...11/13/2015 King David Introduction King David is one of the most popular leaders of Israel in the Old Testament. Also, King David was a skillful warrior who killed Goliath the most feared fighter on the Philistine side. At the age of thirty David ruled the great nation of Israel for forty years between the years 1010 and 970 BC. King David revolutionized leadership, worship as well as the lifestyle of the Israelites. His wisdom was admirable, and it is disputed that he got it from reading various books in the Old Testament including 1st Samuel, 1st Kings and Chronicles (Wolpe, 2014). These books were written by the prophets that lived before him. King David was the last born to his family, and his father Jesse was from the tribe of Judah. Leadership was in his blood as he came from Ruth's lineage who was a Moabite. The Lord chose him to be king after he was anointed by Prophet Samuel. This paper gives a comprehensive evaluation of some of the key events in King David's life chronologically. Background King David's ascent to power was difficult as he faced major challenges for the first part of his life running away from King Saul. This being said, his faith in God was strong and saw him conquer all the difficulties he faced. His life struggles made him one of the most liked opeople in Israel way before he was chosen as king. When he was sixteen, he killed Goliath in the war against the Philistines. This made him popular with the masses as it was believed that it was his...
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...King David Jose A. Martinez BUS452A Organizational Behavior, CCU Prof. Wallace January 27, 2015 David was a great leader, and furthermore was devout to God. God looked on David’s heart and chose him to be Saul’s successor as king of Israel, and prepared him to take the kingdom. David was very different from Saul. Saul might have looked like a king, but lacked the heart and lost God’s favor. David’s accomplishments were many, but his failures will bring consequences to him and the nation of Israel. Besides his failures, David’s example is one that we all should learn from and apply to our lives. David’s preparation and credibility David’s secret anointing, pouring oil on his head, stood for holiness. Even though he was anointed to be king, he had to wait, to learn and grow in his circumstances. “People want leaders who are honest, forward-looking, inspiring and competent” (Tubbs, 1943, p. 277). God started preparing David for his future responsibilities. “David did receive something even more valuable – God’s Spirit” (Arnold & Beyer p. 201). He was chosen by Saul to be his musician, got him to be close to the current king, and that gave him a better understanding of how to run a kingdom. David bursts onto the scene with integrity, faith, courage, tenderness, and uncommon valor. He is the poet-warrior who changed the landscape of a nation. Differences David was the ultimate Jewish leader. He was courageous and strong in war, as well as an intelligent...
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...Chris Newman Michael Ritter REL124 16 December 2012 David: Hero, King and Prophet There is no doubt that King David is one of the most outstanding biblical and historical figures, who also inspired artists of all epochs to make him a hero of their work. His role was special as the second King of Israel and as a human ancestor of Jesus Christ. Thus, one can state for sure that this personality is of great importance both for Judaism and Christianity and embodies devotion to God and the idea of authority blessed by God as well. Most of information on David can be found in the Books of Samuel and Ruth. Historically, David was one of eight sons of Jesse, who in his turn descended from Judas. In the Old Testament books, it is mentioned that he was handsome, physically strong, had red hair and was an outstanding musician. He started by helping his father to care about the herd and quite succeeds in doing so. Even at a young age, he demonstrates courage as a shepherd when a lion and bear attack the herd. He conquers in the battle with beasts, for which he gains his first glory. In fact, it should be mentioned, that being a shepherd is more than a narrative element which is mentioned in the Bible. In fact, this role of David is foreshadowing his future position of Israeli ruler. In the scriptures, a shepherd is often a positive idea that implies being in charge of people. Even God has been compared to a shepherd not once like for instance in the following passage: ‘Then he blessed...
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...Essay 2: Saul, David, and Solomon Micheal Coffin September 18, 2015 1 Introduction This essay will examine the transition period in Israel, going from judges to kings. 1 We will look at the four questions asked here. These arise during the time of Samuel, the prophet, priest, and last of the judges in Israel. The four questions we must answer are: 1. Why did the people of Israel desire a king? 2. Why was Saul chosen, and, ultimately rejected? 3. What attribute did David display that made him a better king than Saul? 4. What sin did Solomon commit that ultimately led to the division of Israel after his death? 1. Why did the people of Israel desire a king? Under the reign of the judges, Israel had many troubled times. They had battles with the Philistines and even lost the ark of God (1Sam 4:10-11). To the Israelites, this meant disobedience to God and a total disconnect from God’s presence and the mosaic covenant.2 With all the confusion and turmoil in the land, the Israelites decided they should have a king “to judge us like all the nations” (1Sam 8:5). This action is contrary to the divine will for Israel and the result of the worldly desire of Israel to be like other peoples. 3 The basic difficulty is the nature of the kingship that the elders have in view. Kingships like that of the other nations would be dynastic, bureaucratic, tightly regulated, and thus in direct 1. Ed Hindson, Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey (Nashville, TN: B&H...
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...The theme of protection and guidance is extremely prevalent throughout The Bible and provides a powerful message of self-sacrifice and accountability in the face of adversity. The way King David speaks to, and about GOD (Yahweh) provides insight as to how he was more intimate with him; as is a father with his child. King David states, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalms 23:1). He, GOD, provides for us and does not dissuade us from the gift of eternity, but welcomes us fully. Referencing the Book of Psalms, the underlying factor is King David taking accountability for his sins and ultimately repenting. King David states, “He restores my soul; he guides me in the path of righteousness, for his name’s sake” (Psalms 23:3). Ultimately this is a portrayal of King David at his lowest low, wallowing in sorrow; but pronouncing the great mercies of the LORD....
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...Samuel Anoints David as King 1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” 1. Why was he morning? 2 But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” “Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.” 1. God gives Samuel a plan a. Samuel was a afraid, (If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. b. God Lays out 4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?” 1. 5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too. 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. TheLord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lordlooks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to...
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...King David is one of the greatest kings of all Israel, but also a very tragic figure. King David was also a smart man. The people of Israel lived in twelve different tribes, and they didn’t always get long with each other. So King David very smartly makes Jerusalem the capital, which is in between the North tribes and the the south tribes. King David also bring the ark of the covenant, that all the ten commandments into Jerusalem and makes it the holy sight. King David wanted to build a temple to put the ark in, but God says “No l’ve lived in tent for so long in the covenant, but I will promise you I will make your kingdom an eternal kingdom.” But then the tragic stories of David begin. Although David was married he sees Bathsheba bathing and King David fall in love with her and they consummate their relationship, but Bathsheba was married to David’s best friend and general Uriah. David has Uriah killed by his own solider in battle and they make it seem like Uriah was killed during the fight....
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...King David descended from the tribe of Judah. He was the second king of Israel after Saul. Samuel was sent to anoint him in place of Saul, who disobeyed God. He was sent to fight Goliath with Gods help and successfully defeated him. He then became great friends with Saul's son Jonathan. He committed many sins and disobeyed many of the commandments. He later offered to build a temple for God, for which He didn't ask for. God told David that He would instead build a house for him, and have his son who would be the next King of Israel build Him a temple. Solomon, David's son had that responsibility. Solomon became king at a very young age and did not really know how to run a kingdom. God came to him in a dream and asked him what he wanted. He asked for a listening heart since he started...
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...According to the bible, David was born in Bethlehem, he was from the Tribe of Judah. David's father was Jesse, his grandfather was Obed, and Obed’s mother was the Moabite Ruth. Obed’s grandmother was the former prostitute Rahab. David’s Introduction There are three consecutive stories in the bible that introduce David. They sit next to each other, without any reference to each other and often appear contradictory. The first introduction to the story of David is when God instructs Samuel to go to Jesse and his family in order to anoint Israel’s future King. Saul sees Eliab, Jesse’s first son and he judges by appearance ‘surely this is the Lord’s anointed’ 1 Samuel 16:6. God then tells Samuel that he had rejected Eliab because He judges by...
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...Character of David in Old Testament Journals 1. David as Reader: David’s Understanding and interpreting 2. David and God: Who is David? Summary of the Journals David is considered as a reader by the author of this journal because the journal evaluates understanding of people in relation to David’s character. The journal also evaluates the importance of David’s character as a reader and how the text is crucial in the investigation of David’s qualities in reading. The author also describes David as an image of a reader because the biblical stories illustrate this aspect in the book of Samuel. The journal describes David characters in the books of Samuel as literary texts because they evaluate their meaning hence raising criticisms. The author argues that David emphasis on the understanding rather than reading hence the reading is vital for people to understand the character of David as a reader. The journal discusses reading process and how people may adapt the character of David as a reader to overcome major biblical interpretation challenges that they encounter (Hugh). The journal identifies interpretation aspects of the character of David as a reader in order to analyze these roles effectively. David reaction involves execution of the Amalekites because he aims at establishing the truth, which is attained through reading. The journal also describes David as a reader because it evaluates interpretation of the text and other interpretations within the...
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...Burrage, Jennifer Burrage 1 REL 211-01X: Position Paper 22 JAN 2014 Combination of religious & historical/critical There are many different approaches to the Old Testament. I believe that God is the author of the Old Testament through plenary verbal inspiration and by using people to write texts that are viewed to be sacred. I believe the Old Testament could be inspired by one’s personal testimonies or life experiences, which is passed down through oral tradition. As a child in Sunday school you are taught that the stories in the Bible are true, so one must believe that scriptures of a divine nature are without contradictions and discrepancies. In Genesis, it says, Long ago, before earth and all things in it, there was only God. I believe that God was the instigator of the process from the creation that led to other writings of the Old Testament. I believe that this is evidence that the Old Testament was written from the confessional/religious approach. I believe that God spiritually inspired people to write texts in the Old Testament. These people who wrote such sacred texts, God had been at work in their lives rather it be through a vision of God, a miracle performed by God, or a conversation with God. I believe that God spoke to their heart and showed them the way to write what was asked of them. Moses had a conversation...
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...“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality” (Desmond Tutu). Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. were two men who were very passionate in what they believed in. Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, and historian. He is well-known for his essay “Civil Disobedience”, where he expresses the need for more people to be individuals and think and act on what they believe in. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist in the civil rights movement. King was known for his writing, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” where he, similar...
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...And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5) This was saying that as long as the Israelites had Gods as their king and followed His commands then they would prosper. That is why, during the time of Samuel, God was angered when the people wanted a king on earth; God knew none of the kings chosen would guide the Israelites as they should be and would eventually bring on destruction. Throughout Israel’s history God had provided for them, such as when He provided mana for them to eat while they wandered through the desert. Time and time again the Israelites had chosen to go their own way instead of following the orders God gave. This cycle occurred again during the time of Samuel. During this time the people said, “Give us a king to judge us.” (Samuel 8:6) Even after Samuel had advised the people against having a king appointed, they decided that their way ultimately better than God’s way. God did not fight them, even though He knew the destruction that it would bring, instead He did what they asked. God had a plan for Israel, but the people had decided that God’s way was not efficient enough and that they knew how to govern themselves more efficiently. Saul was everything the Israelites could have wanted in a king; he was tall, good looking, and would triumph in many battles. When Saul first became king he followed God’s...
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...intelligence just to mention but a few. For instance, when one turns to some of the examples of leadership that has been shown in the Bible. Taking King David as an example, it can be said that without any doubt, King David was a great leader of the Israelites. It is also witnessed that men were indeed...
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...On the topic of locating the royal house of the Bible’s King David, a somewhat controversial issue in the world of archeology has been whether Eilat Mazar actually found the remains of his palace and thus, its location. On the one hand, critics of Mazar, including Avraham Faust, argue that Mazar did not discover the palace that King David actually built. From this perspective, the findings from Mazar’s excavation indicate a construction date before King David’s time. Alternatively, however, Mazar claims that it was indeed the palace that King David built that she found. In her words, she could “be silent about the palace theory … [and] let the stones speak for themselves” [Mazar, 2]. According to her view, not only do the stones, and other evidence from her excavation, date to the time of King David, but they also fit well into the Biblical narrative of the purpose the structure had. Altogether, the main issue both parties are arguing is whether or not the findings of archeologist Eilat Mazar were adequate evidence to confidently pinpoint King David’s palace. This issue is important because it addresses the role of archeology and its relationship with the Bible. At the base of Mazar’s argument is the notion that the...
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