David David is one of the monumental figures of biblical history. His reign was a high point in God’s plan for Israel, and it had great and lasting significance. David was born in Bethlehem as Jesse’s youngest son; his lineage is traced back to Judah (Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Chr 2:3-15; Matt 1:3-6; Luke 3:31-33). At the time of his birth, Jerusalem was occupied by the Jebusites, and large parts of the Promised Land were still occupied by foreign people, most notably the Philistines. God would use David to complete the conquest of the land. As a youth, David was a simple shepherd, watching his father’s sheep (1 Sam 16:11; 17:14-15). His life took an unexpected turn when the prophet Samuel came to Jesse and anointed David as the next king of Israel. However, David’s kingship was not initiated by a coup or an assassination. In fact, David became a faithful servant to King Saul. David first entered Saul’s service as a musician, playing songs that soothed Saul’s tormented soul (16:14-23). This service anticipated David’s role as the composer of many of the psalms. The youthful David also helped Saul by famously defeating the Philistine champion Goliath in individual combat (17:32-51)....

Saul Saul was the first king of Israel. He was chosen by God and the people, but he failed tremendously because he lacked confidence in himself and in God. Saul was a very complex character who sometimes elicits our sympathy. He was also the source of his own problems, especially as he brought heartache and trouble into the lives of those close to him. Saul, the son of a wealthy landowner, became king unexpectedly and reluctantly. The people had requested a king to help them fight their battles, so they were happy with Saul, who was a head taller than anyone else (1 Sam 10:23). Their military problems were overwhelming, however, and Saul was not a confident military leader. Had it not been for the prophet Samuel and Saul’s son Jonathan, Saul’s reign might have been marked by complete disaster. Saul offended God by taking rash vows during wartime (14:16-46) and wrongly performing sacrifices before battle rather than waiting for Samuel (13:7b-14). He also failed to obey God’s instruction to destroy all the people and plunder of the Amalekites (15:1-35). So God determined to remove Saul from the kingship and sent Samuel to anoint David. Soon Saul was deeply suspicious of Davi...