Lesson 49 David and Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11,12; Psalm 51,32

Peace be with you, listening friends. We greet you in the name of God, the Lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that He has established, and have true peace with Him forever. We are happy to be able to return today to present your program The Way of Righteousness.

In our last program, we saw how David became the King of Israel. David was a just and compassionate king who sincerely cherished the Word of God. Today, however, we are going to read something about David which is not pleasant to hear. David did something that was abominable in God's sight; he coveted his neighbor's wife, committed adultery with her, and then added sin to sin by attempting to cover it up. Some may ask, "Why is such an awful story found in the Holy Scriptures?" The Scripture answers this question when it says: "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us!" (Rom. 15:4) "These things…were written down as warnings for us…So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Cor. 10:11,12) In the Holy Scriptures, God does not hide the sins of the prophets because God wants to teach us valuable lessons.

Now then, let us return to the second book of Samuel and see how David fell into sin. In chapter eleven, the Scripture says:

(2 Sam. 11) ¹In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. ²One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba…the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" ⁴Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her…then she went back home. ⁵The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

Next, the Scriptures describe how David tried to cover up his sin. When David heard that Bathsheba was pregnant, he sent word to Joab, the leader of his army, and ordered him to send to him Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. Now Uriah was a mighty man in the army of Israel. And so Joab sent Uriah to David.

(2 Sam. 11) ⁷When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" ¹¹Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

¹²Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next… ¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and die." ¹⁶So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. ¹⁸Joab sent David a full account of the battle […with the news:] ²¹"Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."

²⁶When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

(2 Sam. 12) ¹[Thus, one day] The Lord sent [a prophet by the name of] Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ²The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. ⁴Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."

⁵[When David heard this story, he] burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! ⁶He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity!" ⁷Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸…I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Amonites. ¹⁰Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.' ¹¹This is what the Lord says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. ¹²You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel!'" ¹³Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord!" Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. ¹⁴But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."¹⁵Nathan went home.

In the following chapters, the Scriptures show us how David's sin produced great trouble and many tragedies within his family. But the Word of God also says: "Where sin increased, grace increased all the more." (Rom. 5:20) Thus, in the remaining time today, we will see how God showed David His grace, and forgave him all his sins.

Why did God forgive David of his sins? Did you hear how David responded when Nathan said to David, "You are the man!"? God's prophet, Nathan, had great courage to say such a thing to the great King of Israel. How did David answer Nathan? Did he lock Nathan in prison or even have him executed, as many kings might have done? No, he did not do this. Did David try to justify his sins by saying, "God willed it!" or "God is good, perhaps He will erase my evil deeds because of my good deeds!"? Did David answer Nathan like that? No, David did not! Then how did David respond? David said, "I have sinned!" "I have sinned against the Lord!"

To better understand how David confessed his sin before God, we need to read what David wrote in the Psalms after the prophet Nathan rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba. In Psalm fifty-one, David said:

(Psa. 51) ¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. ²Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. ⁵Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ⁶Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. ⁷Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise!

This is how David repented. David mourned greatly because of his sin. He had a broken and crushed heart before God. David was not like those who have religion, but continue in sin every day. Truly, David had fallen into the pit of sin, but he could not live in it, because David loved God, and knew that "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

So then, after David repented, what did God say to him through the mouth of the prophet Nathan? Did God tell him, "Go and do some good works and I will erase your sins!"? No, God did not say that! Nathan simply said to him, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die!"

After this, David wrote in the Psalms, describing the blessedness of the man whom God has forgiven, apart from his own works. He said: "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psa. 32:1,2; Rom. 4:7,8) Yes, God forgave David and judged him as righteous! That does not mean that God removed the tragedies that David's sin produced. What it means is that, in the Day of Judgment, God would not remember David's sins. He had erased them all from His book!

How could God do that? How could God forgive all the sins of David and yet remain a righteous judge? Could God simply forget, just like that, all the evil which David had done? No! God is a righteous judge, and He cannot merely close His eyes to the sins of the children of Adam. Well then, how could God forgive David, and still maintain His righteousness?

Do you remember what David prayed to God after he recognized his sin? He prayed, "Wash away all my iniquity…Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow!" (Psa. 51:2,7) God had commanded the Israelites to use the branch of the hyssop plant for sprinkling the blood of the sacrifices. The sprinkled blood illustrated the great sacrifice of the coming Redeemer who would willingly die, shedding His blood as a payment for sins.

God could forgive David his sins because David had repented (turned from sin to God) and believed in God's power to cleanse him by the work of the coming Redeemer. David might have offered to God a prayer something like this: "Oh God, I am grieved over my sin and ask you to forgive me! I know that you can forgive me of my sins, because one day you will send the Redeemer, who has no sin, and He Himself will endure for me the punishment for my sin once and forever. Therefore Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! Wash me in the blood of the holy Redeemer, and I shall be completely pure!"

Did God, in His grace, forgive David all his sins? Did God cleanse David's heart and judge him as righteous? Yes, He did! On what basis did God do this? God forgave David because he confessed his sinful condition before God, and believed what God had promised concerning the Redeemer, who would come and bear the punishment for sin. The faith he had in the promises of God is the reason David could rejoice, and write in the Psalms: "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psa. 32:1,2)

Friends, thank you for listening. In our next two lessons, in the will of God, we will look into the holy book of Psalms to see what the prophet David testified concerning the Redeemer, who would bear our punishment, so that God could forgive us our sins forever.…

God bless you as you think about this verse David wrote in the Psalms concerning one of God's greatest blessings:

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psa. 32:1,2)

Lesson 48 King David and God's Promise

1 Samuel 18 - 2 Samuel 7

Peace be with you, listening friends. We greet you in the name of God, the Lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that He has established, and have true peace with Him forever. We are happy to be able to return today to present your program The Way of Righteousness.

Today we are continuing in the story of the prophet David. Two lessons ago, we saw how God chose young David to be the second king of Israel, though he did not begin to reign the day God appointed him. God rejected Saul, the first king, because he was unconcerned about doing the will of God. However, God testified concerning David, saying, "I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." (Acts 13:22) In our last lesson, we saw David kill the giant, Goliath, defeating him with a sling and a stone and a solid faith in the living God. Now let us continue the story of David and see how David replaced Saul as the king of Israel.

Continuing in the first book of Samuel, the Scripture says:

(1 Sam. 18) ⁶When the men were returning home after David had killed [Goliath] the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. ⁷As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." ⁸Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" ⁹And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

Thus, the Scriptures relate how the Israelites dearly loved David. But the more they loved David, the more Saul hated him. Jealousy filled Saul's heart and controlled him so that all he could think of was what he must do to get rid of David. Consequently, David fled and hid in the desert, together with the four hundred men of Israel who accompanied him. Saul and his soldiers hunted for David and his men in the wilderness. Saul did everything in his power to catch David and kill him. However, he could not do so because the Lord was with David. But Saul did cause David a lot of distress. For eight long years, David and his men had to run from an angry King Saul.

However, the jealousy and anger that Saul displayed toward David did not cause David to hate him. Why didn't David hate Saul, the man who was trying to kill him? David could not hate Saul, because David walked with the God who causes His sun to rise on the righteous and the unrighteous. As the Scripture says:

"Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:7,8,19,20)

We do not have time to read all that happened between Saul and David, but we do want to look at one story and observe David's humility and love. Reading in the first book of Samuel, chapter twenty-four, the Scripture says:

(1 Sam. 24) ¹[Some people came to Saul and said to him], "David is in the Desert of En Gedi." ²So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. ³He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave!

⁴The men said, "This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'" Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. ⁵Afterwards, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. ⁶He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord." ⁷With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

⁸Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. ⁹He said to Saul, "Why do you listen when men say, 'David is bent on harming you'? ¹⁰This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord gave you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord's anointed.'¹¹See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. ¹²May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. ¹³As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you.

¹⁶When David finished saying this, Saul asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?" And he wept aloud. ¹⁷"You are more righteous than I," he said. "You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. ¹⁸You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the Lord gave me into your hands, but you did not kill me. ¹⁹When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. ²⁰I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands."

After that, Saul returned home, but it wasn't long before jealousy took hold of his heart again and incited him to go back into the wilderness and resume his hunt for David. Saul did this for eight years, all because of jealousy! Yet, every time, God rescued David from the hands of Saul. In the end, Saul reaped the evil he had sown. Listen to what is written in chapter thirty-one.

The Scripture says:

(1 Sam. 31) ¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ²The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. ³The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. ⁴Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But the armorbearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

On that day, Saul and his three sons died. Thus, the descendants of Saul were completely exterminated, just as God had said they would be. In the chapters that follow, the Scriptures relate how God turned the kingdom of Israel over to David. David was a just king who loved righteousness and hated iniquity. David loved the Lord God with his whole heart. The Word of God and the glory of God occupied first place in David's thoughts. Therefore, when David began to rule over Israel, the first thing that he wanted to do was to bring the Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle) and the ark (chest) of the covenant to Jerusalem. Jerusalem had become the capital of Israel, which is why David wanted to set up the tent of worship and the altar of sacrifice there.

After David had moved the tent of worship to Jerusalem, the Scriptures relate how he planned to build a beautiful temple to honor the name of the Lord. David wanted to build a temple in which the ark of the covenant could be placed and where sinners could present to God sacrifices which cover sin. However, the Lord told David that he was not the one to build a house for God, but that God would build for him a house, that is, a posterity which would endure forever! Listen to the covenant God made with David. He said to him:

(2 Sam. 7) ¹²"When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴I will be his father, and he shall be my son. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever."

Do you understand the covenant God established with King David on that day? It was a tremendous promise that surpasses human comprehension! God promised David, "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever!"

What?! How would David's kingdom endure forever? How could this be? How could David, who was only a man, have a government that would last forever? Here is the answer: God promised David that one of his descendants would establish an everlasting government. A Man would be born in David's royal family line who would receive the authority to reign in heaven and on earth forever. He would be called the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace. Hundreds of years after David's time, and about seven hundred years before this King of kings was born, the prophet Isaiah penned these words:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end! He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this!" (Isa. 9:6,7)

Do you know who, among the descendants of David, has been given the authority to establish an eternal government? Do you know who will judge the children of Adam on the Day of Judgment and reign throughout eternity? Yes, it is the Redeemer, the King from heaven, who was born of a virgin, a virgin who belonged to the descendants of David. Concerning this King, the Scripture says: "God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name!"(Phil. 2:9)

When David understood God's plan to send the Redeemer through his family line, David kneeled and worshiped the Lord saying,

(2 Sam. 7) ¹⁸"Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign Lord? ²²"How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. ²⁸O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁹Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

That is how David thanked the Lord for His promise concerning the King who would come forth through his descendants. You who know the Holy Scriptures know that God has already fulfilled part of this promise. For in the Gospel {Injil} we read that, a thousand years after David's time, God sent an angel to some shepherds who were tending their flocks in the same hills of Bethlehem where David had tended his father's flock. The angel of the Lord said to the shepherds, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10,11) Yes, the King God promised to bring forth through David's posterity has been born. Presently, He is back in heaven, awaiting that terrible and glorious day when He will return to judge the world in righteousness. In that day, everyone will know that the promise God made to David concerning his eternal kingdom is true. In that day it will be said,"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever!" (Rev.11:15)

We must stop here today. Thank you for listening. Next time, in the will of God, we will continue the story of King David and hear about an event that will make your ears tingle. Thank you for listening.…

God bless you. We leave you with this verse from the Holy Scriptures:

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!…For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen!" (Rom. 11:33,36)

Lesson 47 David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17; Psalm 27

Peace be with you, listening friends. We greet you in the name of God, the Lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that He has established, and have true peace with Him forever. We are happy to be able to return today to present your program The Way of Righteousness.

In the last program we began to look at the prophet David. Listen to what God testified concerning him: "I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." (Acts 13:22) We saw how God appointed David to be the second King of Israel, because the first king, Saul, did not obey the word of God. However, David did not become the king of Israel on the day that God appointed him. He was still a youth, and God's time for him to receive the kingdom had not yet arrived. After being anointed as king, David returned to the fields outside the town of Bethlehem to tend his father's flocks.

Today we will read a wonderful story that shows how God was with David, because David walked with God. Our lesson is called "David and Goliath." Let us now continue in the first book of Samuel, chapter seventeen. The Scripture says:

(1 Sam. 17) ¹Now the Philistines [who were the most vicious enemies of Israel] gathered their forces for war… ²Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

⁴A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over three meters tall. ⁵He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 60 kilos; ⁶on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. ⁷His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed seven kilos. His shield-bearer went ahead of him.

⁸Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." ¹⁰Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." ¹¹On hearing the Philistine's words,Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

While Goliath was taunting Israel, David was tending his father's flocks in peace, far from the war, meditating upon the Word of God, playing his harp and singing to the Lord. However, David had three older brothers who were soldiers in the army of Israel. One day David's father came to him and said, "Go and visit your brothers on the battlefront and bring me word about how things are going." So David left his sheep with another shepherd, arose early in the morning and left for the battlefield.

While David was greeting his older brothers and speaking with them, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, stepped out from his lines facing the soldiers of Israel and threatened them as he had been doing for the past forty days. When the Israeli soldiers saw him, they ran from him in fear. Then someone said to David, "Do you see that man? He keeps defying us. Whoever kills him, king Saul will give him great wealth and will also give him his daughter in marriage and his father's family will not have to pay taxes."

Then David said, "That uncircumcised Philistine, who is he that he should defy the armies of the living God?" When he said that, David's older brother became angry with him and said, "Why have you come here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know why you have come here. You only want to watch the battle!" However, one of the Israeli soldiers heard the courageous words which David spoke concerning the giant, and went and reported them to Saul, the king. Then Saul sent for David and questioned him.

Thus, the Scripture says:

(1 Sam. 17) ³²David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." ³³Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." ³⁴But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you." ³⁸Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off.

⁴⁰Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. ⁴¹Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield-bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴²He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. ⁴³He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.⁴⁴"Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"

⁴⁵David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

⁴⁸As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. ⁵⁰So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. ⁵¹David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. ⁵²Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the gates of Ekron.

Thus, we see today how young David saved his nation from their enemies with a sling, a stone, and a solid faith in the living God. Truly, the story of David and Goliath is an amazing story with many important lessons.

We saw how Saul and the Israeli soldiers feared Goliath greatly. None of them dared to fight with him, but David was not afraid of the giant; he knocked him to the ground and killed him! Why were Saul and his soldiers afraid, but David was not afraid? What was the difference between David and the Israeli soldiers? We can summarize the difference between them in this way: David was not afraid of the giant, because he had confidence in the Lord God. Saul and his soldiers did not have confidence in God. Therefore, they were afraid of the giant.

Saul and his soldiers only saw the powerful giant. David saw the Almighty God! Saul and the Israeli soldiers had a form of religion, but that did not cause them to have a real relationship with God. Belonging to a religion does not cause you to belong to God. Saul and his soldiers knew very well that God exists, that God is one, and that He is great and powerful. But that knowledge could not save them from Goliath. However, David had a genuine relationship with the Living God, the Almighty! David knew God and walked with Him. David believed the promises of God. That is why David was not afraid of Goliath.

You who are listening today, who are you most like? David? Or Saul and his soldiers? Do you know God personally? Or have you just heard a few things about Him? Do you know the Word of God so well that it fills your heart with joy? Or are you only trying to fulfil your religious obligations? Do you have a solid and happy relationship with the living God? Or do you only have dry religion?

Listen to what the prophet David wrote in the Psalms, concerning the relationship he had with God. He said:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!" (Psa. 23:1,4,6)

How about you? Do you have a close relationship with the Lord God? Do you know Him as your Shepherd? Are you certain that you will dwell in His house in heaven forever? David had that confidence, because he knew the wonderful and precious promises of the Lord God. And he didn't just know them in his head; he believed them in his heart.

David had a genuine faith. His faith was not based upon the unreliable words of men. His faith was based upon the trustworthy Word of the Lord God who never abandons His people! Listen to what David wrote in the Psalms:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?…Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.…Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!"Your face, O Lord, I will seek!" (Psa. 27:1,3,4,7,8)

"I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield.…With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him!" (Psa. 18:1,2,29,30)

Thank you for listening. In our next lesson, Lord willing, we will continue with the story of the prophet David and see how he began to reign as the king of Israel.…God bless you. We bid you farewell with this word from David in the book of Psalms:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psa. 34:8)

Lesson 46 Samuel, Saul, and David

1 Samuel 1-16; Psalms 8,23

Peace be with you, listening friends. We greet you in the name of God, the Lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that He has established, and have true peace with Him forever. We are happy to be able to return today to present your program The Way of Righteousness.

In our last program, we saw that the time following the prophet Joshua was a dark and corrupt period in the history of the nation of Israel. But even in that dark time we observed the light of the faithfulness of God. The Lord had not forgotten what He had promised to Abraham and his descendants concerning the Redeemer who was to come forth from the nation of Israel.

Thus we saw how God was at work in the life of a woman called Ruth. Ruth was not an Israelite, but she believed in the God of Israel with all her heart. And while many Israelites turned from the Lord their God to follow the religions of the surrounding nations, Ruth chose to turn from the religion of her father to follow the God of Israel. Ruth moved to the land of Israel and settled in the town of Bethlehem where she married an Israelite named Boaz. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed; and Obed begot Jesse, the father of the prophet David. Thus God's plan to redeem the children of Adam from their sins was moving ahead, because it was through the descendants of David that the Redeemer would come into the world. It was in Bethlehem, David's hometown, that the Savior was to be born. In future lessons, we will hear how God's prophets predicted all these things and then how the Redeemer fulfilled them hundreds of years later. Only God could do such a thing!

The prophet David {Dawud in Arabic} is very prominent in the Holy Scriptures. His name appears more than one thousand times. What do you know about the prophet David? Perhaps you know that he was the young man who defeated Goliath, the giant, with just a sling and stone. You probably also know that David was a great king in Israel and the prophet who wrote much of the book of Psalms {Zabur}. If you know these things, that is great, but your knowledge of David should not end there. If we know that David was a great king, but do not know what made him great-of what use to us is such knowledge? Or if we know that David wrote the Word of God in the Psalms, but do not know what he wrote-of what use is that to us?

Friends, if you want to increase your knowledge concerning the prophet David and hear some of the wonderful and powerful words that he wrote in the Psalms, then we invite you to join us for today's study and for the next five lessons.

Do you know the name of the prophet of God who preceded the prophet David? It is the prophet Samuel. God chose Samuel to turn the people of Israel back to the Lord their God, because their hearts were very far from God. Today we will read from the book of Samuel. This holy book is important among the Writings of the Prophets, because it contains valuable stories from the life of Samuel and the first three kings of Israel: Saul, David and Solomon.

As we have seen, God gave the Israelites leaders such as Moses, Joshua and Samuel to guide and judge them. However, the Lord God, who delivered them from their bonds of slavery in Egypt, was their rightful King. God, who commanded them to make a special tent so that He could place His glory in their midst, wanted to be their Ruler. They were to obey and follow Him alone. However, most of the Israelites were not content to have just the Lord as their King. They wanted to be like all the nations of the world and have a son of Adam to reign over them as their king!

In chapter eight of the first book of Samuel, the Scripture says:

(1 Sam. 8) ⁴So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ⁵They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." ⁶But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. ⁸As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. ⁹Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

Thus, God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted and to appoint a king for them. God did not want the Israelites to have another king besides Him, but since they had rejected God's reign, God would not rule over them by force. In the next chapter, we see how Samuel appointed for the Israelites a man by the name of Saul. The Scripture says: "Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head." (1 Sam. 10:1) That is what the Israelites did whenever they appointed someone. They poured oil on the head of the prophet, priest or king to set him apart. After Samuel poured oil on Saul's head, he said to all the people, "'Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.' Then the people shouted, 'Long live the king!" (1 Sam. 10:24)

At first, the Israelites rejoiced greatly in their king, Saul. He was strong and brave, and young and handsome, and taller than all the other children of Israel. By outward appearances, Saul should have been an excellent king. But God does not evaluate things as man does. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. King Saul started out well, but, in time, he became proud and jealous and self-sufficient. Saul honored God with his lips, but his heart was far from Him. Saul did not respect and obey the Word of God. He did what he wanted to do instead of what God wanted him to do.

Thus, the Scripture tells us that some years after Saul was appointed king,

(1 Sam. 15) ¹⁰…the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ¹¹"I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.¹²Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul…¹³When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord's instructions."… ²²But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king!"

Thus, Samuel told Saul that the kingdom would be taken from him and given to another. In the next chapter, the Scripture says,

(1 Sam. 16) ¹The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."²But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' ³Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." ⁴Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" ⁵Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either." ⁹Jesse then made Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the Lord chosen this one." ¹⁰Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these." ¹¹So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." ¹²So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." ¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.

Thus we see how God appointed David to be the king of Israel after Saul. But you must understand that David did not become the king of Israel on that day. David was only a youth and the time which God ordained for him to reign over the nation of Israel had not yet come. In fact, David would have to wait ten years before he would sit on the throne of Israel.

So David returned to the fields surrounding Bethlehem to tend and guard his father's flocks. David was a good and faithful shepherd. He feared nothing because he trusted in the Lord. For example, one day, when David was tending his father's sheep, a lion snatched up one of them. David went after the lion, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When the lion turned on him, David seized it by its hair, struck and killed it. (1 Sam. 17:35)

David was not only an excellent shepherd; he could play the harp and sing too. The Spirit of God inspired David to compose many hymns and to write them in the book of Psalms {Zabur}. Oh, how David loved the Lord God and His Word!

We would like to conclude today's program with a few excerpts from the Psalms of David. Try to imagine David in the lush fields, among the sheep, playing the harp and praising God with songs and thanksgivings produced by the Spirit of God. Listen:

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!…When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowed him with glory and honor.…O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psa. 8:1,3-5,9)

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path! I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you!" (Psa. 119:105,11) "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul! The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple! The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes! They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb! By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward!" (Psa. 19:7,8,10,11)

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters; he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!" (Psa. 23) Amen!

Friends, thank you for listening. In the next lesson, we plan to continue the story of David and see how God was with him as he faced Goliath, the giant.…

God bless you as you think about what God told Samuel:

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7)