Bible Study The Faith of King David

[ChristineES]

There are a lot of people in the Old Testament, thousands of them, in fact. David was called "A man after God's heart". He started out life as a shepherd:
Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me DAVID thy son, who is with the sheep (1 Samuel 16:19)
He later became the armor bearer of Saul.
And DAVID came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer.(1 Samuel 16:21)

God gave him power over the Philistine, Goliath:

And when the Philistine looked about, and saw DAVID, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.
1SA 17:43 And the Philistine said unto DAVID, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed DAVID by his gods.
1SA 17:44 And the Philistine said to DAVID, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.
1SA 17:45 Then said DAVID to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1SA 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet DAVID, that DAVID hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
1SA 17:49 And DAVID put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.
1SA 17:50 So DAVID prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of DAVID.

And then he became King:

And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed DAVID king over the house of Judah. And they told DAVID, saying, The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul (2 Samuel 2:4)

If I go on this post will be too long. I think we should all have the faith of David. David had trust in His God, just as we have faith in Him. And although he sinned, The Lord forgave him his sins.

 

[Bick]

The faith of David

Hi Christine. Yes, David was a man "after God's heart". So many of the kings of Israel went into idolatry, but not David. He was always true to the Lord.

And look how God used him, to shepherd His people, His sheep, Israel.

What would we do without the Psalms? Their beauty, their strength, their devotion. I believe the Psalms are probably quoted more in the NT than any other OT book.

As a prophet, David was inspired to write Psalms 16:8-11, which Peter quotes in Acts 2:25-28: "For David speaketh concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me for he is at my right hand that I should not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope, for thou will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.'"

I feel that Christ knew this and it was in his mind and heart as he hung on the cross. For he knew he would be raised after three days and nights.

God bless, Bick

 

[cegr]

Re: The faith of David

Hi Christine. Yes, David was a man "after God's heart". So many of the kings of Israel went into idolatry, but not David. He was always true to the Lord.

And look how God used him, to shepherd His people, His sheep, Israel.

What would we do without the Psalms? Their beauty, their strength, their devotion. I believe the Psalms are probably quoted more in the NT than any other OT book.

As a prophet, David was inspired to write Psalms 16:8-11, which Peter quotes in Acts 2:25-28: "For David speaketh concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me for he is at my right hand that I should not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope, for thou will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.'"

I feel that Christ knew this and it was in his mind and heart as he hung on the cross. For he knew he would be raised after three days and nights.

God bless, Bick

Actually Bick, Jesus was thinking of Psalm 22 "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me..." Read the rest...it is pretty interesting.

About David: what do we make of David, being a man after God's own heart, when he murdered many people (Uriah, Abigail's first husband, etc.)? Certainly, God does not ordain murder! What of the notion that David was a man after God's own heart, but rarely got close to what he was after? We do know that the stories of David were written after David, so maybe there is some "revisionist history" going on...kind of like lifting up Thomas Jefferson as a well-mannered man, ignoring his sordid history with slaves. Thoughts?

 

[ChristineES]

I only have to add this, from II Samuel chapter 12:

13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said to David, The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

That verse says that David repented from his sin, and that God had forgiven him.

8-)

 

[Georges]

Sounds like David is like many of us....

We sin....we ask forgiveness and love God.....

The Psalm that gives me the most peace....

The Psalm of David's Atonement....his recognition of sin and God's mercy...


Psa 51:1 [[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.]] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; [that] the bones [which] thou hast broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit.
Psa 51:13 [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Psa 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa 51:19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.


The epitome of Atonement.

 

[Rick W]

Re: The faith of David

About David: what do we make of David, being a man after God's own heart, when he murdered many people (Uriah, Abigail's first husband, etc.)? Certainly, God does not ordain murder! What of the notion that David was a man after God's own heart, but rarely got close to what he was after? We do know that the stories of David were written after David, so maybe there is some "revisionist history" going on...kind of like lifting up Thomas Jefferson as a well-mannered man, ignoring his sordid history with slaves. Thoughts?

Were there really any great men in the past? Were there any great men who shaped this land of ours or did things just happen as a matter of course?
It seems today the thing to do is knock down anyone who has ever been held in high regard for anything, in short, being a great man. (Or woman as the case may be) We've belittled Washington to the point he's a nobody, Thomas Jefferson isn't remembered for the great things he's done but the bad things that people dig up. Slinging mud is not hard to do since I seriously doubt anyone is completely blameless and innocent throughout. Is it people's excuse to degrade because they know they can never be great themselves? It's like we've become exactly like the politicians we love to hate, using negativity against someone else instead of focusing on one's own merit. Maybe there is no self-merit or attributes worth mentioning so the thing to do is to cut down and bad mouth the competition. Sure seems so. The tactic has become so commonplace that people themselves are beginning to think that way as naturally as breathing.
Are there no heros today... nobody to look up to? Nobody to look at and say, "I want to be just like him/her." And I'm not talking about the entertainment industry that concerns themselves only with wine, women and song. The foundations of our country wasn't built on entertainment or for the sake of keeping one's mind in fantasyland.

Maybe David is one fellow most really need to consider.
:smt023

 

[cegr]

Re: The faith of David

Pot's quote: "Maybe there is no self-merit or attributes worth mentioning"

Why would I mention my merits? The topic is David. Why would I turn the topic to myself? Self-aggrandizement is pretty played.

Pot's quote: "Are there no heros today..."

I think that there are plenty of heros. I do not think that David is one of them (getting back to the topic).

Pot's quote: "It seems today the thing to do is knock down anyone who has ever been held in high regard for anything, in short, being a great man (or great woman)"

Again, I spoke specifically of David (TJ was used to illustrate one point). I was not denigrating "anyone who has ever been held in high regard for anything". I was asking (not denigrating) about David's position of being "a man after God's own heart" in light of his complete story (is it too much to ask people to consider the whole story?).

Pot's quote: "Maybe David is one fellow most really need to consider"

Maybe. But I cannot consider him without also considering Uriah, Nathan, Jonathan, Saul, Abigail, Bathsheba, etc. I think that that is the responsible way to read the Davidic story. Why is that an issue to you?

 

[cly]

The way your earlier post reads, Cegr, indicates that you believe that because David was an adulterer and a murderer, in short a sinner, that he shouldn't be looked up to at all, that even his good merits ought not be considered nor taught. What I think Potluck is saying is that none of us are perfect, and there is always something dark and sinful that we've done. So keeping with the idea that David's sinfulness should make people not look up to him, then no one who has ever lived, with the exception of Jesus, should be looked up to, and none of the good that they did should be remembered.

People should consider the whole story, I agree, but because a person has sin should not completely omit them from the "hero" group. In speaking of David, we should remember that yes, he did commit many terrible sins, but he also repented of those sins, faced the consequences of, and forgiven for those sins. David was never able to change what he had done, but he was able to admit it and face the consequences. I think that if nothing else, we should strive to be repentant like David was.

 

[Rick W]

TJ was used to illustrate one point.

... so maybe there is some "revisionist history" going on...kind of like lifting up Thomas Jefferson as a well-mannered man, ignoring his sordid history with slaves. Thoughts?

thoughts:

For what he did for our country he is remembered, what few ever did or ever will do. The faults he did weren't unique, but commonplace for the time. The commonplace, that which the many were/are quilty of is not worthy of taking a place in history on any individual basis but the works of the few is what makes greatness.


Expected rebuttal to above post:
Umm, Hitler for example.
(Yeah, let's use Hitler. He seems to be a very popular figure when citing an opposing view these days)


/rebuttal
Would you rather remember Hitler for getting passenger trains on schedule or some other "good" thing he did instead of the slaughter he initiated?

/reply
Hitler was one of the most bruttal and ruthless killers of our time. Anything "good" pales in comparison to his butcherery. The motives of Hitler are nothing like the motives of Jefferson. Hitler sought power by destruction of a people... Jefferson sought power for the people.

People should consider the whole story, I agree, but because a person has sin should not completely omit them from the "hero" group. In speaking of David, we should remember that yes, he did commit many terrible sins, but he also repented of those sins, faced the consequences of, and forgiven for those sins. David was never able to change what he had done, but he was able to admit it and face the consequences. I think that if nothing else, we should strive to be repentant like David was.

:smt023

 

[cegr]

TJ was used to illustrate one point.

... so maybe there is some "revisionist history" going on...kind of like lifting up Thomas Jefferson as a well-mannered man, ignoring his sordid history with slaves. Thoughts?

thoughts:

For what he did for our country he is remembered, what few ever did or ever will do. The faults he did weren't unique, but commonplace for the time. The commonplace, that which the many were/are quilty of is not worthy of taking a place in history on any individual basis but the works of the few is what makes greatness.


Expected rebuttal to above post:
Umm, Hitler for example.
(Yeah, let's use Hitler. He seems to be a very popular figure when citing an opposing view these days)


/rebuttal
Would you rather remember Hitler for getting passenger trains on schedule or some other "good" thing he did instead of the slaughter he initiated?

/reply
Hitler was one of the most bruttal and ruthless killers of our time. Anything "good" pales in comparison to his butcherery. The motives of Hitler are nothing like the motives of Jefferson. Hitler sought power by destruction of a people... Jefferson sought power for the people.


Well, Moderator, I guess you win: because I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about now. I thought the discussion was about David, yet somehow you are concerned with Jefferson's connection to Hitler????? Seems like a discussion on Hitler should be on another thread.

Also sounds to me like your panties got all in a bunch for evoking the name of the 3rd president of the US. Certainly was never my intention.

What about your intention? It seems by assuming the rest of the discussion you have erred in many ways. 1) you assumed that you know me or how I think (is there any greater form of arrogance). 2) you have continued to take the thread away form its original topic (rude to all who saw the topic and were hoping to discuss/learn about David. As Moderator you should know better and perhaps an apology is appropriate). 3) finally, by displaying such a convoluted pseudo-argument you are trying to demonstrate that you could "win" the discussion, which (a) is not a competition and (b) is a pretty blatant attempt to end a discussion which would seem to subvert your very purpose as a "Moderator".

So, what have you to say about David?

 

[Rick W]

Ok, I apologize.
I've seen far too many shots taken at the founders of our country and I honestly thought that's what you were doing. I'm sorry. I've seen too much of it lately I suppose and I may have become a bit too oversensitive.
Again, I apologize.

And if by "Moderator" I've discredited the forum I ask for forgiveness for that also.

I'm truly sorry.

 

[Relic]

Ok, I apologize.
I've seen far too many shots taken at the founders of our country and I honestly thought that's what you were doing. I'm sorry. I've seen too much of it lately I suppose and I may have become a bit too oversensitive.
Again, I apologize.

Count me in on that statement, because you are not the only one who has been thinking the same thing, I whole heartedly agree with you on that, PotLuck! :roll:

And if by "Moderator" I've discredited the forum I ask for forgiveness for that also.

I'm truly sorry.

discredited the forum ? You? No way! I've never seen you ever do such a thing! Why, you're just like a wise old angel, as far as I'm concerned. :smt059


You just humble yourself at the drop of a feather PotLuck! :smt056 You can rest assured, there are plenty of people on this forum who love you as a brother in Christ, very much! :-D


.

 

[Relic]

.


I suggest this excellent book to read
about the life and integrity of King David. :smt023

David: A Man of Passion and Destiny
by Pastor Charles R. Swindoll

Here is a write up on the book:

In many ways he was a most extraordinary man--intelligent, handsome, abundantly gifted as a poet, musician, warrior, and administrator. David had charisma to inspire his people and bring his nation to a pinnacle of strength and glory. Yet in other ways he was a most ordinary man--often gripped by destructive passion, rocked by family chaos and personal tragedy, and motivated by political expediency. How did this very human man become the one character in the Bible described as a "man after God's own heart"? As Chuck points out in this compelling book, David's life offers hope to all of us. It shows how devotion doesn't mean perfection--that God loves us in spite of our weaknesses, and can do extraordinary things through ordinary men and women whose lives are devoted wholly to him. David made big mistakes; he endured devastating troubles, yet he proved faithful to his God and demonstrated that love many times over in an extraordinary life that leaves us an enduring legacy of faith.

320-page hardcover book
source: https://secure2.convio.net/ifl/site...ore_id=1101&product_id=3561&VIEW_PRODUCT=true

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