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In the beginning, Adam and Eve found themselves on the brink of a world dissolved into chaos. But since the God of Heaven and Earth refuses to allow his good creation to be undone, he exiles them out of the garden. Otherwise, as he says, they would have eaten from the Tree of Life and lived forever in chaos. This chaos creates injustices. It inverts God's blessing on humanity in the garden, causing pain, famine, and toil.
So, when Israel was delivered from the chaotic and evil hand of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, God declared that this nation would not be like the rest. They would not spur the chaos of uncreation into the world, lest the world be given over to more pain and more famine. And nearly 400 years later, we find a young boy raptured into this very story of chaos, kings, and creation. This is the story of a young boy who will grow up to be a warrior poet and King of the Nation. Born in a small town outside of Jerusalem, a boy who will rival the likes of Abraham and Moses. This is the story of how his failure will wrench the nation of Israel into ruin, spiral blessing into curse, and forge the pathway for the greatest King of the cosmic Universe to be born. This is the story of David.
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It is 1030 years before Jesus will walk the earth. As it turns out, the current King over Israel, Saul, has declared war on the Philistine Nation, ratcheting up the tension begun by many of Israel's leaders. This action is one that will spur chaos out of Israel and into the world. Thus, it angered God when he declared war on the advancing Philistine Army, unlawfully offered a sacrifice, and disobeyed a command given to him by God to destroy all of the idols of the Amalekites.
Meanwhile, the humble, bushy-haired ten-year-old is tending to his father Jesse's flock of sheep in a Bethlehem field when suddenly a lion pounces out of nowhere. Well, David knows that his God has command over the pleaded order and the beasts of the field. Thus, armed with his trust in God, David quickly kills the lion.
Two years later, the true leader of the nation, Samuel, a renowned priest and prophet, comes asking for the shepherd boy David. Samuel says that God has chosen David to be king over all Israel. However, Saul remains on the throne, and he becomes tormented by an evil spirit sent to him by God. So, the servants of Saul recommend that he hire a musician to calm him down when he's angered. The servants suggest the small, ten-year-old shepherd boy from Bethlehem named David is skillful in playing music. He's a man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him. Thus, unbeknownst to Saul, the king hires the young boy who will succeed his throne.
A year of fighting the Philistines goes by when they come back for recompense. The Philistine Army sends a giant, beastly man who stands 10 feet tall and bears 40 pounds of armor. He launches a spear into the air that would have been three inches thick. They call him Goliath. He taunts the Israelites to send out a warrior to beat him, but the Israelites are terrified.
Meanwhile, the shepherd boy David is sent into the midst of the battle to send bread to his brothers fighting on the front lines. When he sees Goliath haunting the Israelite people, David declares to everyone that he can beat the giant and he doesn't even need armor to do it. He simply gathers five smooth stones from a nearby riverbed and, with his trust in God, kills Goliath with one whip of his sling.
Now, while we can never truly know when David wrote most of his Psalms, this event likely inspired David to write his first Psalm, Psalm 9. He says, "When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment."
Well, this caught Saul's attention, and even though the shepherd boy David had been in his presence for some time now, as soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistines, well, he said to Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is this youth?" Abner said, "As your soul lives, O King, I do not know." The king said, "Inquire whose son the boy is." And as soon as David returned from striking down the Philistines, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine Goliath in his hand. Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."
And so, David is invited over to the Palace. When he arrives, he meets Saul's son, Jonathan, for likely the first time. Jonathan and David become fast friends, even making a pact to protect each other. On this first meeting, although Saul tells David that he can marry his daughter Merab, he becomes exceedingly jealous of the young boy. So, in his desperate vexation, Saul gives Merab to someone else to marry. However, Saul's daughter Michal falls in love with David. Saul agrees to their marriage while simultaneously sending David out as a warrior to the front lines of the battle so that in his distress, David might be killed. But with God fighting for David, he defeats more enemies than anyone else, including Saul. People begin to write songs about the young shepherd boy, saying, "Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands." However, fearing David's growing popularity, Saul says, "What more can he want but the kingdom?" And Saul hurls a spear at him while he's playing the harp. Saul misses, and Saul's son Jonathan suggests then that David go on the run and hide in the mountains.
But David runs back home to his wife Michal. It is likely here when David writes Psalm 11, saying, "In the Lord I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, 'Flee like a bird to your mountains'?" Knowing her father and scared for David's life, Michal rushes him out under the cover of darkness. Refusing to flee to the mountains, David flees to the one place of refuge he knows: God's presence.
You see, next, David flees to Samuel. Saul does not relent. David runs to Jonathan. But while Jonathan can help him escape, he ultimately has no answers. Where is David going to go? He can't take refuge in Samuel, or Saul might kill him. He can't go home, or Saul might trap his family. So, David does only what he can think of by running to the nearest Tabernacle in Nob. There, he runs into the priest and lies through his teeth. David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, 'Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you. I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.'" Then he demands that Ahimelech give him the sacred bread and weapons for this mysterious fictional meeting. This bread, mind you, is supposed to sit in God's presence, not be moved, and certainly not eaten. Ahimelech complies, giving David the very sword of Goliath, an ironic symbol that should remind David of his trust in God and that he need not fear anything or anyone, lest he spur chaos, pain, and injustice out into the world.
But driven by fear, David spends the next eight years of his life on the run. Over the course of that eight years, that is when David writes some of his most prolific poetry. Forced on the run by the chaos of death and pain, David pens Psalms 17, 31, 34, 35, 52, 54, 56, 64, 109, and 140, saying, "Oh God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen against me; and ruthless men seek my life."
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David flees first to Gath, the land of Israel's enemies, the Philistines. David writes Psalm 34 here. But when the army begins questioning why he is there, saying, "Is not this David the king of the land?" David becomes terrified, and he begins to act like a crazy man. Finally, King Achish, king of the Philistines, has had enough. He demands David be removed from his land, and so David flees to the cave of Adullam. Here, David pens Psalm 142, saying, "I cry aloud to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.' Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me."
Here, at the cave of Adullam, friends, family, the downtrodden, and weak meet with David, mourn with David, and swear their loyalty to him, creating an army after the order of God. However, aroused by fear and suspicion, David flees again. He leaves Ziklag's refuge in Moab. In Moab, he is warned to leave, and so he escapes to the forest of Hareth. Finally, after being prompted by God, David departs for the city of Keilah. At Keilah, the Philistines have raided the town, so David springs into action. He saves the city with a just hand. But Saul also planned to attack the Philistines there. When David hears that Saul is coming, he fears the Keilites may double-cross him. Thus, prompted by another divine message, David flees and takes refuge in the Mountain Wilderness of Ziph.
And he spends the next four years of his life hiding in caves. While in the caves of Ziph, Jonathan goes to David and confirms his loyalty to ensure that David is the true king of Israel. But the people of Ziph go to Saul and they tell him of David's whereabouts. Thus, armed to the teeth with an army at his command, Saul seeks David's life in the wilderness of Maon. When, sudden, the Philistine Army comes back with a vengeance. They attack the back of Saul's Army, giving David just enough time to escape to En-Gedi.
After the battle, a messenger of Saul informs him that David has been spotted in the mountains of En-Gedi. So, Saul goes there with just a small band of warriors to kill the shepherd. Passing by, Saul relieves himself in the cleft of a rock, but it just so happens that this is where David is. David realizes that this is his opportunity to kill Saul before Saul kills him, but he doesn't. David it simply cuts off a piece of Saul's cloak. When Saul leaves, David scurries out of the cave and pays homage to Saul, demonstrating that he holds no hatred toward the king. Saul doesn't listen, and his hard heart grows all the more steeled as he goes home in defeat.
It is in this headspace that David likely famously pens Psalms 63, 57, and 58. Psalms that beg the God who knows and loves all things to take vengeance on the cowardly enemies, for he will send from heaven and see.
Now, at this time, Samuel had died. All of Israel assembled and mourned for the prophet, and they buried him in Ramah. In his grief, David flees to the Wilderness of Paran. Well, in Paran, David met a wealthy man named Nabal, who had a very beautiful wife named Abigail. But when David's men greet Nabal with a blessing, he says, "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?" But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "Behold, David sent messengers out of the Wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. Now, therefore, know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master."
So, Abigail goes to beseech David's favor. Falling before him, she repents of her wicked husband's actions. But David is so enamored with her sense of righteousness and justice that he cannot help but forgive the family. When Abigail returns home, her husband has drunk himself into a stupor. So, when he wakes up, Abigail tells him everything that happened and how a great debt was forgiven him, and he keels over dead of a heart attack. When David heard how the Lord had avenged his honor, he praised God. Then it felt only right to restore Abigail to righteous community by marrying her.
But David began to become greedy. He took Ahinoam and Abigail to be his wives with Michal and Abigail. Then the Ziphites betrayed David. They told Saul where David was, and Saul rose with three thousand choice men of Israel finally to put an end to the true heir of his throne. David sent spies. One evening, as Saul and his army were encamped in Hacilah, then he rose to finally meet his enemy. Abner was fast asleep at Saul's side when David snuck into the tent and stole Saul's jug of water and his spear. And then David took those things, went over to the other side, and stood far off atop the hill with a great space between him and his enemy. David called to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Will you not answer, Abner?" Well, then Abner answered, "Who are you, you who calls to the king?" David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord and King? For one of these people came in to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord's anointed. Now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head."
Finally, it is here, likely overcome by shock and grief and confusion, that Saul recognizes David as his true successor, and he ceases his attempts to kill him and goes home. By now, David must have been racked with anxiety, filled with despair and paranoia. And David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel."
And so, David flees back to King Achish to Gath, where he had been before. And when Saul hears of this, he does nothing. David likely writes Psalm 141. While David is in Gath, he becomes an ally of Achish by destroying many of the surrounding nations that were enemies of both Israel and the Philistines. So, David beseeches Achish to give him the town of Ziklag. Meanwhile, King Achish is under the impression that David has become an utter enemy of Israel. Although David is still on the run, Achish may not realize that David has fought against Israel's enemies. So, Achish lets him stay there. In fact, King Achish requests that David guard the camp at Gath while the Philistines go back to battle against the Israelites. However, when David gets to the camp in Gath, he finds that it has been destroyed by the Amalekites, the very people who Saul was commanded to wipe out. Chaos spurned out into the world by the hand of Saul. David's wives and children have all been taken as well. And so, with divine permission, David pursues the Amalekite people and overtakes them, saving the women and the children. He returns the spoil to the Philistine Nation.
Meanwhile, the Philistines have killed Saul and David's childhood friend and confidante, Jonathan, in battle. So, with the defeat of the Amalekites, with the defeat of Saul, with the befriending of the Philistine Nation, David is anointed king over Jerusalem. The anointing of David launches the Kingdom of Israel into a civil war. The tribe of Judah remains loyal to David, and most of Israel remains loyal to Saul. When Abner, the commander of Saul's Army, is assassinated by Joab and Ish-bosheth, Saul's royal heir is killed in his sleep. David is finally and truly anointed king over the kingdom in about 993 BC. However, it is not without enacting swift justice. Angered by the unjust murder of Abner and Ish-bosheth, his very enemies, David has the assassins put to death. This will mark the rest of his reign as people claim he must truly be a man after God's own heart to even care for his enemies. We see David as the truly righteous and just heir of the throne of Israel. It is this sense of right and wrong that will guide him well throughout his kingship.
Thus, David is anointed king over the nation. He makes peace and war with the [__], the Amalekites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines, eventually grafting them into the Kingdom of Israel under his rule, during which David also conquers Jerusalem. He brings the Ark of the Covenant there, intending to build a temple to his God. And out of praise and sheer worship, David writes Psalms 96, 105, and 106, giving thanks to the God who has protected him his entire life. However, the new prophet over the nation, Nathan, forbids the building of the temple and he says that the temple will be built by one of David's sons. But more than that, the prophet says this kingdom of David's son will never end, a king who will be his heir, the hope of the snake crusher rises all the more as David takes his throne. His heir will be the eternal heir, King of the world, prophesied in Genesis 3:15.
Out of praise and adoration, David likely writes many of his most prolific and worshipful Psalms here, including Psalm 2, 16, 22, 45, 110, and 118. If we had never read the Bible before now, we might be inclined to close the book and say that Eden had been restored through David, the King of Israel. But of course, by now, we may have forgotten what this story is all about: the blessings and curses of a just and right God, the king over the kingdom, and how that contrasts with the sublime failures of a broken and unjust humanity, creating within us a longing for a true and right, just and eternal King. You see, David is not banned from building the Temple because of his many failures to trust in God up until now. He is not banned because of his sinfulness. David is banned because he is merely a poor, dim human reflection of the king we all long for. David is not the eternal heir.
So, in the springtime, David stays behind Jerusalem during the Battle of Rabbah. David spots a young woman named Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop across from his palace. David summons her to him, and she becomes pregnant. However, David refuses to marry the woman he has chosen for himself. What is right and what is wrong? The spiral of chaos and death will spin out of control as David fears her husband's reproach. David sends Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba's husband, to the front lines of the battle, hoping that he will fall and die, much like his predecessor Saul did to him. David at a young age. In response to this affair, Nathan the prophet traps the king in his guilt and prophesies that David's punishment will be great. It will be a punishment on his sons. David repents by famously penning Psalm 51.
The curse of Nathan may be the climactic moment of David's life. It parallels the exile of the garden and the apostasy of the golden calf in several key ways. However, it is not lost on me that like the earlier instances, God is merely pushing us toward a greater hope in a greater King, an eternal King whose interests are not self-motivated but driven by love, whose peace is not merely legislative but promised, a King whose rule is governed by true justice and true righteousness, the fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy.
The fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy comes when David's firstborn son, Amnon, is filled by revenge and a lust for power. Amnon takes the curse of Adam to heights that rival Cain when he unjustly and unspeakably forces himself upon his half-sister Tamar. When Tamar's brother, Absalom, David's third son, hears this, he conspires with David's other sons to murder Amnon. Meanwhile, David, in step with the rest of his life in fear, in indirect contradiction to the rules of the Kings outlined in Deuteronomy, conducts a census to ensure one that he has a big enough army to defeat all of his enemies who very might well be his very son, and two, to make sure that he has enough loyalty left in the kingdom. The chaotic whirlwind of David's life is beginning to spiral out of control. Absalom must have realized this and still having not forgiven his father for what happened to his sister and doubting his father's rule, Absalom coerces Israel away from David in an accudeta. He declares himself the rightful owner of David's throne.
When David hears of his son's plan to overthrow him, he again flees God's metaphorical presence and leaves Jerusalem on the run again. David, driven by suffering and pain, he writes Psalms 3, 4, 5, 7, 42, 43, 55, 62, 70, 71, 143, 144, and 18, pouring out his pain and sorrow and suffering onto the page, proclaiming, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul thirsts for you, O God." When David flees from his own kin, he enacts his kingly powers by proclaiming Ziba the heir of Mephibosheth. All the while, David is cursed by a man named Shimei. The two portraits create a vignette of those in the nation who will remain faithful to David's true heir, the eternal King of the world, and the enemy of God's chosen people, all the while showing us David's fragility.
Meanwhile, Absalom has entered Jerusalem. The official declaration of war on his father has begun. But Hushai, a commander in Absalom's army, has double-crossed Absalom, and he prepares David for the battle coming to him. This one action makes the battle rage furiously. In the tumult, Absalom gets stuck in a tree and is killed. God has taken vengeance on David's life once again. David here mourns the loss of his son.
And as David's life draws to a close, his eldest son Adonijah declares himself King. Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba go to David. Upon this action, they all agree to crown Solomon King, as David had originally promised. The rest of the Psalms in the Hebrew Psalter, written by David, were likely written here near the end of David's life as his son takes his throne. His last words on his deathbed to Solomon are, "The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: 'When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass sprout from the earth.'" And there, on his deathbed, David dies, likely at the age of 70, and he crowns his son Solomon King over all of Israel.
But the story of David is far from over. After his death, the ordinary reader is left with a deep yearning in their heart. This unfulfilled anticipation is for a king who is yet to come, a king whose rule will never end, who will usher in the Kingdom of God's righteous, just, and good rule, a king whose kingdom will be eternal.
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You should note that throughout the duration of this video, the images did not faithfully represent the characters' ethnicities. Throughout the biblical epic, Bible Unbound is determined to bring clarity to the Bible through the gospel message. If you would like to support this mission, please do so on patreon.com/bibleunbound. [Music] Thank you.