought was right in his own eyes and mistakenly thought he was carrying out God's will.

1 Samuel 15:18-23

"(18) Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.'

(19) Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?"

(20) And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

(21) But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."

(22) So Samuel said:"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

(23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king."

Samuel has no further dealings with King Saul.

1 Samuel 15:34-35

"(34) Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.

(35) And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his [Samuel's] death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel."

God now sets about to make arrangements for Saul's successor.

1 Samuel 16:1

"Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."

Samuel goes to Bethlehem to do as God instructs him. The elders of the city are frightened when Samuel appears at their town. Samuel allays their fears and invites them to come to a sacrifice to the Lord.

1 Samuel 16:5-7

"(5) And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
(6) So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him."

(7) But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Samuel then looks at seven of Jesse's sons but refuses them all on the Lord's instructions to him.

1 Samuel 16:11-14

"(11) And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here."

(12) So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!"

(13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
(14) But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him."

As we noted earlier Saul is from the tribe of Benjamin whereas David is from the tribe of Judah. Bethlehem belongs to the tribe of Judah. David, however, is at this time not installed as King over Israel. He has a long difficult path ahead of him before he is acknowledged as King of all the tribes of Israel.

Now let's have a look at some relevant points in the above Scriptures. What lessons can we learn from King Saul?

1. Saul starts out well as King of Israel but finishes badly.

2. He does not completely obey God's instructions to utterly destroy Amalek's people and their livestock.

3. Saul considers in his own heart and mind that he has carried out God's instructions.

4. Samuel points out to Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice". To obey God is better than animal sacrifices.

5. Saul's actions are clearly labelled as (a) the sin of rebellion and (b) his stubbornness as the iniquity of idolatry.

6. Saul rejected God's instructions and therefore God now rejects Saul from being king.

7. The Spirit of God departed from Saul and came upon David instead.

8. To obey God is better than any sacrifice we can bring to God.

Next blog post I will continue to look at 'A King called David - Part 2'.

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

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