Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s a little more context about King David.
Who was King David?
David was a shepherd who rose to become king after years of battling his nation’s enemies, the Philistines, and hiding from the jealous King Saul. As the youngest in his family in a culture that practiced primogeniture, he was often ignored and underestimated in his family home. Yet, the prophet Samuel declared that he would become king one day.
Over the years, he built a loyal following of “mighty men” who, like David, didn’t appear to have much going for them. But they became legends in their time.
Who was King Saul?
Saul was Israel’s first king. After enduring the ups and downs of ruling judges, the Israelites longed for a king, like other nations had. The prophet Samuel identified Saul, who was tall and impressive, but warned people that a king would make them suffer.
Saul met David when the young man came to deliver lunch to his brothers on the battlefield. David famously slayed a giant who had taunted the Israelites for days. This endeared him to the people and won him Saul’s daughter for a wife. David played harp for the king to calm his anxiety.
Their relationship was short-lived, as Saul became jealous and spent the next several years plotting to kill him. David consistently operated in defensive mode, not offensive mode with Saul.
David and Saul’s son Jonathan were best friends, which created another layer of tension.
Saul and Jonathan were both killed in battle.
Why don’t you write about King David’s wives?
The focus of this blog is professional and community organization leadership, not marriage. Other sources tackle those relationships.
How can I get more context for these stories?
I highly recommend checking out videos from The BibleProject, which provide short overviews of the Biblical literature where we find these characters. These videos are:
The Bible Project also offers a video on David, as an example of a priestly king, and a video series on how to read the Bible in all its literary forms.
If you would like to read through these books of the Bible and want a companion guide, I recommend The Bible Recap, which offers a chronological reading plan and a podcast that breaks down each day’s reading to help listeners make sense of what they read. Because the plan is chronological, they include the Psalms attributed to David, as well. While the whole Bible plan is ideal, you can find the content related to David on days 102 to 152.
I heard that King David is called a “man after God’s heart.” So how did he end up committing adultery and murdering the woman’s husband?
The Bible doesn’t hide the shortcomings or mistakes of its heroes. He was held accountable for his mistakes and suffered multi-generational consequences by introducing violence and trauma to his family line.
At the same time, he repented and was forgiven. I love how God doesn’t hold grudges.