1. Israel’s greatest King
David

2. Saul-David summary Saul wants to kill David
Jealousy
Saul’s children protected David
Michal
Loved David
Protects David when Saul wanted to kill him.
She helped him escape through a window in the middle of the night because Saul sent his men to kill David first thing the next morning
Jonathan
Saul’s son
Became true friend of David
Protected him from Saul
Saul dies

3. After Saul’s death, David is anointed King over all Israel
He was 30 yrs. old
David was able to defeat the Philistines and unite the tribes

4. The Holy city: Jerusalem
David made Jerusalem the capital city for the Israelites
Was perfectly located between the two kingdoms that formed Israel
In modern times, Jerusalem is a holy city for more than half of all religious believers in the world
Jews, Christians, Muslims

5. The Ark in Jerusalem
David decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem because it was a powerful symbol of God among the Israelites
As David brings the Ark to the city, he joyfully dances before the Ark
David’s dancing infuriated Michal who thought of David a fool for dancing
David replied, if to give God praise he must look a fool, he will.
Michal did not see or value David’s love for God

6. Because of David’s fidelity to God, God promised him that his line would endure forever
This promise is the Davidic covenant
Aka the messianic promise
David’s line endured unbroken for 400 years then it dropped into obscurity
Afterwards devout Jews remembered this promise and waited for the reappearance of a leader from his royal line to be Israel’s Messiah
The Hebrew word Messiah means “the anointed”
Referring to the anointing of a king
The Gospel writers refer to Jesus using the Greek word for Messiah- Christos
Meaning the anointed from which the name Christ comes
The Davidic Covenant

7. David and Bathsheba
As king, David is powerful, wealthy, and undefeated but not perfect
Bathsheba
David first met Bathsheba when he was walking on the roof of his house and sees her bathing nearby
David is captivated by Bathsheba and inquires about her
He is told that she is married to Uriah – a warrior at the battlefront
David sends for her and has sexual relations with her getting her pregnant
Nervous about the situation, David tries to cover up his adultery by asking Bathsheba’s husband to come back. However, the plan fails. Desperate to cover up his sin, David has Uriah killed.
David broke two commandments: You shall not commit adultery and You shall not kill

8. A lesson and repentance
Confronted by the Prophet Nathan, David is forced to accept the evil of what he has done.
He is reminded that though he is a powerful king, he is subject to God and must follow the Law
He repents and recognizes his sins
The prophet Nathan assures him that God forgives him but there will be consequences.
The son of David and Bathsheba, conceived in adultery, becomes sickly and dies.
Later, Bathsheba conceives again and bears another son
Named Jedidiah but in his adulthood called Solomon

9. Imperfect yet Chosen
Why did such an account of his weakness and sin find its way into the Bible?
To make it clear that David is not above God’s Law
The message for us is that God works through limited and sinful persons
To give hope to all of us
Hope that God somehow brings about the divine purposes even through our flaws and weaknesses

10. David’s Legacy
By the end of his reign, Israel is indeed a nation like other nations
With a king and a capital
David was a model of what the kings, and all Israelites, should be: DEVOTED TO GOD
Above all else David trusted in God and tried to serve Him
He also placed himself in God’s care
When his enemies plotted against him
When he sinned
He threw himself on God’s mercy and did not despair
David was not sinless, but he knew that God was the center of his life and his nation’s life
A sign that Israel could be forgiven of its many failures and could go on to live faithfully, if only Israel would keep God at the center