A Picture of the King (November 11, 2018)

Review: Last week learned about Saul, the first king of Israel. We saw how Saul was disobedient to God during his reign and that as a result God choose to take the kingdom away from Saul. The prophet Samuel gave this news to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:25 when he said, “the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” Today we learn about this better king that Samuel was talking about and how this king is like our true king, Jesus.
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Read 1 Samuel 16: 1-13.

So immediately we can see some similarities between Jesus and David. Notice, where was David born? In Bethlehem (vs. 4).

Where was Jesus born? In Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1).  

What was David’s job? He was a shepherd (vs.11)

Jesus is also described as our shepherd. In John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Did anyone immediately think of David as someone who would be chosen as the king? No. Jesse presented all of David’s brothers to Samuel before calling David in.

Did people immediately think of Jesus as a king? No. The Jews rejected Jesus as king. They could not understand how a carpenter’s son was meant to be king (Mark 6:3).

Despite David being an unlikely choice to be king, God choose David because God looks at the heart (vs. 7). When God looked at David’s heart he saw that David was a man after God’s heart who would do God’s will (Acts 13:22).  

David was concerned with pleasing God and doing what God said just like Jesus. In John 6:38, Jesus says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

We also see that David is like Jesus when David is anointed king. While Jesus was never anointed as king on earth Jesus declares himself as a king in John 18:36 when he says, “my kingdom is not of this world.” There will come a time, however, when the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15).

Read 1 Samuel 17

In this chapter we see that David goes up against a mighty enemy of God’s people, a Philistine named Goliath. Jesus also has fought a mighty enemy of God’s people. Who do you think this enemy is? Satan (1 Peter 5:8)

Take a look at 1 Samuel 17:8-9 again. What did Israel have to do to defeat the Philistines? They only needed to send one representative to defeat Goliath and if Goliath was killed all the Philistines would become Israel’s servants.

In this same way, Christians have victory over our enemy Satan. In Romans 5:18-19 we read “as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.”

What trespass do you think this verse is talking about? Adam’s disobedience in the garden (Genesis 3:6)

What act of righteousness is the verse talking about?

Jesus’ death on the cross (1 Peter 3:18).

Read 1 Samuel 6-9.

Saul becomes jealous of David and this sets the stage for Saul wanting to kill David. When David is warned by his friend Johnathan that Saul wants to kill him (1 Samuel 20), David flees from Saul and ends up hiding out in a cave. Then in 1 Samuel 22:2 we read that “everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them.”

David was in exile, yet people still wanted him to be their king. These people knew that the king they had been serving, Saul, was not who they needed. While serving Saul they were distressed, in debt, and bitter in soul. So, they went to find the better king to follow.

This is a great picture of Christ and his kingdom. Christ is not physically on earth to reign just like David had to leave his kingdom. While David was away another king, Saul, reigned over the people. While Jesus is away, another power rules on this earth, who is called the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), who is Satan. Yet, there are those who recognize that Satan is not their true king and that they have a debt they cannot pay. These people reject the false king and seek to follow the true king, Jesus.

  

Eventually, however, David was able to take his kingdom back from Saul. Saul dies, and David is given many victories over Israel’s enemies.

In this same way, Jesus will not let Satan rule this world forever. Christ has already taken away Satan’s power over Christians (Colossians 2:15) but as you may remember, there will come a time when Jesus will return and take Satan’s earthly kingdom away from him. Rev 11:15 says “and the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”

We have seen how David is a type of Jesus, but he is not exactly like Jesus. Despite being the man after God’s own heart, David was not perfect, and he still sinned. He stole someone else’s wife, he lied, and he murdered. Compare this to Jesus who never sinned (1 Peter 2:22). As a consequence of his sin, David experienced all kinds of problems including the death of his son (2 Samuel 12) and the betrayal of another son (2 Samuel 13), etc.

Yet, God had chosen David to be king and made a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 in which He promised to establish a kingdom for David through his offspring. Because God is faithful he did not break this covenant even when David sinned.

Read Acts 13:22-23: And when he had removed him [Saul], he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.”

David was the better king, but there is a king that is even better than him, Jesus. Jesus is the perfect king and because he is perfect He is able to be the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9). Praise God!

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Going Deeper

David is described in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart. This should be said of all Christians. We should want to please God and spend time with Him. Take time now to reflect on how you can make God a bigger priority in your life (ex. maybe you will want to spend more time praying or reading your Bible, etc.) and ask God to help you to do this.  

Praise God in Song: