King David, king of Israel


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Long before Christ was born, the ancient kingdom of Israel was ruled by a king called David.
King David reigned for many years in Israel from his capital, Jerusalem. The City of David remains to this day and remains of the old buildings can be seen.

The Golden Age of Israel

David, the son of Jesse and descendant of Ruth, became king of Israel after the death of the rebellious Saul, and thus began the golden age of Israel.

This powerful king wisely governed the tribes of Israel, forging them into a united nation. God blessed this man to be a valiant soldier, a great military strategist, an able administrator, a diplomat, a composer, a musician and king.





David was originally based in Hebron in southern Judah, but when all 13 tribes of Israel accepted his rulership he needed a central location from which to govern. An ideal place was on the northern border of Judah, the city of Jebus, also called Jerusalem (City of Peace), but the Jebusites (Canaanites) held the city (1 Chron. 11:4).

The city was built on a hill and seemed inpenetrable. But David found a way to enter the city, via a water shaft. He said that whoever could enter the city would become the commander of his army, and Joab the son of Zeruiah went up the shaft and thus David conquered the city, and called it the City of David (1 Chron. 11:6-7).

On Mount Moriah, next to the city, he moved the Ark of the Covenant, and there his son Solomon later built the first temple.

Goliath

Earlier in life, before becoming king, David accomplished a great victory over the Philistine enemies during the time of king Saul. At age 17, he was summoned by King Saul to the battlefield to play music for Saul. Meanwhile the giant Philistine Goliath taunted the Israelites and dared them to send out their strongest soldier to do battle, a one-on-one battle to prove which side was the strongest. Of course, Goliath, being about 320 cms tall, had no doubts he would win.











David Anointed as King



David refused to kill Saul on numerous occasions, despite his army chiefs suggesting he take over right away by killing Saul. When Saul finally died in battle, David was sad, but he knew his destiny and returned to Judah where he was made king over Judah. Eventually the other tribes of Israel accepted him and he ruled the whole nation.

David did much more than all this of course, and you can read for yourself about his life in the Bible, especially in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles. He was also an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1), and today the Royal Family of England are also descended from him. Queen Elizabeth II is of the House of David, of the tribe of Judah. Her throne in London will eventually be taken over by the Son of David, Jesus Christ the Messiah, when He returns to the earth in power and glory (Revelation 11:15; 19:11-16). What a wonderful future we have in store with the Kingdom of God ruling the earth rather than man-made governments and kingdoms which do little to improve the standards of living for all mankind.