David

Who Was David?

David is a commonly known character from the Bible, and for good reason. After the failures of Saul, the first king of Isreal, David comes into the picture. In first Samuel, we hear that the family of Jesse was invited to a sacrifice(1 Samuel 16:5). Jesse is the father of David. Samuel, at the time, looks at the guests believing the next king must be near(1 Samuel 16:6). The Lord reminds Samuel that he must look at the heart of the person, not the appearance or the height(1 Samuel 16:7-8). Samuel goes through the people at the sacrifice, all of them don't seem to meet up to his standards.

Samuel goes to Jesse, father of David, and asks if all of his children are here. Jesse responds saying, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11). Samuel calls for the boy and he is brought in. David is then described as this, "So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance" (1 Samuel 16:12). The Lord says he is the one and they travel to Ramah(a city that means height). Saul, the current and first king of Isreal, asks for a skilled harp player, one of the people who hears his request mentions that Jesse's son David is, "a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man" (1 Samuel 16:18). Saul is pleased and asks for David to come, luckily, Saul is pleased by David's playing(1 Samuel 16:20-23).

Philistines came to Socoh, a city in Judah, this is where Goliath comes into the picture. Goliath of Gath(a major Philistine city) challenges them to send a fighter to fight him. He promises if the warrior manages to kill him the attacking army will become their servants, if the person fails the Isreal group will become their servants(1 Samuel 17:1-9).

Saul and his warriors were greatly worried by this because Goliath is HUGE and very strong(1 Samuel 17:11). David approached the Philistines, in return they disdained(thought was unworthy) him and mock him(1 Samuel 17:41-43). In return, David says, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and 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 taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands" (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

When Goliath ran towards David, he grabbed a stone and slung it into Goliath's forehead making him collapse. David then cut off his head and the Philistines ran in fear(1 Samuel 17:48-51).

David became popular for taking down the mighty Goliath, this made Saul angry(1 Samuel 18). Eventually, Saul desired for David to die for his popularity made him jealous. His attempt to kill David failed and David then escaped and went into hiding(1 Samuel (19-21). In a battle against the Philistine Saul became cornered, to avoid dying by the hands of them, he "took a sword, and fell upon it" (1 Samuel 31:4).

Eventually, David became king by request of the tribes of Isreal. "David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years" (2 Samuel 5:4).

Amnon, son of David, then sexually assaults his sister Tamar. David doesn't punish Amnon making Absalom(son of David, brother of Tamar and Amnon) call an assassination on Amnon since David didn't act. Absalom started to become more and more fed up with David, making him start a rebellion making David go back into hiding(2 Samuel 13-18).

David's son Absalom eventually gets murdered(Not by David) causing him to become depressed, but he does start ruling as king once again(2 Samuel 19-20).

Who Are They Related to?

"And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon...And his second, Chileab...and the third, Absalom...And the fourth, Adonijah and the fifth, Shephatiah...And the sixth, Ithream" (2 Samuel 3:2-5).