David

From shepherd boy to beloved King of Israel

God called him, “A man after my own heart.”

After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the people of Israel.

Sometimes they are called Hebrews, Jews, the children of Israel, God’s chosen people,

After Joshua died, God used other men to act as leaders of Israel. The were called “judges”. If people had problems they went to the judges for advice and help.

Most of the judges were men, but they was one woman, named Deborah.

Prophets were men whom God spoke to. God would tell them something and God would have them tell it to the people.

Some times the words or messages were encouraging and helped the people have more faith, and sometimes the words and messages were warnings about their sin and telling them to stop sinning and ask for forgiveness and do right.

The prophets were respected and honored with most of the people.

During the time of the judges, Samuel was a prophet. He was an honest man and much respected.

The people of Israel began to say that they wanted a king to rule over them like the other nations around them who had a king.

They did not want a “judge” or a “prophet” they wanted a king.

Samuel tried to tell them that a king would make them pay money in taxes. The king would use the money to make a beautiful house for himself. He would want horses, and land, and more money.

A king would make the men come serve in his army so he could fight against the other nations.

A king will take your men and young girls and make them work for him in his big house, and fields.

But the people wanted a king anyway.

So the Lord told Samuel to go to talk to a man name Saul and make him king.

Saul was the king for long time. At first, he was not proud, but humble. He was a good king. But later, he became proud, and wanted more and more. And in the end, he disobeyed some things that God told him to do.

God said that Saul was not going to be king any more and God was going to choose a new king.

Saul was not happy about that, but he had disobeyed and done wrong.

One day, God told Samuel to go to a farm and God would show him one man who would be the next king.

Samuel went to the farm. The father’s name was Jesse. He had many sons. All of them were strong, and good-looking men. Any one of them would make a good leader.

God spoke to Samuel and said, “The Lord does not look on the outside looks of a man, God looks on their heart.”

I Samuel 16:7

Jesse called 7 of his sons to come before Samuel. Samuel looked at each one. But God did not speak to Samuel about any of them.

Samuel said, God has not chosen any of them.

Jesse and his sons were surprised! How could that be! Samuel was surprised! All these men looked wonderful to him.

God was silent. God said nothing.

Samuel knew that God had sent him to this place to choose a king. Yet, God had not chosen any one of these 7 men.

Finally, Samuel said, “Do you have any other sons?”

Jesse said, “Yes, a young son, out watching the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Call him in.”

As soon as David came in the room, God told Samuel, this is the one. Pray for him and anoint him with oil (pour oil on his head).

When Samuel poured the oil on David’s head, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David.

The Bible says that at that time the Spirit of the Lord left Saul and an evil spirit came to bother and trouble him.

The servants and friends of Saul knew that he was troubled by this evil spirit. So they told Saul that he should find someone to come into the king’s house and play music for him to help make him calm and happy.

The servants began talking about it and one of them said that they knew of a young man who played the harp and also sang well. He was from Bethlehem. His father was Jesse.

This young man was strong and a good fighter in war, and was wise and behaved well. He was also good-looking. And, the Lord is with him.

So they brought David to see King Saul. When King Saul saw him, he liked him very much. So he asked him to be his armor bearer, and to sing and play for him when he needed it.

David became the armor bearer, (carried the shield, and maybe the sword of the king went they went to battle).

When the evil spirit would come to bother Saul, David would play his harp and sing and be a comfort to Saul.

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The Philistines were a group of people who lived near the people of Israel. They often had battles with the army of Israel.

When the people of Israel were obeying God and doing what they should do, God helped them be successful over their enemies.

When the people of Israel were disobeying God and doing sins that God told them not to do, God did not help them. Then their enemies became stronger than Israel and they won over them and made much trouble for them.

At this time, the Philistines’ army had come against Israel’s army. This time the Philistines had a special man in their army, a giant, named Goliath.

He was 9 feet 9 inches tall. He wore a helmet of brass, a covering over his chest made of metal, his legs were covered in brass, his spear’s handle was as thick as a board in a weaver’s loom, the spear’s head weighted about 15 pounds. He had a man standing in front of him holding a shield.

Goliath would walk back and forth and call out to the army

of Israel saying, “Send over a man to fight me. If he wins, we will be your servants, but if I win, you will be our servants.”

For 40 days, every morning and every evening the giant would walk around and call to the army of Israel.

No one from Israel would go. They were very afraid. They were very small and weak compared to the giant.

David’s 3 oldest brothers were in the Israel army. Jesse, David’s father, had not heard how things were going with the army and his sons. He wanted to know. So he sent David to find our what was going on.

Jesses sent some food with David to take to his brothers, and a gift of cheese for the captain.

When David found his brothers, he asked them how things were going. About that time, Goliath began he walk around and calling out for someone to come fight him.

They said, this giant has been doing this for 40 days, but no one will go fight him.

King Saul has said he will give a gift to the man who will fight with him. He will let the man marry his daughter. He will give him a lot of money and he will not have to pay taxes to the king.

David said to some of the men near him, “What will be given to the man who kills this Philistine? Who is this ungodly man to come against the army of the living God?”

David’s brothers heard what David said to the men. They did not like it. They said to David, “Why aren’t you home taking care of the sheep? We know your pride. We know why you came here, you just wanted to see what is happening.”

David said, “What have I done? I am only asking questions.”

David kept talking to the different men. Finally someone took David to see King Saul.

David said to the King, “I will go and fight this Philistine.”

King Saul said, “You are only a young man. This Philistine has been fighting for years since his was a young man. He is a man of war. (He was also a giant.)

David told King Saul what had happened to him when he was watching his sheep.

God had been preparing David for this moment in time.

God knew that David would need to have a lot of faith. He would need faith to do something that a man could not do in his own strength. So God planned some lessons for David.

David told how when he was watching his sheep a bear came and took a lamb. David killed the bear and saved the lamb.

Another time a lion came and took a lamb David grabbed the lion by his beard and killed him and saved the lamb.

This experiences taught David that when God helped him he was able to do things that a man could not do.

Now David’s faith makes him feel that God wants to save Israel from his enemy Philistine—–even a giant.

He tells the king, “The Lord has saved me from the bear and the lion, he will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”

King Saul agrees to let David try to fight the giant. Saul wants David to wear the armor that the other soldiers have on. But when David puts it on, it is too big and heavy. He can hardly move in it. So David takes it off and says that he will go without it.

King Saul blesses him and says “May the Lord go with you.”

David went back to the field where the army was. As he crosses over a stream of water, he stopped to pick up 5 smooth stones. He would use them in his sling.

The slingshots used long ago, and are still used in that part of the world, are two long strips of leather with a small square of leather at the end. A stone is put into the square, and then the sling is swung around over their heads very fast.

Then one of the strips is let go, and the stone flies through the air.

Some men have been able to make the stones go through the air at 80 to 100 miles an hour. The stones can go about 100 feet or more.

David was a shepherd, and the slings were used to chase away or kill animals that would bother the sheep.

David began walking toward Goliath.

When Goliath saw him coming, he was insulted! A young man, a boy, was coming to fight him— man of war giant— with a sling!

Goliath said, “What do you think I am, a dog? That you come to me with the weapons of a shepherd?”

Then Goliath began to curse David in the name of his idol/gods. He said, “Come to me, I will give your body to the birds, and animals to eat.”

David said, “ You come to me with sword, and spear and a shield. I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the army of Israel—whom you have made fun of.”

“This day the Lord will give you into my hand. I will kill you. I will take your head off. I will give your body to the birds, and animals to eat.”

“So that all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel. And this group of people will know that the Lord saves not with a sword and spear; for the battle belongs to the Lord and He will give you into our hands.”

David began to run toward the giant, he put one stone into his sling, and began to swing it around, then he let the stone go and it hit the giant in the forehead so hard it knocked him down to the ground.

David ran to the giant and took the giant’s sword and his the giant with his own sword and cut off his head.

When the Philistine army saw that their giant was dead they began to run away. The army of Israel ran after them and killed them. Israel won in that battle.

David took the head of the giant to Jerusalem. He took the sword, spear, and shield of the giant and kept them in his tent.

The captain of Israel’s army was Abner. He brought David before King Saul. David brought Goliath’s head to give to King Saul. (Proof of his victory over the enemy.)

Some Jewish teachers believe that Goliath’s head was buried

in Jerusalem at Golgotha, the name means “the place of the skull“. This is the place where Jesus was crucified many years later.

Some people have thought that the place was named that because of the rock shapes there, one looks like a skull. But the Jewish teachers believe that the “skull” means Goliath’s skull.

Think of the name Golgotha. Goliath from the town of Gath.