David A Man After God’s Heart And A Man Of War

David A Man After God’s Heart

David is one of my favorite people in the Bible. He lived an adventurous life, had his up’s and down’s, fell off, and got back up, all while chasing after God’s heart. 

This blog post is our fourth in the series of “People of the Bible that God used for His purpose.” We discussed the patriarchs, Noah, and Moses and how God used them for specific assignments in our earlier posts. 

In this post, we will discuss King David and how God used him to lead the Israelites. 1 Samuel chapter 16 and the following chapters give us a glimpse into the life of David, his Calling, Anointing, and his journey to becoming the king of Israel. 

What Led To The Anointing Of David As King

During this season, we have the Israelites living in their promised land called Canaan. But, they continued to sin against God. Whenever they committed sins, God will give them over to other Kingdoms who will oppress them. When these kingdoms take over them, the Israelites will cry out to God, who will then send Judges to deliver them. But, the Israelites continued to sin against God repeatedly; God will give them over to other kingdoms to oppression, they will cry out to God, and God will deliver them. This behavior continued for a long time, and during that season, The Israelites had twelve judges – the last Judge they had was the prophet, Samuel. 

In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 21:25 NIV) Samuel grew old, appointed his sons, but his sons did not follow in his footsteps, so now the elders came to Samuel and told him he is old, his sons do not follow his footsteps in obeying God, so Samuel should appoint a king over them to lead them (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel was displeased with their request. He told God about it, but God told him to listen to the people because they are not rejecting him (Samuel), but they reject God as their king. 

Fast forward, God led Samuel To anoint Saul as king, but Saul’s kingship did not last because of disobedience to the point that God could not work with Him anymore. So, God led the prophet, Samuel, to go to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons called David. 

The Journey To The Kingship

In 1 Samuel chapter 16, we read how Samuel goes to the house of Jesse to select the next king of Israel. David was anointed king but did not ascend to the throne immediately because King Saul was still ruling even though God’s Spirit had left him. David was placed in the palace but worked for Saul as one of his armor-bearers. Saul was pleased with David’s work, so he asked for David to remain with him. David was also an excellent musician who will play music to drive away evil tormenting spirits from Saul. 

David worked hard, and his service in the palace was a training ground for him. He defeated Goliath and defeated more Philistines than Saul did; this caused the Israelites to praise David more than they praised King Saul. 

Saul became jealous of David and wanted to kill him, which caused David to run away into exile. David lived in caves, lived among his enemies, pretended to be a mad man at some point to save his life; the man went through some of the thoughtest adversity any man has gone through. But this was building him and his character for the kingship he was to take over. 

David got multiple opportunities to kill Saul, but he did not touch the Lord’s anointed – he was not in haste to ascend the throne prematurely, and this also spoke to David’s heart and integrity. 

David Becomes King Of Judah And Israel

At the appointed time, Saul died, and David ascended to the throne. David was anointed king to Judah first – 

(2 Samuel 2:1-4 NIV) In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.

2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.

Over time, David also became king of Israel – God gave him both kingdoms to reign over it as their king. 

David’s Wars And Victories – His Calling In Life And Purpose

David wanted to build a house for The Lord, but the Lord said He would have Solomon build the house because David had blood on his hands. 

(1 Chronicles 28:3 NIV) But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’ 

God Called David to be a king, leader, and warrior for the Israelites. Therefore, God was with David in all his endeavors. David fought many wars and won them all because the fight was not David’s to fight, but it was God’s war to fight. God Called David to be the human representation to fight the battles; therefore, there were many victories, and David’s name spread all over other kingdoms and territories, and he grew more powerful.

David fought and conquered the –

Jebusites

Philistines

Moabites

Arameans

Edomites

Moabites

Ammonites

Amalekites

Zobah

David’s life was very adventurous with many ups and down’s – He had his shortcomings but quickly recovered from them because he was remorseful and sought God for forgiveness, and God forgave him. But his sin still brought consequences into his life which made the latter part of his life very contentious – please read 2 Samuel Chapters 11 to 22. 

In conclusion, David and his men fought wars with God as their Ultimate leader, and they won victories.