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...

Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred. After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42). For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm...