Bible Dictionary Project King David

As we examine the heroes of the faith outlined for us in the Old Testament, we would be hard pressed to find a more faithful man that King David. After the death of King Saul, David became the King of the Hebrew people. David, who was meek and pious, steadfastly believed in the true God and tried to do His will. He had endured much persecution from Saul and other enemies but did not become bitter, did not lift his hand against Saul, as he was the Lord’s anointed, but placed all his hope in God, and the Lord delivered him from all his enemies.

In 2 Samuel the narrative shifts to the reign of David as he rises above Saul’s son Ish-bosheth to become the king, first of Judah and then of all the tribes of Israel (5:1–4). The book records David’s wars of conquest including the capture of Jerusalem and the relocation of the ark of the covenant to the City of David (6:1–19). But the author also records David’s failures: his adultery with Bathsheba (11:1–26), Absalom’s rebellion (15:1–18:30), Sheba’s revolt (20:1–26), and the disastrous census (24:1–25). Like all the prophetic writers, the author presents a portrait of his historical figures from the perspective of their faithfulness to God’s covenant.

Ephesus-Ephesus was a port city and the commercial and religious capital in Asia minor or modern day Turkey. It was actually the leading sea port in the empire of Rome with it’s hand dug man made harbor. It had a large road leading away to the mountain cites making it accessable by both land and sea. It’s population exceeded 250,000 only Roam and

Saul was the ideal king the Israelites desired. David was the king Israel needed. David was not tall or handsome but he was a man of God. When David defeated Goliath, not only did he fully trust God, David gave all the glory of his victory to God. David possessed the vital attribute that Saul never had, obedience to God. David trusted in God’s timing and plan. Despite David having the opportunity to kill Saul and reign over Israel , David continued to follow God's commands. In 1 Samuel 24:19-20 Saul said to David after spearing his life, “ When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands (NIV).” Unlike Saul David was obedient to God. God rewarded David for his obedience by anointing him King and later

King David wrestled with sin, such as adultery, family disorder, and rebellion on a national level, however he also experienced great accomplishments as well. One great achievement was the unification of Israel. "Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, "We are all members of your family. For a long time, even while Saul was our King, you were the one who really led Israel. And the Lord has told you, "You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be their leader" (2 Samuel 5:3). It is here that David makes a covenant with the leaders and becomes anointed as the

David was born in Bethlehem, Israel 1040 BC and died in Jerusalem, Israel 970 BC. King David was known for his skills as a warrior and also a writer of psalms. King David led the people of Israel to victory in many battles, he also conquered land and this led the way for his son, Solomon, to lead the building of the Holy Temple.

In 1 Kings 1-12 we start off by learning that David is becoming old and cold, for this reason his son Adonijah believes he is ready to take the throne. Nathan asks David if it’s truth about Adonijah becoming King and then David pronounces Solomon as King. Now that David had died and given some orders to Solomon, Adonijah wants Abishag as his wife, but Solomon refuses. Solomon now wants to construct a house in the name of the Lord and asks Hiram for help. Solomon gathers the congregation of Israel and then says some words in respect to the God of Israel and his love for them. Now that Solomon is dead, Rehoboam is next to become king, but Jeroboam and the assembly ask him not to be like his father.

Esau is the elder twin brother of Jacob and were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. They were also the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. The book of Genesis, “identifies Isaac as God’s chosen son of the promise as well as Isaac’s youngest son Jacob.” (Towns, 1996) The theme of dishonesty happens repeatedly through the course of Jacob’s life. Jacob deceives his father Isaac and took the blessing from under his Brother Esau’s nose. Jacob departed from his home to a town named Haran, which was his mother’s ancestral home. Jacob then married Leah and Rachael, which produce twelve children. God came to Jacob in a dream and revealed the angelic stairs, which was perceive as gate of heaven, in the eyes of Jacob. From that point on Jacob vowed

~ He was Saul’s military leader in a sense from 1000-970 BCE. He fought the Philistines and won, like the bible story where David defeats Goliath. David was the king of Israel until his death, and was the king who brought the kingdom of Israel to one, united kingdom.

The book of 1 Samuel, a part of the Old Testament, sparks the dawn of the United Kingdom of Israel by telling of its first king, Saul. Samuel is one of the first talked about pre-literary prophets in the bible perhaps because he anointed the first king of the United Kingdom. He is a prophet by definition because he possessed the ability to converse with the almighty Yahweh. Samuel and Saul are key players to the rise of the kingdom but Saul runs into trouble and disobeys God, which leads him to his own inevitable demise.

The nation of Israel was set apart as holy to the LORD. But they When the children of Israel demanded a king, they did so to be like the other nations. The first three kings were Saul, (outwardly tall, handsome and strong—a seemingly good choice for a king, but inwardly arrogant, proud and unrepentant—not God’s choice), David (a man after God’s own heart who repented of his sins and as such was God’s choice), and Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived, but because of covenant disobedience became the catalyst for the division and ultimate exile of Israel.

King David is known as one of the greatest kings that ever lived. He started out as lowly Sheppard boy to become one of the greatest kings of biblical times. Before David became King of Israel he herded his father’s sheep with his life in the fields; and was said to have killed a lion and a bear protecting them. The Old Testament prophet Samuel anointed David to become King Israel while Saul was still the king of Israel; because Saul was the King that the people wanted and he disobeyed God. David raise to fame began with him stepping up to face the giant Philistine Goliath; when King Saul seems to be fear of the giant. Smith (1933) tell us that,

King David, a member of the tribe of Judah was chosen by God to lead his people. As everyone knows, he proved by his wise choices to be a very effective leader. As a great military strategist David united the tribes and extended the national boundaries so that in his time Israel enjoyed a greater fraction of

God told Samuel to locate the right person to be Israel’s first king. Well, he looked at a lot of people; God guiding him all the time. And finally he selected Saul. Saul was just a boy, but he was a tall, striking and modest young man.

Take one leader in the Bible, other than Jesus, and evaluate his or her leadership style from using the framework of modern thinking on leadership and your own theological reflection.