Dear reader. My name is David. Maybe you have read about me in the Bible. Maybe you are a sceptic and struggling to accept the Bible as an authentic biographer. So before sharing the story of my life, let me ask someone to give you some info concerning archaeology of its findings concerning myself.
David (dā̀vĭd). [Heb. Dawid, usually interpreted to mean “beloved.” However, it has also been suggested that dwdh on the Moabite Stone could refer to David.
MARI IN SYRIA
Such an interesting archaeological site. On one of the claytablets theword dawidum was found. It refers to “chieftain,” or “commander,” and that this is the true meaning of David’s name.
EBLA
There is another interesting site in Syria called Ebla. The name David occurs also in the Ebla texts of the prepatriarchal period.
TEL DAN INSCRIPTION
If you ever want to be impressed with beauty, visit Ten Dan in northern Galilea in Israel.
An important discovery was made here which confirms the existence of House of David.
Let me take you to the Israeli museum where you can this valuable piece of archaeology.
The name of the king who commissioned this inscription is not preserved. However, based on the historical content of the inscription and information from Mesopotamian (cuneiform) and biblical sources, the most convincing conclusion is that the king of Damascus (Syria) known as Hazael commissioned it in the ninth century B.C.E.
After he had usurped the throne of Damascus from Ben Hadad (2Kgs 8:15). Hazael subsequently formed an alliance (1Kgs 19:17) with King Jehu of Israel (reigned 843–815 B.C.E.), who was also a usurper. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the biblical account (2Kgs 9) states that Jehu of Israel slew King Jehoram of Israel (reigned 849–843 B.C.E.) and King Ahaziah of Judah (reigned 843 B.C.E.), whereas the Tel Dan Inscription attributes these royal assassinations to Hazael. That is, these two usurpers were working together and so both could legitimately claim to have been responsible for the coup de grace.
Just a last bit of info before David is going to tell about his life story.
Gr. Dauid]. The son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite; 2d king of Israel (reigning from c. 1011 to 971 b.c.), and an ancestor of Christ.
This chapter is based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13.
MONOLOGUE
I have come to the end of my life at the age of 70. But before I die, I want to tell you about the story of my life. I have made great mistakes, but I also reached great spirituel heights. I composed many songs which my people are singing to this day.
Let me tell you where my life started, where I was born. A few miles south of Jerusalem, “the city of the great King,” is Bethlehem, where I, the son of Jesse.
In my boyhood years I kept watch of my flocks as they grazed on the hills surrounding Bethlehem. Those were some of my happiest moments
God gave me musical talents and I wrote the lyrics and composed their melodies. The music of my harp made a sweet accompaniment to the melody of my fresh young voice. Very early in my life I experienced an awareness that the Lord had chosen me and was preparing me, in my solitary life with my flocks, for a work He designed to commit to my trust in years to come.
Has this happened to you?
during my humble shepherd’s life, the Lord God was speaking about me to a prophet called Samuel.
I am going quote the author of the book of Samuel to give you the following background.
DAVID ANOINTED KING
1 Samuel 16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
1Sa 16:2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
1Sa 16:3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”
1Sa 16:4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
1Sa 16:5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
1Sa 16:6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!”
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1Sa 16:8 So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
1Sa 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
1Sa 16:10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”
1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”
1Sa 16:12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”
1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
Let me go over these important events as I still remember it as if it happened yesterday.
My dear friend I still feel so humble, so unworthy to share with you what happened to me that day.
Out the blue one of my father’s savant came to me while I was attending the sheep. Listen what happened:
I did not experience all of the next episode of my life but Samuel repeated it to me at a later stage.
When Samuel concluded the sacrifice at my father’s house, and before partaking of the offering feast, this old prophet began his prophetic inspection of the noble-appearing sons of Jesse.
And I must tell you this. My brothers of the beautiful young men in the Bethlehem district and ever further apart. They were impressive. My oldest brother Eliab more nearly resembled Saul for stature and beauty than the others. I was so proud of my brothers. Are you proud of your brothers? It give one an emotion of joy when you look at them. I don’t know how it happened by I was not so blessed with such bodies as my well-built brothers
Eliab’s comely features and finely developed form attracted the attention of the prophet. As Samuel looked upon his princely bearing, he thought, “This is indeed the man whom God has chosen as successor to Saul,” and he waited for the divine sanction that he might anoint him.
Samuel was a man of God and he had divine discretion. But before he could anoint Eliab, God intervened.
But God did not look upon the outward appearance. Eliab had the posture of a king but he did not have a relationship with the Lord. Looking back to that day I realize that had he been called to the throne, he would have been a proud, exacting ruler.
He was not very kind to me as will see what he said to me when wanted to go and fight Phistine giant.
I still remember the words to the Samuel: “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
If God had to look at my bodily appearance I would have been disqualified for that high position.
And maybe you to feel a little too short to make an impression. But we serve a loving God who accepts us to do His work despite our outward appearances.
No outward beauty can recommend the soul to God. The wisdom and excellence revealed in the character and deportment, express the true beauty of the man. It is the inner worth, the excellency of the heart, that determines our acceptance with the Lord of hosts.
How deeply should we feel this truth in the judgment of ourselves and others. We may learn from the mistake of Samuel how vain is the estimation that rests on beauty of face or nobility of stature. We may see how incapable is man’s wisdom of understanding the secrets of the heart or of comprehending the counsels of God without special enlightenment from heaven.
The thoughts and ways of God in relation to His creatures are above our finite minds; but we may be assured that His children will be brought to fill the very place for which they are qualified, and will be enabled to accomplish the very work committed to their hands, if they will but submit their will to God, that His beneficent plans may not be frustrated by the perversity of man.
NEXT TIME
We are going to what happened when God disagreed with Eliab’s choice to become the next king.
Have ever been mistaken by looking at the outward appearance to evaluate someone and only afterwards realize it. It is safe to let God make the choice when we fallible creatures.