The Ascension of King David and the Fall of the Davidic Monarchy: Something to Think Over as You Walk with God

The nation of Israel was to be a nation of priests with Yahweh as King, to restore the mighty name of Yahweh upon the Earth, but instead of following this paradigm, Israel decided they wanted a king like the heathen nations around them, leading Yahweh to establish Saul after the time of the judges.

Saul proved to be an unworthy leader for Israel, and the need for another king prompted God to have Samuel anoint David as a successor to the nation’s kingship.

While the idea of a young shepherd as a future king must have been a strange idea for the household to come to grips with, David proved to be more than worthy of taking the throne of Israel. During a time when the theocracy that once existed was no more, it was of the utmost importance to establish a man after God’s own heart to lead the nation of the Hebrews.

David Before the Throne

The story of David begins in the household of Jesse, a man from Bethlehem.

To avoid the suspicion of Saul, God instructs Samuel to “…take a heifer… to sacrifice to the LORD.” In doing this, Samuel could make it seem like he was presenting an offering to Yahweh and invite David’s father to take part in the feast.

Saul had proven himself to be a worthy military leader, but failed miserably when it came to keeping the faith of Yahweh. Samuel wrongfully assumed the strong disposition of Eliab, one of the sons of Jesse, meant he was the one God had chosen as king. However, God teaches Samuel a lesson on looking only on the outward appearance, as God looks at the heart of man.

Having a six pack is nice, being fit is well and good, but the heart gives the true essence of men and women.

David ended up being the least likely to be king out of the bunch, being a well-kept and ruddy man, rather than tough and strong on the outside.

From this point on, the Spirit of Yahweh was upon David, and Israel’s future monarch would grow to be mighty.

The Spirit of God then left Saul, and instead a tormenting spirit was put on him. David initially began his ascension to the throne in the court of Saul as a musician, who “…played to ease the king’s troubled spirit.”

As time passed, David ended up becoming a strong military leader and defeated Goliath with only a sling and stone. His faith was so great he brought extra stones to kill all the brothers, too. Soon Saul became jealous of David, because his fame was increasing throughout the land, and the Spirit of Yahweh was upon him.

David as Israel’s Anointed and Saul’s Disobedience

As the jealousy and rage of Saul grew stronger, he tried to stop and capture David to take his life.

In time, David ended up siding with the Philistines and making an alliance with them, but ended up ultimately being a bystander in the clash between Saul and the enemies of Israel. Saul was a man who would disobey God to keep his power, while David was a man of integrity and never questioned the God of Israel.

Where Saul turned to mediums and avoiding direct commands from God, David listened and obeyed the voice of Yahweh. Unable to face the shame of his defeat in battle, Saul fell upon his own sword, while David was winning a war against the Amalekites by the might of Yahweh.

“Saul [appeared] to have the ability to make an excellent king, and David [didn’t] seem to be king material(1).”

The greatest difference between the two kings was their loyalty. One was loyal to his own selfish desires, and David was loyal to the King of the Universe. The Spirit of God rested with David, and at thirty, he became the official king of Israel. All his turmoil prepped him for that crowning moment.

Don’t worry if things take a while to happen. You’re moving in God’s plan as you walk.

David, the King, and the Fall of David by Folly

David carried out much throughout his reign over the nation of Israel, and among his feats, was making Jerusalem the capital city and establishing a resting place for the Ark of the Covenant. He commended the men that buried Saul for their deed and told them he would do good to them because they showed faithfulness in burying the wicked king.

True honor.

Through civil war and war campaigns against surrounding territories such as Edom, David established peaceful borders and was blessed beyond measure.

Since David was a man who shed blood, he would not be able to build God a temple, though God still rewarded him for his zeal and attitude.

Yahweh established a covenant with David, and promised to build David a perpetual house, so that Israel would dwell securely forever. David is told that his son would build Yahweh a temple, and the line of David would be forever, so that the goodness of God would never depart from it.

This demonstration of David’s prowess as a leader establishes the faith of us today, because when one is faithful in the service of God, He rewards and increases that faith (Hebrew faith is trust and belief).

However, the opposite is also true, and a prime example is David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.

David had seen Bathsheba bathing and was enticed by her beautiful form, then had sexual relations with the beautiful mother of Solomon while she had been married to another man. In a panic after learning she had become pregnant, the sinful, fallen nature of David came out without restraint.

None of us are perfect. But God doesn’t use the perfect. He uses those He equips for the calling.

He, a man after God’s own heart, succumbed to his baser urges as a man. Many men struggle with this issue, because God designed men to desire women who have amazing qualities.

If we temper ourselves, we won’t fall victim to such sins as adultery.

Immediately after learning Uriah’s wife was pregnant, David tried to force Uriah to sleep with his wife to cover up his sin. When this failed, he had Uriah killed in battle, essentially committing murder and adultery.

Now David was guilty of not just one, but two grave sins.

Eventually, Nathan the prophet reveals Yahweh had watched the entire span of events unfold, and gives David a famous parable, revealing the sins of the king. The king had eighteen wives already, so why steal what was the love of another man’s life, his only love?

God expiated David of the grievous error of his ways, and ended he ended up fathering Solomon just as David had been promised.

“David was a man of faith, [and] repented and trusted in the LORD’s salvation (2).”

(I’m giving this simple quote a source because it’s the best way to say this and I learned much from this book.)

The sin of David and Bathsheba caused his house to fall into disarray, and his sons’ rebellion and Tamar’s rape proved this to be true. The House of David saw trouble for the time to come, and peace soon left the land of Israel, reversing what David had accomplished.

Sin destroys absolutely. There is no escaping the consequences of breaking the Torah.

However, we must remember Jesus’s own admonition that awful events aren’t always a punishment. I’ve been hit by a car once, and my leg had been crushed, but that doesn’t mean I had sinned to have it happen to me. The man was senile and shouldn’t have been driving. Accidents do happen, even in the providence of God.

The Story of David and My Life

Throughout the life of David, his faithfulness to the God of Israel made Yahweh bless him in everything that he put his hand to, and he increased in the land.

In my own life, I have learned that keeping faith and being obedient is the key to a happy and satisfying life.

The life of the modern era isn’t always easy, but trusting in the Almighty and keeping His commandments makes life sweeter.

Another example of the life of David being useful to teach lessons to me as a believer is that nothing is unforgivable (barring blasphemy of the Holy Spirit).

David had committed adultery and murder, and these sins are far above any that I have ever done (not to diminish the gospel’s truth that we have all failed).

If David can be pardoned from his own iniquity, then surely feeling as though God can’t cleanse me of all my mistakes is folly. The sins in my life have been far from being something on the scale of murder, so it puts my mind at ease to know the mercy of the Creator.

Yes, sins are not all equal. Sin is equally destructive, but some sins are far more heinous than others.

Above all, the story of David teaches me I should be bold in everything that I put my hand to, as Yahweh will surely provide all of my needs and bless me for obedience.

Let’s Go Over What We’ve Learned Here

The nation of Israel, a kingdom of priests, ended a theocracy with Yahweh in control when they opted to have a king over them, as the heathen nations did, and wound up having more trouble than the quick solution they were looking for.

David arose as a replacement for the wicked king, Saul, who had constantly disobeyed the instructions of God and had defiled the idea of holiness that Yahweh had set apart for His eternal glory.

God prepared a solution to the king’s problem in the young David, who was anointed to succeed and ascend to the throne after Saul and grew to be a mighty man of valor and integrity.

David made choices that brought God glory and also made choices that ended up piercing the veil of peace upon the land of Israel, such as his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah.

Yahweh’s mercy and favor still fell upon David, because He had made a covenant with him to establish his line and bring about the birth of Solomon in an act of grace. The story of David teaches us that God is the one who enthrones and removes leaders, rewards the faithful and punishes the wrong, and that He is merciful beyond imagination to those whom He loves.

It isn’t the longest read in the Bible, and it’s a wonderful idea to visit this story now and then to understand man’s fallen nature and the overwhelming mercy of our Father in Heaven.

Don’t neglect the Old Testament because of the gospel. Everything written in the past instructs us today.

“I absolutely like you, Old Testament. Teach me more, please,” should be our attitude toward it.

Grace and love have always been there, as you should have noticed by going over David’s life.

Be brave, be strong, and resist what made David fall.