But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command. 1 Samuel 13:14
The Story
The story of David begins before he defeated the giant. Saul was the king of Israel, but he wasn’t following God the way he should, so the Lord spoke to Samuel the Prophet, instructing him to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons, instead of Saul’s son, to be the next king of Israel.
Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel, but the Lord rejected each one. Samuel asked if there were any more sons, so they brought the youngest son, David, back from watching sheep. The Lord said that he was the one, so Samuel anointed him as the next king. [1]
After David defeated Goliath, he became close friends with Saul’s son Jonathan. David joined Saul’s army and quickly moved up the ranks, but Saul became jealous of David’s popularity with the people. Saul tried to kill David on multiple occasions, and David had to flee. Saul pursued David and twice, David had the opportunity to take Saul’s life, but he spared him because David believed he should not kill the Lord’s anointed. [2]
Later, in a battle with the Philistines, Jonathan was killed. Saul was surrounded, so he took his own life. David mourned the death of Saul and Jonathan. [3]
David was then anointed king over the tribe of Judah, but there was a long war between the house of David and the House of Saul before David became king of all Israel. [4]
David was king for 40 years, and during that time, he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem and began preparations for the Temple of God. [5]
The Significance
It was said that David was a man after God’s own heart. We see this clearly in the psalms that he wrote where he poured out his heart to God. [6]
Wanting to glorify God, David decides to build the temple. God tells him that it will not be him but promises that one of his descendants will build the temple. This descendant is Solomon, who will be the next king, but it also refers to Jesus, the King of kings, in whom God will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. [7]
[1] Samuel 15:11, Samuel 16:1-13; [2] Samuel 18:1-15, Samuel 19:8-10, Samuel 24, Samuel 26; [3] Samuel 31:1-5, 2 Samuel 1:11; [4] 2 Samuel 2:4, 2 Samuel 3:1, 2 Samuel 5:1-3 [5] 2 Samuel 5:4-5, 2 Samuel 6:12-15; [6] 1 Samuel 13:14; [7] 2 Samuel 7:1-2, 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Luke 1:31-33, Acts 13:22-37