A King called David - Part 2

In my previous blog post 'A King called David - Part 1' we looked at the events leading up to the prophet Samuel anointing David as King of Israel. As was pointed out, David had a difficult pathway to the throne. Let's look at how David encountered problems along the way.

1 Samuel 16:13-18

"(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.
(15) And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.

(16) Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well."
(17) So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me."
(18) Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skilful in playing, a mighty man of valour, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him."

This is surely interesting that the very person who could soothe King Saul was David the son of Jesse; God's newly anointed king for Israel. What a recommendation Saul's servant gives David! David was not aware of it but he was attracting attention by his manner of life.

1 Samuel 16:21-23

"(21) So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armour bearer.
(22)Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favour in my sight."
(23) And so it was, whenever the [distressing] spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him."

Saul and David's relationship starts out well. David becomes Saul's armour bearer. It would appear that David occasionally went on furlough and returned home to look after his father's sheep. This seems to be the case when Israel went to war against the Philistines and we are introduced to the giant - Goliath of Gath.

1 Samuel 17:13-15

"(13) The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

(14) David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.

(15) But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem."

 For 40 days Goliath challenges Israel to send a man to fight him. If the Israelite soldier defeated Goliath then the Philistines would serve the Israelites. On the other hand, if Goliath defeated Israel's champion then the Israelites would serve the Philistines.

David's father Jesse sends David with supplies for his brothers and to find out news of the battle.

1 Samuel 17:17-24

"(17)Then Jesse said to his son David, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp.

(18) And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them."

(19) Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
(20) So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.

(21) For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.

(22) And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.
(23)Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them.
(24) And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid."

David then makes inquiries as to what would be done for the man who killed the giant. David would have sensed and seen the anxiety and terror of the whole of the army of Israel. Mass fear and panic is catching! Yet David remained unafraid. His inquiries revealed this, "So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel." (1 Samuel 17:25)

David is soon standing before King Saul and telling the king that he would go and fight the uncircumcised Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:32-33

"(32) Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

(33) And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

David convinces Saul that he is up to the task. Saul gives David armour to wear but David refuses it as he had not proven the armour in battle. David takes his sling and his staff, chooses five stones from the brook and goes out to meet Goliath. The Philistine is thoroughly disgusted that Israel has sent out a youth to fight him.

1 Samuel 17:43-47

"(43) So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

(44) And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"
(45) Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
(46) This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
(47) Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."

David rushes towards the Philistine giant, puts a stone in his sling and hurls the stone directly into the Philistine's temple. Goliath crashes to the ground and David takes Goliath's huge sword and cuts off Goliath's head with it. Then there is panic amongst the Philistine army and they fled from the battleground; with the Israelite army pursuing them and slaying them. Thus the legend of David and Goliath began that day.

 Next blog post we will continue to look at 'A Man called David' and his pathway to the throne of Israel.

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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