David the King

It’s right around 1000 BC, and King Saul has died as a result of a battle with the Philistines, along with three sons including Jonathan, who’d been so loyal to David throughout his years in exile. In short order, David became King of Israel after Saul’s remaining son also died.  David was 30 years old when he became king.

David promptly conquered the City of Jerusalem and made it his capitol. We are told “David grew steadily more powerful, for the Lord of hosts was with him.” (2 Sam. 5:10) He was also a shrewd statesman, building alliances with potential enemies by marrying their daughters, since it was the custom at the time for a king to have multiple wives. (2 Sam. 5:13)

But—as is often the case—sin entered the picture in the form of a beautiful woman. David spied Bathsheba on the roof of a nearby building as she bathed, and asked that she be brought to him. (2 Sam.11:5) Unfortunately for the smitten king, it turned out she was married to one of his generals.

Bathsheba became pregnant, and David solved the problem by sending the general to the front lines of battle, hoping he’d be killed which indeed he was. (2 Sam. 11:15) And since it’s the Old Testament, a sin of this magnitude calls for retribution from God; the first son born of his marriage to Bathsheba died after seven days, and a later one rose up to lead a rebellion against him.  (2 Sam.12:15; Chapter 15)

David sincerely repented of his sin and asked God for forgiveness, as eloquently expressed in Psalm 51.  He then goes on to lead Israel for forty years of prosperity until another of his sons with Bathsheba—Solomon—succeeds him.

Fun fact: Michelangelo’s statue of David is perhaps the most famous in the world, and depicts the shepherd boy with his slingshot over a shoulder, eying Goliath in the distance. It is 17 feet high, and when asked about the masterpiece, Michelangelo explained that he simply freed the figure from the huge block of marble. About 4,000 visitors come to see it every day, at the Galleria dell’ Accademia in Florence. 

Next week: King Solomon