Bible Story: 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles and Psalms
As a child, David was a shepherd. But one day, God told the prophet Samuel that he was to anoint a young man that would be king after the current king, Saul. God told Samuel to go to Jesse’s house (David’s dad), and there he would find a king from his sons. Once Samuel got there, Jesse lined up all his sons for Samuel to pick from, but he left out David since no one thought he would be picked. Samuel knew none of the other brothers were to be the king, so he asked for David, and when he saw him, he knew that he would be the next king.
But before David would become king, he would have to go through many trials. The first trial came with a Philistine giant named Goliath. Goliath was threatening the Israelites, and they were all scared since he was a giant man and a skilled warrior. When David arrived at the battlefield, he found out that no one had enough courage to fight Goliath, so he decided he would. They tried to fit David with the king's armor, but it was too big. Instead, David picked up a stone and used his slingshot to kill Goliath, and that struck fear in all the Philistines that were threatening Israel.
After this, David was invited to the palace to live with King Saul, but Saul became jealous of David. Everyone in the nation loved David more than they did Saul, and everyone knew that one day David would eventually become king. This bothered King Saul so much that he tried to kill David several times. Because of Saul’s attacks, David had to run and spend years hiding from Saul so he wouldn’t kill him.
David had multiple opportunities to kill King Saul, but he refused to do it. He was faithful to God and trusted that it was all a part of God’s plan. David refused to kill Saul because he said no one should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed one. David had an incredibly wise perspective on his life, and it only furthered his popularity in the long run.
After Saul died, David eventually became king, as God had said so many years before. David is remembered as the greatest king in the history of the country of Israel. He led the nation in many winning battles and led into deeper relationships with God. David was described as a man after God’s own heart.
However, David wasn’t perfect. David had an affair with another man's wife (Bathsheba), and they found out they were going to have a child. Once David found out, he made things worse by trying to cover up his sin. He constructed a plot to have Bathsheba’s husband killed. God punished David, but he eventually repented of his sins and made things right with God.
Besides the one incident with Bathsheba, David was a great king who led the nation well and sought after God with everything he had. Because of David’s faithfulness, God promised him that he would always have a descendant on the throne. Today, that man is Jesus. Jesus was born in David’s lineage, and through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus now reigns as the king of our hearts.
Key Takeaways:
Look on the Inside
Believe in God
Stay Faithful
Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about David, both in-person and online, this Sunday.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit