King David was the second king of the people of Israel and is considered the best king of Israel ever. David was a shepherd of sheep, but because of his good heart, David was chosen by God to be king. He was anointed king by the prophet Samuel in place of King Saul, who no longer obeyed God.
But David did not become king until many years later when Saul died. All these years, Saul persecuted and sought to kill him, but the Lord kept him. The former shepherd played the harp, so he composed many psalms¹, describing how he prayed to God and was saved from many dangers. David fought the giant Goliath when the Jews were fighting the Philistines. He was just a child when he killed the Philistine. His trust in God and his concern that God’s name not be cursed gave him the strength he needed for battle.
Why is David so important in the Bible?
There was once a man who had ten sons. The youngest was called David. He was a shepherd. Once a big, fierce bear came into the flock. When David saw this, he went ahead of the bear and killed it. After a while, his father called him to give him food to go to his brothers and bring them food. When he reached the battlefield, he saw his brothers trembling. He asked them what was going on. And they told him there was a giant, and someone among them must fight. He bowed to the king and said to him that he would fight. And the king said to him that he was small. And he said to him that he would go.
David is important in the Bible because the Messiah was born of his lineage and was the second king of Israel. He’s also known because he fell on the battlefield, and the Giant laughed a, yet h the name of the Lord God of Israel.
But David paid no attention to all this. He drew his sling and a smooth stone from the river aimed at the Giant’s forehead and defeated him. The king gave a feast to David and declared him king.
What was God’s plan for David?
David chosen by god, was a king well-liked by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. King David obeyed the Lord’s commandments. David had the most splendid kingdom pleasing to the Lord. Solomon was David’s son and the wisest in the land. All the people worshipped at the temple. Merchants trade among themselves. The state had a standing army available whenever needed.
God’s plan for David was to make him Israel’s most perfect emperor, win all battles in God’s name, and help him achieve a friend, Jonathan. He did succeed in developing a true friendship.
David and Jonathan forged a unique friendship precisely because they had many qualities: modesty, generosity, mutual respect, and team spirit. These mutually shared qualities provided an excellent foundation for their relationship, and when King Saul began to misbehave, neither David nor Jonathan blamed the other. 
Why did God choose David?
In ancient Israel, in the days of King Saul, when Goliath approached the Jews, they fled in great fear when they saw him. The Philistine fighter made them all think about him: “He is so great that none of us will ever be able to kill him.”
David chosen by God, the youngest of his brothers, after calling on the name of the Lord, the God of the armies of Israel, took his sling and five stones from the nearby brook and put them in his shepherd’s bag but he thought differently from his kindred: “Goliath is so great that I cannot miss him. “God chose David because of the love he had in his heart. Because he had a pure heart and was a brave young man, he was the only one who went to face the Giant out of his inner desire; David thought that he would punish Goliath for his blasphemy before God rested on his faith, his unshakable hope that he would be helped in battle.
What was God’s promise to David?
The Bible is full of God’s promises. From Genesis to Revelation, we read about ordinary people who have received God’s promises. The highest authority seals these promises, the Word of God. God promised the nation of Israel that if they kept His commandments, He would bless them abundantly. If they obeyed His word and truth, He would set them above all the nations of the earth.
God chose David and made him promise that he would be exalted forever during his reign. The Davidic covenant meant to God to establish the dynasty of David forever. The Lord loves His people, and this promise shows His unceasing pursuit. God has good plans for us, full of hope and a future.
Primary Takeaways
- David remained a model and a standard of a pure-hearted man pleasing to God.
- Samuel anointed King David.
- All the kings of Judah after him were compared to David, but only one was said to have risen to the level of King David.
Key Verse
“All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, `You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler. ‘When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty when he became king and reigned for forty years. In Hebron, he reigned² over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem, he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.”2 Samuel 5 1:6 (NIV)
He was fearless in battle, so under his reign, Israel prospered spiritually and in warfare, winning all wars. God chose David for he was a man whom God Himself said was “a man after God’s heart. The Messiah Himself was born of David’s seed.
