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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
December 2, 2007
The Kingdom is Established
1 & 2 Samuel
Introduction
In our study of the book of Judges last week we saw the results of what happens when people “do what is right in their own eyes.” What began with incomplete obedience to the Lord lead to outright disobedience and idolatry resulting in God’s chastening. When the oppression became too great the people would repent and cry out to the Lord, who in mercy would then raise up someone do deliver them. The cycle would then begin again as soon as the Judge died. The theocracy failed because the people continually failed to keep even the rudimentary aspects of God’s law without someone in a position to pressure them to do so. Underlying it was a failure to diligently teach their children about the Lord and His commands (Deut. 6). The result was such ignorance that even those who thought they were worshiping God were flagrantly violating the Lord’s commands in how they were doing it. A case in point was the story in Judges 17 about Micah’s mother who dedicated her eleven hundred pieces of silver to the Lord by having them made into a graven image and a molten image though that action was in direct violation of God’s commands not to do so (Exodus 20:4-6; Deut. 4:15-25). The people were in need of stronger and more permanent leadership than what was provided by the system of the judges. (See Sermon on Judges)
This morning we will cover the books of 1 & 2 Samuel and the establishment of a king over all of Israel who would lead them in much the same way the judges had done, but would have more authority to direct the affairs of the nation and also set its spiritual climate. Our study will begin with a look at Samuel, the last of the judges and the one that would determine who would be king. Then it will progress to the first King, Saul, who started well but ended rejected by God. Then finish with David, who established the standard by which all future kings would be compared. He is also the one through whom the promise of blessing would come.
Samuel
The story of Samuel begins with a faithful woman named Hannah who was barren. This grieved her greatly though her husband, Elkanah, was very good to her. They would yearly go to Shiloh where the Ark of the Covenant was kept in order to worship before the Lord. Hannah would pray there with deep emotion concerning having a child and vowed that if the Lord would grant her a son she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life (1 Samuel 1:11). The Lord granted her request and she named her son Samuel which sounds like a Hebrew phrase which means “heard of God” for she asked of God and He heard her (1 Samuel 1:19-20).
After Samuel was weaned, Hannah kept her vow and presented him to Eli the high priest who took him in and raised him to minister to the Lord. Though it must have been difficult for Hannah to give him up, as it would be for any mother to do so, she gave praise to the Lord for His character and goodness to her (1 Samuel 2). Thereafter she would yearly come to Shiloh to worship the Lord and also see Samuel and bring him a robe she would make for him. The Lord did bless Hannah and gave her three more sons and two daughters (vs. 18-21).
Though Eli was the priest, he was not a good father and his sons grew up to be ungodly adults who sinned greatly before the Lord (vs. 12-17). God even sent a prophet to rebuke them and Eli and predicted that both Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day, but God would raise up a faithful priest (vs. 22-36). Even in that environment Samuel demonstrated a sensitivity to God and the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel when he was still just a boy (1 Samuel 3).
The Lord’s promises concerning the judgement of Eli and his sons came true when Philistines entered into war with Israel. After their first defeat, the elders of Israel sent for the ark of God to be brought to the camp thinking that its presence would bring them victory. The Lord did not honor their actions because they were treating ark of the covenant as a magical charm instead of seeking the Lord Himself. The next day the Philistines prevailed and not only defeated Israel, but they also captured the ark of God. Among those killed in the battle were Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas. Eli was now 98 years old and quite heavy, and when he heard the news that his sons were dead and the ark was captured he fell off his seat and broke his neck. He had judged Israel for 40 years (1 Samuel 4:1-18).
The Philistines had defeated Israel, but they had a new problem because they now had the Lord God on their hands. They took the ark of the covenant to Ashdod and put it into the house of their god, Dagon, which was represented by an idol that appeared to be half man and half fish. The next morning, the idol had fallen on its face before the ark of the Lord. They set Dagon back up his pedestal. (Imagine worshiping a god that you have to pick up when he falls over?). The next morning Dagon had fallen over again before the ark of the Lord, but this time his head and hands were also cut off (1 Samuel 5:1-5). Now problems really began for them for they were ravaged with tumors. They sent the ark to Gath and they broke out with tumors. They it was sent to Ekron and the same thing happened to them. Those that did not die had the tumors so they cried out to heaven (1 Samuel 5:6-12).
They decided they needed to return the ark before they all died for they remembered what God had done to Pharaoh and Egypt. They put the ark on a new cart that would be pulled by two milch cows. In a box next to the ark they put five golden tumors and five golden mice as a guilt offering with the hope that God would cease afflicting them and heal them (1 Samuel 6:1-9). The cows were hitched to the cart and then let go and they went directly to the Israelite town of Beth-shemesh. When the people of that town saw the ark they had the Levites come take it down and they offered the cows up as burnt offerings to the Lord. When the people of Beth-shemesh went to far and touched the ark to look inside, the Lord struck many of the down. This resulted in them having the men of Kiriath-jearim come get the ark and it stayed with them for 20 years (vs. 10-21).
After this Samuel had the people of Israel remove their false gods and confess their sins and cry out to the Lord for deliverance. The Lord responded and the Philistines were subdued, Israel regained its lost territories and there was peace all the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:1-14).
When Samuel was old it turned out that his sons did not walk in his ways but instead were dishonest, took bribes and perverted justice. The people rejected them as future leaders and demanded that Samuel “appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). This displeased Samuel, but the Lord told him to listen to their demand for they had not rejected Samuel, but they had rejected the Lord from being King over them. Samuel was to appoint a king after solemnly warning them. That warning included the facts that a king would take their sons to be in his army and work his lands, take their daughters to be his perfumers, cooks and bakers, take their lands to give to his servants, tax their produce and flocks to feed his servants, and that the Lord would not listen to their complaints about any of this. Even after the warnings the people still demanded a king so that they would be like all the other nations with a king to judge them and go out and fight their battles (vs. 10-20). The Lord again told Samuel to listen to them and appoint a king.
It is important to understand at this point that though what they were doing was wrong, for it was a rejection of the Lord, yet it was still within God’s plan. Deuteronomy 17:14-20 prophesied that the people would demand to have a king set over them like all the nations around them. The passage then gave specific instructions for how the king would be chosen as well as what the king was to do and what he was not do. The future kings would be evaluated based on how well they followed those commands.
Saul
The first king of Israel would be a man named Saul, the son of Kish. The Lord had revealed his choice to Samuel the day before Saul came to him regarding a different matter. Saul started off very well with great humility for he recognized that he was from the least of all the families of Benjamin and Benjamin was the smallest of the tribes (1 Samuel 9:21). Even after Samuel had anointed Saul as the ruler over Israel and a series of predicted signs had happened to confirm that he was the Lord’s choice, Saul sought to hide himself from the people when Samuel presented him to the public as king (1 Samuel 10:). Even though the Spirit of God had come upon him earlier so that he prophesied with the prophets, he did not recognize himself as a leader. However, he did look the part for he was handsome and a taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward (vs. 23), so that the people shouted “Long live the king!” when he was presented. Even after that, he was still humble when some worthless men treated him with scorn (vs. 27).
Saul also began his reign well. The Ammonites were laying siege to Jabesh-gilead and when Saul was told about it, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him so that he quickly raised up an army of 330,000 and they defeated the Ammonites. They then gathered at Gilgal to offer sacrifices to the Lord for their victory and establish Saul as king (1 Samuel 11).
Samuel then addressed the nation there recounting the history of the Lord’s dealing with the nation under the judges. When they followed the Lord they were blessed. When they did not, they would be oppressed until they would repent after which the Lord would send a deliverer. But this time they demanded a king which was a rejection of God. Samuel emphasized the point by calling for thunder and rain which then came and caused the people to fear the Lord and Samuel and recognize they had done a great evil. Samuel then encouraged them that though they had done this the Lord would not abandon them because He was pleased to make a people for himself. They now had a king and Samuel told them if the would obey the Lord and serve Him and not rebel, both they and the king would do well. He also sternly warned them that if they did wickedly, then they and the king would be swept away (1 Samuel 12).
In 1 Samuel 13 we find that Saul was 40 years old when he began to reign and he reigned for a total of 32 years, but it was not far into his reign when there appeared a serious failure in his moral character. The Philistines had put together an army of 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horseman. Saul only had a 3,000 man army. He was out manned 12 to 1 by an army that also had superior weapons. Samuel told Saul to wait for him in Gilgal where they would make sacrifices before going to battle. However, the people were afraid and began to scatter so Saul made the burnt and peace offerings himself which would have been in violation of the Mosaic law. Samuel arrived as soon as Saul was done. He then rebuked Saul telling him that because he had not kept the Lord’s command, the Lord would not establish him over Israel with an enduring kingdom. He said in verse 14, “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
What happened next was the Lord mercy and grace to His people despite the sin of their leader. The rest of Chapter 13 and Chapter 14 record that Saul now only had about 600 men left and the only ones with swords were Saul and his son Jonathan who was not even with him. First, the Lord gave Jonathan and his armor bearer an amazing victory over the Philistine garrison near Michmash which was followed by an earthquake that frightened the Philistine army and put them into confusion. Saul took advantage of it and attacked with his small band, but as he did other Israelis who had hidden themselves joined in the battle. Even despite a foolish oath that Saul had made that the people were not to eat until he had avenged himself on his enemies, which would have reduced their physical strength in the midst of an ongoing battle, they still won. From that time on during Saul’s reign he had conflict with his enemies on all sides.
In chapter 15 we find that one of the Saul’s enemies was the nation of Amalek. The Lord commanded Saul to utterly destroy that nation because they had come down to fight Israel while they were still in the wilderness (Exodus 17). (See: God’s Provision – Exodus 13-18) Everything was to be destroyed including both people and their animals. Saul and his army went to war and did destroy much of Amalek, but not everything. They spared Agag their king along with the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs and all that was good. This was the second great moral failure of Saul and it would have great consequences.
The Lord told Samuel that He regretted making Saul king because he had turned back from following Him and carrying out His commands. Samuel went to Saul the next day to confront him. Saul’s response in seeing Samuel was, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord” (vs. 13). Samuel rebuked him saying, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (vs. 14). Saul responded that the people saved the best to “sacrifice to the Lord your God” (vs. 15). Samuel then reminded him of both the humility Saul had when he first became king and the specifics of God’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. He then rebuked Saul for not obeying the Lord and rushing upon the spoil and doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord (vs. 19).
This was bad, but the real tragedy of Saul’s character is unveiled in his response to the rebuke. Instead of confessing his sin, Saul continues to claim that he did obey the Lord, but that it was the people who did the evil. Even if that were true, Saul demonstrates by this that he was unfit to be king, for instead of stopping the people from doing evil he joined in with them. A leader must lead the people, not follow them (a good lesson for political leaders in our own nation and communities to heed). Samuel’s next rebuke was even stronger telling him that obedience to the Lord was better than sacrifice for “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from [being] king” (vs. 22-23). In rebellion a person looks to sources of guidance other than the Lord, which is the central aspect of the sin of divination. Insubordination is a rejection of the Lord’s commands in favor of following the direction of someone or something else. Those are the central traits of iniquity and idolatry.
Saul’s response of a feigned confession only made it worse. Though he admitted his sin and that the reason for it was his fear of the people, instead of casting himself on the mercy of God he still wanted his position maintained by having Samuel return with him so he would be honored by the elders of the people (vs. 25, 30). When Samuel turned to leave Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel’s robe and it tore. Samuel then told Saul (vs. 28-29) “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. 29 “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” The sad thing is that Samuel changed his mind and did go back with Saul which enabled Saul to hang on to his position as king for many years to come. That would be the last time Samuel would see Saul until his own death.
David
We meet David in 1 Samuel 16 when the Lord directs Samuel to find and anoint the new king. Surprisingly, at this point even Samuel was afraid of Saul fearing that Saul would kill him if heard about it (vs. 2). Samuel obeyed the Lord and went to Bethlehem in Judah to the house of Jesse from which the Lord chose the youngest son to be king. David was ruddy from being out in the fields tending sheep and was handsome in appearance, but he was not tall and majestic like Saul. Samuel anointed David as king in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily (vs. 3-13). However, it would be many years before he could take his rightful position as king.
David began demonstrating the key elements of his godly character very quickly. First, though he was now the anointed king, his first position in the king’s court was being humble and playing his harp to calm Saul when an evil spirit would torment Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-22).
Next, in 1 Samuel 17, David demonstrated his complete trust in the Lord by courageously taking on the challenge of the Philistine giant Goliath. Though Goliath was a trained solder who was between 9 & 11 feet tall and equipped in complete battle armor, David fought him without any armor and only his sling. David trusted that the God who enabled him to kill both the lion and the bear while tending his father’s sheep would also deliver him from this Philistine who was taunting the armies of the living God (vs. 36,37). When David faced Goliath he told him “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (vs. 45) and then what was about to happen so that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (vs. 46) and that the “Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands” (vs. 47). David then killed Goliath with a stone from his sling and the armies of Israel then routed the Philistines. Some have wondered by David picked up five stones when going to meet Goliath (vs. 40). It was because Goliath had four sons (2 Samuel 21:22) and David was prepared for them too.
After the victory over Goliath, Saul’s son Jonathan became fast friends with David, but Saul’s favor turned away because of his jealousy over the people singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands” 1 Samuel 18:1-16). This jealousy resulted in Saul seeking to kill David several different times.
Meanwhile, David continued to show humility when he deferred from marrying Merab, the daughter of Saul, though he had won that right in slaying Goliath (1 Samuel 17:25; 18:17-19). He also showed his trust in the Lord by leading part of Saul’s army in battle. These many qualities of humility and courage because of his trust in the Lord enabled David to continue to prosper even when Saul came up with schemes that could lead to David’s death and after Saul turned against him and tried to hunt him down (1 Samuel 18-27). On at least two occasions David was in a position to kill Saul, but both times he refused to do because Saul was the Lord’s anointed king (1 Samuel 24 & 26). David would trust the Lord to remove Saul. He would not do it himself. He would not grasp a kingdom for himself but would wait for the Lord to establish it. On both occasions David also then revealed himself to Saul demonstrating his righteousness and Saul’s wickedness in pursuing him. Saul would then repent for a time and stop pursuing David.
Eventually Saul and his three sons were killed in a battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 31). Even after that happened, David did not celebrate, but mourned their deaths and honored them and those that had rescued the bodies of Saul and his sons and buried them (2 Samuel 1 & 2). After Saul’s death, the tribe of Judah made David their king and he reigned in Hebron for seven years while Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, reigned over the rest of Israel. During those years there was war between the two. Eventually two of Ish-bosheth’s commanders murdered him thinking David would reward them. The reward they received was justice at the hands of David when he had them executed for the murder (2 Sam. 4). However, this did bring an end to civil war and all of Israel became unified under David as their king. David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and established his throne in that city (2 Sam. 5).
After the establishment of his throne, David brought the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem from Kiriath-jearim (Baale-judah) where it had been since it had been returned by the Philistines just prior to the beginning of Saul’s reign. It took two attempts to accomplish this because the first time they were not careful to have the Levites move it according to the commands of Moses. They had used a new cart instead resulting in the death of Uzzah when the Lord struck him down for touching the ark. Though he had meant well, it was an irreverent act. David and the nation took the lesson to heart that the Lord was to be treated as holy (2 Samuel 6). There was a great celebration when the ark did arrive and soon after David started making plans to build a temple for it.
God honored David for his intent though He would not allow David to build it himself. David could make preparation for it, but the temple would be built by David’s son. The Lord made a covenant with David that included a promise that would stretch into the future and eternity. God would establish the throne of one of David’s descendants forever (2 Samuel 7:12,13). This was a promise concerning the future Messiah. It is a promise stretching back to Genesis 3:15 of the one that would bruise the head of the serpent, and the one who would be part of Abraham’s line and be the blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:3). The promised Messiah would also be a direct descendant of David and would have an eternal throne.
David showed many other great characteristics including kindness to Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan (2 Samuel 9). David expanded the borders of Israel throughout his reign by conquering the nations God had commanded to be defeated (2 Samuel 8, 10). He sought justice throughout his life. He also was a great worshiper of God as attested by the many, many Psalms of worship he wrote. About half of the Psalms in the Bible were probably written by David.
However, David was not a perfect man. He had many flaws just as any of us do. He was not a great father, for he would overlook the sins of his own children resulting in fratricide (2 Samuel 13) and a civil war caused by Absolom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15-18) that would have been successful except for the Lord’s intervention. David’s failure to discipline some of his leaders, such as Joab for the murder of Abner and Amassa, also resulted in problems in his kingdom. His pride led to him into taking a census though he was warned not to do it (2 Samuel 24). The sad result was the Lord’s judgement by a plague that killed 70,000. The plague was stayed only by the prophet Gad directing David to offer up sacrifices at the threshing floor of Araunah in Jerusalem. That place later became the site of the temple.
It is actually in the midst of David’s greatest moral failure that his greatest spiritual character is found. David is a direct contrast to Saul in his response. In 2 Samuel 11 David breaks many of the 10 commandments in quick succession. It begins with a failure to fulfill his duty as king in going out with the army (vs. 1). Then from the vantage point of his house he saw a beautiful woman bathing and coveted her leading directly to adultery with her. She became pregnant and David sought ways to cover up his sin. This resulted in lying and the murder of Uriah, the woman’s husband. David then married Bathsheba, so in a real sense he had stolen her from Uriah. These actions brought shame to the name of the Lord, resulted in his worship becoming a sham and it dishonored his parents. Eventually Nathan the prophet rebuked David for his sin, and David’s response was the exact opposite of Saul’s.
2 Samuel 12 records that David made no excuses. He simply admitted, “I have sinned.” And though David prayed for God’s mercy on the life of the child, he fully accepted the consequences of his sin. David gave full expression to his repentance for his sin in Psalm 51. There are no excuses, no self justification, no blame of others, no bargaining in it. There is only complete and open admission of guilt and casting himself on the mercy of God. It was this response that allowed God to say that David was a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22) and therefore qualified to be king (1 Samuel 13:14).
That is the same type of response we must have in coming to God for salvation. As Jesus put it in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We come before God destitute with nothing to offer, nothing to bargain with. All we can do is cast ourselves upon His mercy – and He grants it through faith in Jesus Christ as the substitute payment of our sin. God will reject those that come to Him bargaining or demanding as if somehow they have something God needs.
All future kings would be compared to David. Were they men that sought God and repented when confronted with their sin, or would they be men that were half hearted in following God such as Saul, or worse, men that rejected the Lord and followed the paths of idolatry. We will also see that the spiritual health of the king would be directly reflected in the well being of the nation. Good kings would bring about God’s blessings while evil kings would bring about God’s curses.
There is also personal application here to our own lives. Will we be like Saul or David in how we live, in what we pursue in life and in how we respond to the Lord’s rebukes and corrections? If you follow Saul’s example, then expect to have the same type of consequences as Saul. He started well but continually declined until he was rebuked, rejected and cursed. If you follow David’s example, then you can expect the same type of consequences as David. His life was full of highs and lows that correlated with how well he was following the Lord, but when there was rebuke, David responded with confession and repentance so that it was followed by forgiveness and eventual blessings again.
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.
Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times Samuel, Saul and David are mentioned. Talk with your parents about the differences between Saul & David, & whose example to follow
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What does the book of Judges teach us about what happens when people “do what is right in their own eyes”? What does the book of Judges teach us about the reasons for the failure of the theocracy? What was special about Samuel’s birth? His early life? What was the character of Eli’s sons? What were the consequences of his failure as a father? Why did God allow the Philistines to capture the ark of the Lord? What problems did this create for the Philistines? How did they finally solve their problem? What did Samuel have the people do before he led them in battle to defeat the Philistines? Why did the people demand a king? Why was this evil? What provision had God already made in the Law regarding a king? What signs were given to Saul to confirm God had chosen him to be king? How did Saul show humility after he was anointed King? What was Saul’s first great moral failure? What were the consequences? What miracles occurred that allowed Israel to have victory over the Philistines – despite Saul’s moral failure and foolish vows? What was Saul’s second great moral failure? How was this compounded when Samuel confronted him about it? What is the relationship between rebellion and the sin of divination. What is the relationship between insubordination and the sins of iniquity and idolatry? What was the result of Saul’s sins? Where was David when Samuel called for him to be king? How did David demonstrate humility after being anointed king? How did David show courage and trust of God in facing Goliath? Why would David face Goliath instead of one of the men from the army? How did he kill Goliath? What character traits sustained David while Saul was seeking his life? Why wouldn’t David kill Saul? How did David respond when confronted about his sin? Contrast that with Saul. How should you respond if confronted about sin? Why? What other characteristics about David are good examples to follow?
Sermon Notes – December 2, 2007
The Kingdom is Established – 1 & 2 Samuel
Introduction
The theocracy failed because the people would not keep God’s laws _____________.
___________ can lead to violating God’s commands even while trying to worship Him
Samuel
Samuel was the result of the Lord answering __________ prayer
Samuel sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning “_________________”
God revealed Himself to _____________ when he was still a small boy
Israel was defeated and the ark captured because they treated it as a _________________
Eli and his sons _______ just as had been prophesied
The Philistine god, __________ , kept falling over before the ark of the Lord
The Lord chastened the Philistines with __________ and many of them died
The Philistine returned the ark to Israel along with ___________
The people demanded a __________so they could be like all the nations around them
Israel was rejecting God in demanding a ___________.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20 prophesied there would be ________ and gave instructions to them
Saul
Saul was from the tribe of ___________. It was the smallest tribe & he was from the least of its families.
Saul, was a head taller than everyone else, yet he still started off well demonstrating great ___________.
Saul had his first victory over the ____________at Jabesh-gilead
The people and the king the would do well if they __________________ the Lord
Saul was 40 years old when he began to reign and he reigned for ___________.
Saul’s first great moral failure was not waiting for Samuel, but making the ______________ himself
Saul would not have an ____________ kingdom.
God still allowed them to have a miraculous victory over the _______________
Saul’s second great moral failure was not __________________ Amalek
Saul falsely claimed to have _______, then made ______, blamed others and still demanded to be honored
___________ is better than sacrifice
Rebellion is as the sin of _____________ – seeking a source of guidance other than the Lord
________________ is as iniquity and idolatry – rejecting the Lord to follow the direction of another
Saul was rejected as ___________. It would be given to another.
David
David is the youngest son of _________ of the tribe of Judah
___________ anointed David king before his brothers & the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily
David demonstrated humility, though anointed king, he became Saul’s ____________
David demonstrated ___________ & trust of God in taking up Goliath’s challenge
Goliath was a trained soldier, fully equipped and who was between __________ feet tall.
David defeated _____________ in the name of the Lord of Hosts
____________ and David became fast friends for life
Saul became jealous and sought to ___________ David many times
David would ____________ Saul even when he had the opportunity two different times
David would trust the Lord to remove Saul and establish his _____________ at the right time.
When Saul & three of his sons were killed, David ___________ and _____________ them
David was made king of the tribe of ________, but had war with Ish-bosheth. Saul’s son, for seven years.
David captured Jerusalem from the ____________ and made it his capital.
David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem on the __________ attempt by doing it correctly
God made a covenant with David that included the promise of an ____________to one of his descendants
David was a great worshiper of God and wrote ___________ of the Psalms in the Bible
Among David’s flaws was lack of rebuke to ____________. This resulted in fratricide & civil war
__________led David to make a census which the Lord judged with a plague that killed 70,000
David ________ Bathsheba, committed __________with her, ______to Uriah, and had him _________,
David ________ Bathsheba by making her his wife. All this ____________ God and his parents
David admitted his sin ___________when confronted by Nathan and accepted God’s punishments
All future kings would be compared to _____________
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