King David: Israel's Greatest King
An overview of the life and reign of King David.
David is one of my favorite Bible characters.
Not only has God given us more information about David’s reign than any other king of Israel, but we also have insight into David’s thoughts and emotions through the Psalms. As Hester stated, “David was probably the most colorful character in Hebrew history. He occupies a place of greatness next to Moses in all of the Old Testament.”1
Let’s dive into this study of ancient Israel’s greatest king.
David’s Pre-King Days.
David’s rise from country shepherd to king of Israel was ultimately because of God.
David, the Unknown Shepherd.
Our introduction to David in 1 Samuel 16 is when Samuel arrives at his home to anoint the next king of Israel. After receiving a “no” from the Lord about all of David’s brothers, Samuel asks David’s father if he has any more sons. Jesse replied that the youngest son was out in the pasture with the sheep. When David is brought before Samuel, God tells Samuel, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (1 Samuel 16:12).
Sometime later, Jesse sends David to take supplies to his brothers who are fighting for King Saul against the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:17-18). When David arrives, he hears the defiant challenge of the Philistine champion Goliath (1 Samuel 17:8-10, 23). David inquires who is going to answer Goliath’s challenge - for a challenge against the armies of Israel is nothing other than a challenge against the living God (1 Samuel 17:26). However, no one is willing to trust God enough to step out and face Goliath (1 Samuel 17:11).
So David tells King Saul that he will go fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:32). When Saul tries to talk David out of this “suicide mission,” David responds that the Lord has helped him fight enemies before and would help him again (1 Samuel 17:37).
Goliath mocks David when he shows up on the battlefield (1 Samuel 17:42-43), but David trusts in the Lord to win the day (1 Samuel 17:45-47), and the Philistine champion is defeated by David - causing the Philistines to run from the battlefield (1 Samuel 17:48-51).
David, the National Hero.
After defeating Goliath in battle, David becomes close friends with Saul's son Jonathan and is eventually promoted by Saul over the men of war (1 Samuel 18:5).
David became a popular figure and a national hero for the nation, and when he returned home from defeating the Philistines in battle, the women sang his praises (1 Samuel 18:6-7). This was too much for King Saul - the insecure, paranoid king of Israel (1 Samuel 18:8-9).
David, the Political Enemy.
For the rest of 1 Samuel, David is running for his life from King Saul. Saul makes multiple attempts on David’s life, with David narrowly escaping each attempt.
David first flees to the Philistine city of Gath but then pretends to be insane to save his life from the Philistines when they recognize him (1 Samuel 21:10-15).
After his encounter with the Philistines, David hides in various remote locations - like the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1), the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph (1 Samuel 23:14), and strongholds at En Gedi (1 Samuel 23:29). While David was hiding in these remote locations, 400 distressed, indebted, and discontented men gathered to him (1 Samuel 22:2).
Eventually, David returns to the Philistines seeking refuge from Saul. They gave him the city of Ziklag and David operated from that city until the death of Saul (1 Samuel 27). While living in exile, David continued to fight the enemies of Israel (1 Samuel 30).
David Reigns as King of Judah.
After executing the man who claimed to have killed Saul (2 Samuel 1:1-16) and mourning the death of Saul and his son Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:17-27), David obeys the Lord and goes to Hebron - a city located in the tribe of Judah.
The Nation is Divided.
David trusts the Lord with what he should do after the death of Saul and returns to the land of Israel (2 Samuel 2:1-3). The men of Judah come and anoint David as their king and tell David how the men of Jabesh Gilead honored Saul by burying him. David praises these men for their loyalty and promises to repay them for their kindness (2 Samuel 2:4-7).
While David is the unquestioned ruler in Judah - the southernmost part of the nation - the rest of Israel followed Ishbosheth, another son of Saul who was made king by Abner, the commander of Saul’s army (2 Samuel 2:8-10).
David reigned from Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.
A Bloody Civil War.
A meeting in Gibeon between high-ranking military officials from Ishbosheth and David’s armies - including Abner and Joab - turned bloody and broke out into a battle. David’s men only lost 20 soldiers, but Asahel, Joab’s brother, was one of them. He was killed by Abner. However, Abner’s troops lost 360 men (2 Samuel 2:12-32).
The longer the war went on, the stronger David became and the weaker Ishbosheth grew. Although Abner's power was growing in Israel, he realized he was on the losing side (2 Samuel 3:1-6).
When Ishbosheth confronted Abner about having a relationship with one of Saul’s concubines - which was basically a claim to the throne - Abner threatened to turn the entire kingdom over to David. That silenced Ishbosheth because he was terrified of Abner (2 Samuel 3:7-11).
Abner decides to follow through with his threat and sends messengers to David, offering to make David the undisputed king over all of Israel. Abner, it seems, fancied himself a “king-maker.” After some negotiations with David, Abner appeals to the leaders of Israel to make David their king (2 Samuel 3:12-19).
After laying all the “political groundwork” for David as king in Israel, Abner meets with David at Hebron. However, as Abner prepares to leave to bring all of Israel together under David’s reign, his life is cut short when Joab murders him in the city gate to avenge the death of his brother Asahel (2 Samuel 3:23-27).
David proclaims his innocence in this matter - Joab acted alone and not on any official orders. David orders everyone to mourn the death of Abner and is the first one in line behind Abner’s coffin (2 Samuel 3:28-39).
Soon after Abner’s murder, Ishbosheth is murdered in his house by two men. These two murderers bring Ishbosheth’s head to David, who immediately rebukes them and orders their execution for killing “a righteous person in his own house on his bed” (2 Samuel 4).
David Reigns as King over All of Israel.
After a long, bloody civil war between Judah and the rest of Israel, David is made king of the entire nation. He quickly focuses on the task of uniting the nation.
David Strengthens the Kingdom.
In 2 Samuel 5-6, David does three things that unite and strengthen the nation.
Conquers Jerusalem.
At this point, Jerusalem was inhabited by the Jebusites, who put a lot of faith in their mountain fortress of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:6). But David and his army conquered the city by finding a weakness in the Jebusites’ defenses (2 Samuel 5:7-8). Afterward, Jerusalem is called “the City of David” (2 Samuel 5:9).
Jerusalem became a central point in the nation from which David governed. Because it had been taken from the Jebusites, no one could claim that David had shown favoritism to a certain tribe.
David knows that all this is happening because the Lord is with him and has established him on the throne (2 Samuel 5:10, 12).
Defeats the Philistines.
When the Philistines find out that David is now the king of all Israel, they come looking for him. After the Philistines deployed their troops for battle, David inquired of the Lord what he needed to do. God told him to go into battle and He would deliver the Philistines into David’s hand (2 Samuel 5:19).
When the Philistine lines are broken, David inquires of the Lord again, and the Lord tells him to prepare an ambush, and David and his troops drive the Philistines from the land (2 Samuel 5:23-25).
Brings the Ark of God to Jerusalem.
David decides to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem. However, there was a three-month delay when Uzzah was struck dead by the Lord because he touched the ark to prevent it from falling off a cart (2 Samuel 6:5-11).
When the ark finally arrives in Jerusalem, David and all the people rejoice and offer sacrifices to the Lord. One of David’s wives, and Saul’s daughter - Michal - is not amused by David celebrating among the people like he’s one of the “common folk.” When she mocks David, he rebukes her sharply (2 Samuel 6:16-23).
God’s Covenant with David.
David considers the luxurious house he lived in and thinks about how the ark of God was inside a mere tent. He decides he wants to build a house for the Lord and at first, Nathan the prophet gives him the “go ahead.” But the Lord comes to Nathan with a message for David.
The message can be boiled down to this:
“I’ve never asked for a house” (2 Samuel 7:5-7).
“What I will do is establish the nation and build you a house” (2 Samuel 7:8-11).
“There will be one of your descendants who will reign forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
David responds with a humble prayer of gratitude exalting the Lord for such a gracious promise to him and his family (2 Samuel 7:18-29).
The Lord’s promise to David is one of the most significant Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. When Matthew begins his gospel account he reveals that Jesus is the Christ, “the Son of David” (Matthew 1:1). Matthew claims that Jesus is the long-awaited son of David God promised in 2 Samuel 7:12-16.
David’s Power Grows.
2 Samuel 8:1-14 lists many victories of David over Israel’s enemies. In addition to winning battles, he took much silver and gold as spoils of war from his defeated enemies. All the wealth was dedicated to the Lord (2 Samuel 8:11). No doubt, this was what was used later by Solomon when he constructed the temple.
David was not merely a mighty warrior, he was also a skillful administrator. 2 Samuel 8:15-18 details individuals and their various roles in Israel’s government.
We also get a “behind the scenes” look at the kind of person David is. Remember it didn’t take very long for the power of the throne to bring out Saul’s arrogance and stubbornness. But 2 Samuel 9 shows that David hasn’t been changed by power - he keeps his promise to Jonathan and welcomes the crippled grandson of Saul into his home, kindly providing for him like one of his own sons.
David’s kindness even extended to foreign rulers - such as when the king of Ammon died, David sent messengers to comfort the new king. But when the messengers were insulted and sent home embarrassed, David sent his troops into battle. Despite the Syrians coming to help the Ammonites, the armies of Israel defeated them both in battle. David’s power had grown so great that nations like Syria weren’t interested in helping his enemies anymore (2 Samuel 10:19).
David’s Sin with Great Consequences.
David’s sin in 2 Samuel 11-12 marks a turning point in David’s reign. After these events, rather than seeing his power continuing to grow, he is constantly “fighting fires” and dealing with threats to his power and position.
David gets Bathsheba pregnant and tries to cover it up by sending his husband Uriah home. When those attempts fail, David sends Uriah back to the battlefield with his death orders in his own hands. After Bathsheba mourned the death of her husband, David took her to be his wife. The final sentence of 2 Samuel 11 is an ominous one: “But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”
So the Lord sends Nathan the prophet to David with a parable. The parable about the rich man who took his poor neighbor’s pet lamb to feed his guests so infuriated David that he pronounced an over-the-top penalty for such a crime: death!
Nathan bluntly tells David: “You are the man!” Because of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, the sword would never depart from David’s house. All hopes for a peaceful existence evaporated for David.
David confesses his sin, and Nathan tells him that the Lord had put away his sin and he wouldn’t die. But David’s child with Bathsheba would die because of his sin (2 Samuel 12:13-14). After the child dies, David and Bathsheba eventually have another child - Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24-25).
David’s Family Problems.
David’s problems with his family begin in full swing in 2 Samuel 13. His son Amnon rapes Tamar - David’s daughter and Amnon’s half-sister - who was the full sister of Absalom.
When David doesn’t do anything about Amnon’s sin, Absalom begins plotting and waiting for the right moment. Two years later, Absalom gets Amnon drunk at a feast and commands his servants to murder his brother. Absalom runs away to Geshur and stays there for three years.
David struggles with what he should do in this situation, so Joab eventually arranges for a woman to come before the king with a story meant to urge the king to bring Absalom home. However, even after Absalom is brought home, he does not see David’s face for two years (2 Samuel 14:28). Eventually, Absalom does get in to see his father, but only after setting fire to Joab’s fields to get his attention. It would seem that these events likely motivated Absalom to do what he did next.
Absalom begins growing goodwill among the people about the subject of justice (2 Samuel 15:1-6) - the very thing his sister Tamar never received for being raped. His willingness to be among the people and treat their concerns as important “stole the hearts” of the people.
After four years of this, Absalom goes to Hebron and with the backing of many of the people has himself declared king (2 Samuel 15:7-12). This development catches David completely off guard - he barely escapes Jerusalem with his life. While on the run, David sends his advisor Hushai back into the city to provide advice that would be helpful to him (2 Samuel 15:31-37).
Back in Jerusalem, Absalom is advised by Ahithophel, David’s former trusted advisor, to have sexual relations with David’s concubines. This further strengthened Absalom’s claim to the throne and demonstrated his strength (2 Samuel 16:15-23). However, when advice is offered about what to do about pursuing David, Absalom listens to Hushai’s advice instead of Ahithophel’s - which gives David time to escape and prepare for battle (2 Samuel 17).
When the battle takes place, David and his army defeat Absalom’s army. Despite David’s orders to spare Absalom, Joab murders Absalom when he gets caught in a tree by his long hair (2 Samuel 18:1-18). When David finds out Absalom is dead, he is crushed and breaks down weeping (2 Samuel 18:19-33). In one of the coldest moments in Scripture, Joab rebukes David and urges him to “pull himself together” and act like a king who’s just won a battle (2 Samuel 19:1-8).
David and His Enemies.
Following Absalom’s nearly successful revolt, David returns to Jerusalem as the undisputed king. The people come out to him - renewing their loyalty. David shows kindness to his enemies, his friends who did not go with him, and the man who supplied him while he was on the run (2 Samuel 19:9-39).
However, a dispute arises between the people of Judah and the rest of the tribes of Israel that Judah is receiving unfair favoritism from David because he is from the tribe of Judah (2 Samuel 19:40-43). At this point, Sheba - a Benjamite - leads yet another rebellion against David. The rebellion ends when Joab surrounds the city Sheba is in and the people inside cut off Sheba’s head and throw it over the wall to Joab (2 Samuel 20:1-22).
Later, the land experienced a famine for three years, and the Lord told David the reason was that Saul had killed the Gibeonites when the children of Israel had promised to protect them (Joshua 9). So David sent seven descendants of Saul to the Gibeonites for them to execute - but David protected Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 1-14).
In another war with the Philistines, David is nearly killed when he grows tired. His men tell him not to go out to battle with them anymore, lest he die in battle (2 Samuel 21:15-17).
At the end of his struggles with his enemies, David praises the Lord for delivering him from the hands of all his enemies (2 Samuel 22).
David Sins by Trusting in His Own Strength.
David had many mighty men who fought for him and served him (2 Samuel 23:8-39). It seems David became a little too dependent on his own strength because he ordered Joab to number the fighting men- something which was displeasing to the Lord. As a result, God sent a plague upon the nation which killed 70,000 men (2 Samuel 24:1-15).
David takes responsibility for his sin and pleads with God to end the suffering because of what he has done. After David offers a sacrifice to the Lord, the plague ends (2 Samuel 24:26-25).
David’s Final Days.
As 1 Kings begins, we find David much weaker physically - and a weak king usually means a power struggle is about to take place. Which is exactly what happens.
Who Will Be the Next King?
When a king became so old that he was no longer able to perform sexually, it was commonly considered that the man was no longer fit to be king. This is what we see play out in 1 Kings 1. Adonijah exalts himself to be the next king when David is not able to “know” a lovely young woman named Abishag (1 Kings 1:1-5).
Adonijah even convinces several prominent individuals from his father’s government - like Joab and Abiathar - to side with him in his attempt to seize the throne. But Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba go to David and urge him to keep his promise that Solomon would be the next king (1 Kings 1:11-27). David immediately has Solomon proclaimed king, ending Adonijah’s bid for the throne (1 Kings 1:28-53).
David’s Final Instructions.
Before David dies, he gives his son Solomon some final instructions. He urges Solomon to obey the Lord and to trust in God’s promises (1 Kings 2:1-4). He also gives Solomon some instructions about various individuals.
Joab was to be executed.
Kindness was to be extended to Barzillai’s family for the kindness they showed to David.
Shimei was also to be executed.
Then David dies after reigning for a total of forty years. He reigned for seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Crowning Principles.
Personal responsibility is essential among godly leaders.
One key difference between David and Saul is how they responded when they sinned. Saul blamed others and made excuses for his sin, while David took responsibility and owned up to what he had done.
None of us can live our lives without sinning, although we try not to sin (1 John 1:5-2:2). Leaders who shift the blame to others cannot be trusted - as they are liars who make God out to be the liar when we know He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). When we studied the life of King Saul, David eventually fled to the Philistines because he couldn’t trust Saul’s word that he would stop hunting David.
Godly leaders must continue to trust God, no matter what happens.
David walked through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4) many times during his life. Many of the psalms reflect what he felt during the difficult times in his life. One of the constant themes that flows throughout the Psalms is David’s trust in God.
He trusted in God in the face of his enemies (Psalm 25:1-2), when he experienced false accusations (Psalm 26:1-5), and when he was wracked with grief (Psalm 31:1-2, 9-10).
No matter what comes our way, godly leaders must trust God and act according to His word.
This is an excellent study of King David and can be used as a bible study as well. There are many principles in this study. Thanks for sharing.