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David

the shepherd who became king

Who was David?

Also called
The son of Jesse 1 Samuel 20:30; Acts 13:22
From
Bethlehem of Judah. He was the son of Jesse 1 Samuel 16:1; 1 Samuel 17:12
Occupation
Shepherd; musician; soldier; king of Israel 1 Samuel 16:11, 18; 2 Samuel 5:3
Feast day
December 29: Saint David, king and prophet
David, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

1 Samuel 16:11-13

11And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12He sent therefore and brought him Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he. 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward: and Samuel rose up, and went to Ramatha.

1 Samuel 17:49-50; 2 Samuel 5:4

49And he put his hand into his scrip, and took a stone, and cast it with the sling, and fetching it about struck the Philistine in the forehead: and the stone was fixed in his forehead, and he fell on his face upon the earth. 50And David prevailed over the Philistine, with a sling and a stone, and he struck, and slew the Philistine. And as David had no sword in his hand,

2 Samuel 7:16; Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32

And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of David

  1. Before Jesus. He was the youngest of Jesse’s sons and took care of the sheep. Samuel anointed him in the midst of his brothers. 1 Samuel 16:11-13
  2. With Jesus. He entered the service of King Saul. He played the harp when Saul was tormented. 1 Samuel 16:21-23
  3. With Jesus. He faced Goliath the Philistine in the name of the Lord. He defeated him with a sling and a stone. 1 Samuel 17:45, 49-50
  4. With Jesus. Jonathan, Saul’s son, made a covenant with him. Saul, instead, grew jealous and wanted to kill him. 1 Samuel 18:3, 9; 1 Samuel 19:1
  5. With Jesus. He fled. In a cave at En-gedi he could have harmed Saul, but he would not, because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. 1 Samuel 24:4-7
  6. Afterward. At thirty years of age he was anointed king of Israel. He took Jerusalem and made it his city. 2 Samuel 5:3-4, 7
  7. Afterward. He sinned with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Then he had Uriah placed where the battle was fiercest, and Uriah died. 2 Samuel 11:4, 15, 17
  8. Afterward. The prophet Nathan rebuked him, and David admitted his sin. He reigned forty years and was buried in the City of David. 2 Samuel 12:7, 13; 1 Kings 2:10-11

Words of David

“Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied.” 1 Samuel 17:45

Facing Goliath, before the fight.

“The Lord be merciful unto me, that I may do no such thing to my master the Lord’s anointed, as to lay my hand upon him, because he is the Lord’s anointed.” 1 Samuel 24:7

In the cave at En-gedi, when his men wanted him to attack Saul.

“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?” 2 Samuel 7:18

In prayer, after the prophet Nathan gave him God’s promise.

“I have sinned against the Lord.” 2 Samuel 12:13

When the prophet Nathan rebuked him for what he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah.

“My son Absalom, Absalom my son: would to God that I might die for thee, Absalom my son, my son Absalom.” 2 Samuel 19:1

When he learned that his son Absalom, who had rebelled against him, had died.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

In the Church today

Feast day: December 29, Saint David, king and prophet (commemoration (not on the General Roman Calendar or the U.S. calendar)). Roman Martyrology (2004)

In art, recognized by: The harp From 1 Sam 16, 23; this is how Christian art shows him; The king’s crown From 2 Sam 5, 3; this is how Christian art shows him

What people ask

Did David write the Psalms?

The Bible gives him many of them. Psalm 51, for example, has the title “of David,” from the time when Nathan came to see him. The Catechism calls him the first prophet of Jewish and Christian prayer. Psalms 51:1-2; Catechism 2579

Why didn’t David kill Saul when he could?

Because Saul was the Lord’s anointed, and David would not raise his hand against him. 1 Samuel 24:7

Did God forgive David?

Yes. Nathan told him that the Lord had forgiven his sin. Even so, the child Bathsheba bore him died. 2 Samuel 12:13-14, 18

Why didn’t David build the Temple?

He wanted to, but God told him through Nathan that his son would build it. 2 Samuel 7:2-5, 12-13

Why is Jesus called “son of David”?

Matthew and Luke tell us that Joseph was of the family of David. And the angel told Mary that Jesus would receive the throne of David. Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:32

Daily life As a young man he took care of his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. 1 Samuel 17:15 At Saul’s court he played the harp. 1 Samuel 16:23 His sin…

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Who David is connected to

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