Good morning,
David is a larger than life character in the Bible. A shepherd, warrior, musician, fugitive, king, adulterer, murderer, liar, repentant sinner, and sweet psalmist of Israel.
The next few weeks we will be looking at the people David interacted with. Goliath, Saul, Bathsheba, Nathan, and God. Then we will look at the consequences of his sin.
Each week we will begin with a bio of the individual interacting with David. Then the Biblical account.
King Saul Bio
King Saul had the honor of being Israel’s first king, but his life turned into a tragedy for one reason. Saul did not trust in God.
Early in his career, Saul made a fatal mistake. He disobeyed God by failing to completely destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, as God had commanded. A key part of the conditional covenant between God and Israel was obedience. Saul, as God’s anointed king, was responsible for keeping that command.
The Lord withdrew his favor from Saul and had Samuel the prophet anoint David as king.
Some time later, David killed the giant Goliath. As the Jewish women were dancing in a victory parade, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7, NIV)
Because the people made more of David’s single victory than all of Saul’s, the king went into a rage and became jealous of David. From that moment he plotted to kill him.
Instead of building up Israel, King Saul wasted most of his time chasing David through the hills. David, however, respected God’s anointed king and despite several opportunities, refused to harm Saul.
Finally, the Philistines gathered for a huge battle against the Israelites. By that time Samuel had died. King Saul was desperate, so he consulted a medium and told her to raise Samuel’s spirit from the dead. This kind of occult activity angered God because it relied on satanic forces instead of him. Whatever appeared, whether a demon disguised as Samuel or Samuel’s true spirit sent by God, it predicted disaster for Saul.
In the battle, King Saul and the army of Israel were overrun. Saul committed suicide. His sons were killed by the enemy. Ironically, David, who had been hounded by Saul for years, sincerely mourned the king’s death. (Zavada, Jack. “Meet Saul: First King of Israel.” Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020, learnreligions.com/saul-first-king-of-israel-701170.)
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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