KING DAVID

Why David is Important

3000 years ago, the ancient kingdom of Israel was ruled by a king called David.

King David’s reign over the Israelites was a Golden Age. David founded a new capital city, Jerusalem, and made the Jewish kingdom bigger than it had ever been. The original “City of David” remains to this day and ruins of the old buildings can still be seen.

Today’s Israeli flag features the Star of David, a symbol of the Jewish faith, named after this ancient king. According to the Old Testament, the Messiah who would come to save the world was going to be a descendant of David. Christians believe this was Jesus. Jews believe the Messiah has not yet come.

David was also important because he wrote many of the psalms in the Bible. Many of these are very well-known poems.  The most famous is probably, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

David’s Early Life

David was the son of Jesse and a descendant of Ruth, both important figures in the Old Testament. But in his early life, David didn’t seem cut out for great things.

He was a shepherd and not much of a fighter.  He’d once killed a lion and bear while protecting his family’s flocks (he was an excellent shot with a sling), but despite this he was small and not very strong, and he preferred playing the harp. 

At age 17, he was summoned by King Saul, then the leader of the Israelites, to the battlefield to play music. King Saul was in a bad mood because he was in the middle of a war with his enemy neighbors, the Philistines, and he was doing badly. Only David’s harp music would cheer him up.

One of the biggest and strongest Philistine soldiers, a giant named Goliath, taunted the Israelites and dared them to send out their strongest soldier to a one-on-one battle to prove which side was the strongest. Of course, Goliath, being about 320 cms tall, had no doubts he would win. He made fun of the God of Israel and called his people dogs and cowards.

When David heard Goliath cursing God, he asked: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Although he had never been a soldier, David was so shocked by Goliath’s insults and the lack of action by the Israelites that he decided to do something. He approached Saul and told the king that if no one else would fight Goliath, he (David) would do it himself.

Saul offered David his armor, but it was too big and heavy for David. So David went out to battle with just his sling, some pebbles and a staff. When Goliath saw how small young David was, he laughed. “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? ...Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

David responded: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

David rushed forward, took a stone out of his bag, and slung it at Goliath. It struck the giant’s forehead and he fell over dazed. David then took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. The stunned Philistines were so amazed they fled and the Israelites demolished them. David had won the battle.

David becomes the King

Saul was impressed by David after this victory, and allowed the prophet Samuel to anoint David as king-to-be. Soon though, Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him.  Some speculate that Saul became mentally unbalanced in his old age.

David went into exile with a small group of rebel fighters in the caves by the Dead Sea. One time while David was in exile, King Saul actually went traveling in that area and entered the very cave where David was standing in order to relieve himself. David had the opportunity to kill Saul and take the throne, but David didn’t, because he knew it wasn’t right. David refused to attack Saul on several occasions, too, despite his friends’ insistence that David should.

 Finally Saul died in another battle against the Philistines. David came out of hiding, and was accepted as king by the Israelites.

 David founds Jerusalem

One of the first things David did as king was found a new capital city for his nation – Jerusalem.  There was a small town called Jebus on a nice section of hillside that David wanted. David’s army attacked the Jebusites (the people who lived there) and took over the area. They created the city of Jerusalem.

On Mount Moriah, next to the city, David moved the Ark of the Covenant – a sacred golden relic of the Jews, which contained the original Ten Commandment tablets given to Moses by God.

David wanted to build a temple on Mount Moriah, but God wouldn’t let him do it, because David sinned when he chose a wife.

From his palace rooftop, David had seen a beautiful woman, Bath Sheba, bathing. He instantly fell in love, even though Bath Sheba was already married. David conveniently ordered her husband to go fight in the front line of a battle, he was killed, and David married Bath Sheba.

David’s son was King Solomon, known for his wisdom. Solomon took over when David died, and it was Soloman who built the First Temple on Mount Moriah.