David took over kingship of Israel though some people resisted his rule. At first he ruled the house of Judah. Later on the other tribes rallied behind him.
Table of Contents
Importance of King David
David became king after the death of Saul. He ruled for over 40 years as king of Judah and Israel.
Achievements of David
1) He was a brilliant military commander.
2) He captured the old fortress of Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it his capital city.
3) He removed the ark of covenant from the house of Abinadab in Shiloh and brought it to Jerusalem.
4) He expressed great faith in God. Through his faith in God, he was able to kill Goliath, the great Philistine warrior.
5) He was a skilled musician and composed marry psalms that were used and are still being used in temple and church worship.
7) He expanded the geographical boundaries of Israel through conquests.
8) He was a great diplomat and established good political relations with the neighboring kings.
9) He was a shrewd administrator who chose wise elders and counselors to advice him.
10) God promised to establish an everlasting kingdom for David.
11) David ruled over Israel, administering law and justice to all people.
12) He took a census of the Israelites and used the information to
(a) recruit young men into military service and
(2) decide on the policy of taxation.
13) David had remarkable leadership qualities. He was kind. He spared mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson.
14) David was humble. He was ready to accept sins he had committed and repent e.g. he repented after committing adultery with Bathsheba.
David as an ancestor of Jesus Christ (2 Samuel 1 – 29, LK 1:26 – 33)
David intended to build a splendid temple for God in Jerusalem. He felt it was not fair for the Ark of the Covenant to continue dwelling in a tent while he himself lived in a magnificent palace. To achieve this goal, David consulted Nathan, the prophet on whether to build the temple.
The prophet approved the idea.
But that night, Nathan received a revelation form God that stated that David was not to build a house (temple) for God.
David’s son would build the temple of God (2 Samuel 7:5 – 6). Prophet Nathan gave David God’s message to David.
The message was that
- a) His son will build the temple
- b) God would give David’s descendants a place to settle
- c) God promised to raise up an heir from the house of David to sit on the throne
- d) God promised to make David’s name great or famous among all other leaders of the earth.
Reasons why God rejected David’s offer to build him a temple
Here are some of the reasons:
- David had been involved in a lot of wars with the Israelites’ enemies and had thus shed a lot of blood.
- God was a God of the people and could not be confined to a house.
- It was the will of God to establish the house of David (build David a house) rather than David builds a house for him (God). The human body is the temple of God. God dwells in the hearts of people.
- David had grown old. God wanted him to rest.
- God had planned that David’s son would build a house for him – a place to house the Ark of the Covenant.
King Solomon, David’s son built the temple and fulfilled. God’s promises to David. Solomon’s rule was peaceful and prosperous. The New Testament is a fulfillment of God’s promises to David
1) The gospel writers tell us that Jesus was born in the family of David (Luke 1:26 – 27)
2) The angel of God during the annunciation of the birth of Jesus said that He will be like his ancestor David (Luke 1:32 – 33)
3) Jesus was born in Bethlehem which was also the birthplace of David (Luke 2:4)
4) Bartimaeus the blind man of Jericho hailed Jesus as the son of David.
5) During his triumphal entry to Jerusalem, Jesus was hailed by the crowd as the messiah descended from David.
6) In his genealogy, saint Mathew says that Jesus was a descendant of David (Matt.1: 1)
Failures of King David.
Although David had many virtues:
1) He ordered Uriah to be placed at the battle forefront so that he can be killed.
2) Uriah was the husband of Bathsheba. David had committed adultery with her.
3) He took Bathsheba as his wife.
See also
African Moral Values Introduction
KINSHIP SYSTEM IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES
CRK/CRE/CRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SELECTED ASPECTS OF AFRICAN RELIGIOUS HERITAGE