The King In John Macarthur's Twelve Unlikely Heroes

Here we see David in his first major fall from grace. King David accomplished a great evil, a two-fold sin. Not only did he commit adultery, but also he also sent Uriah into battle so that he would be killed. David, being blinded by his selfishness, did not notice that he had committed a great sin in the eyes of God.

He shows he is weak and not ready to lead. (1 Samuel 9:21). Saul even hides when he is supposed to show himself to the Israelites as the chosen King (1 Samuel 11: 22). Although Saul knows that he cannot lead, he has no choice, he has to follow the Lord’s order. At last, God realizes that Saul was indeed not a leader-type person and chooses another person. God must have known that people are not forced to be leaders, but they themselves should be aware of the ability to be leaders.

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

Saul perused David looking to kill him but God continued to protect David. When given the chance, David refused to kill Saul in the cave of En Gedi. Even after Saul’s death David treated Saul with the respect deserving of one of the Lord’s anointed.

In 1 Samuel 25, Saul encounters a man named Nabal and his wife, Abigail. Prior to the encounter, it is mentioned that David treated Nabal’s shepherds with kindness and dignity. Therefore, David demands that Nabal payback the good deed by showing kindness and hospitality towards David and his servants. However, Nabal disrespectfully responds with, “Who is this David?”

King David was annointed by God at a young age, when he was still a shepherd boy tending to his family's flocks. He was charged to go forth and kill the giant Goliath, despite the fact that he was a boy that had never faced battle, and had no weapon aside from his slingshot and rocks. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, David was

Saul and David had a lot in common. Both were kings of Israel while Samuel was its prophet. Both men were considered attractive. 1 Samuel 9:2 describes Saul as “a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome than he among the sons of Israel.” David is described as “he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance” in 1 Samuel 16:12. While Saul was sent to find the lost donkeys, David was a shepherd over flocks of sheep. Both men were handpicked by God. God revealed his choice through the prophet Samuel who also anointed them both.

However, Saul is soon abandoned by God because of his disobediences. Yet, Saul’s disobedience is controversial. Patricia K. Tull, the author of “1 and 2 Samuel” in Theological Bible Commentary, argues, “Saul’s exact offense is unclear, and commentators struggle to reconstruct it, augmenting the impression that he was given a test with no correct choices.” In contrast, Marvin Sweeney, the professor of the Hebrew Bible in Claremont School of Theology, asserts, “Although the narrative can hardly be considered anti-monarchic, it takes care to raise concerns about the character of kingship and its costs to the nation at large and it demands that proper kingship in Israel must be exercised in accordance with the divine will.” In this view, Saul has not been accorded with God’s will. Then, is this God’s intentional choice? If it is true, why he does this? If God did not choose Saul as the king, it would be possible that he is not deserted from God. Bible

Because David knows that Saul is the LORD’s anointed, so he shows mercy to him. (1 Samuel 26:8) David first refuses to kill Saul in 1 Samuel 24:16-21 and again David refuses to kill Saul in chapter 26:9-11 because he knows it is not his responsibility to kill Saul, but knows the LORD will kill Saul by striking him down or in battle (1 Samuel 26:10)

Saul was tall, good looking and a warrior, however, as Hindson and Yates put it, “The people seemed to focus on Saul’s outward appearance (9:2) rather than his heart (16:7)” (Hindson and Yates 2012, 164). Despite his early successes as king, Saul’s arrogance and pride caused him to start disobeying God. Samuel warned Saul repeatedly about his covenant disobedience. So when he offered priestly

Saul had an eventful life prior to David and Goliath coming into his life yet at this crossroads point in his life, Saul came out of it with a few things that would set a path for him that would be nothing less than destructive and devastating for him. While David who also was at this same cross roads came out of it a winner but at this same point they both became connected to each other’s life in unique and different ways. Saul and David were both at the valley overlooking the Philistines and saw Goliath as he stood there yelling and yet the voice of challenge will strengthen a person to respond as we see with David and Saul. People respond to challenges in one of two ways it either makes you a coward and hide or you run to it, a accepting

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,

David (Goliath; Jonathan; Bathsheba; Absalom)- David was the youngest out of 8 brothers and the one God chose to be the next king of Israelites after King Saul, the current ruler. The Israelites did not get along with the Philistines and in the Philistines, there was a giant named Goliath who challenged the people of Israelite to fight him so they there would stop being conflict. No one wanted to fight this scary giant but David volunteered. He grabbed a sling shot and 5 stones and as Goliath was teasing him for being so little, he shot Goliath between the eyes and Goliath fell, defeating the giant. Then, David met Jonathan, and as soon as they finished talking, their souls were entwined. Since Jonathan loved him, he gave David his sword, bow, and belt and as a result whenever David was sent out on the missions that Saul put him in, he was very successful. However, in the spring time when all the kings go off to war, David remained behind in Jerusalem where he spotted a beautiful young woman named Bathsheba, who unfortunately was married to Uriah the Hittite. David tricked Uriah into staying at the kingdom where he got him drunk and placed Uriah in the line of fire, killing him. David told Bathsheba where she mourned her husband but then she slept with David and bore him a son. While all of that was happening, Absalom was up early and greeting the townspeople, receiving their trust and loyalty. Whenever there were sounds of trumpets, the townspeople would say that “Absalom

The second introduction to David is the news that Saul is being tormented by an evil spirit from God (1 Samuel 16:14-23). At this time, there was not much awareness and understanding of mental illness so the illness is ascribed to God. Saul might have been suffering from depression and psychosis. Saul’s servant mentions music, and David is recommended and enters Saul’s employment. His good looks and attractiveness are also mentioned.

In The Bible there are multiple ideal societies which are presented, each denoted by the God's approval of that society and its leader. One of these societies is that portrayed in the story of Saul. In this story Samuel, a prophet of God, is given the task of revealing Saul, the ruler who is specified