Chapter 6: Man’s King and God’s King: First and Second Samuel
Man’s King and God’s King
First and Second Samuel
Samuel was the godly son of godly parents and the Lord used him to discipline Israel’s first king, Saul, and anoint their greatest king, David. When God permits us to get our own way, we can be sure that trouble lies ahead. When there is gross sin among spiritual leaders, we can be sure there will be disgrace and defeat.
First Samuel: Man’s King
Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles cover so much history, as well as so many personalities, that it would go beyond the purpose of this book to get lost in their extensive details. I strongly recommend you secure a copy of A Harmony of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles by William Day Crockett (Baker Books). It will enable you to put the picture together and better understand the lessons God wants us to learn through these books.
In summary, though, Israel’s elders begged the prophet Samuel to give them a king (1 Sam. 8). Sad to say, Samuel’s sons were not godly men who could succeed their father in ministry. Samuel prayed to the Lord about the elders’ request, and the Lord told him to give the elders what they requested, “for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (8:7). This is the first of three “rejections” in Israel’s history, when they rejected God the Father. The second occurred when Pilate offered to set Jesus free, the Jewish crowd rejected God the Son (John 19:15); and the third happened when the crowd resisted the witness of Stephen and stoned him, rejecting God the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). Once they had rejected the witness of the Holy Spirit, God could do no more to cure them of their blind unbelief (Matt. 12:31–32; Mark 3:28–29).
Fear of the enemy as well as lack of faith in the Lord motivated the Jewish elders to ask for a king. Their logic was this: the Gentile armies have kings and always win; we don’t have a king; therefore, we will not win. Their logic should have run along these lines: our nation belongs to the Lord God; He is all-powerful; therefore, we trust Him to protect us and give us victory. The Lord selected Saul, the son of Kish, and Samuel anointed him king. He was tall, apparently muscular and good-looking, and the people admired him and accepted him.
The early days of Saul’s reign were encouraging, but then things began to change. Saul failed to wait for Samuel the prophet; instead, he went ahead and offered the sacrifices (1 Sam. 13). When Samuel confronted him for serving like a priest, he gave a lame excuse and blamed the people. Leaders who are impatient and good at making excuses are rarely good at anything else. Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and Samuel rebuked him for his disobedience. It was then that Samuel broke fellowship with Saul and anointed young David to be the next king. From then on, Saul went from bad to worse. He opposed David (who had killed the giant Goliath) and tried to kill him. Then Saul, under cover of darkness, consulted with a witch to determine what he should do (1 Sam. 28; see also Lev. 20:6; 19:31; Deut. 18:9–13). Finally, he went out to lead his army, was wounded, fell on his sword, and died, and his sons died with him.
In his book Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy wrote, “Every one of us is in a position of responsibility: and in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.” A theologian would say there are times when we want the wrong things, and the Lord disciplines us by giving us what we want. Mature Christians have learned to be grateful for unanswered prayers.
Please keep in mind that David always respected Saul’s office even though he disagreed with his attitude and actions and was grieved by Saul’s lack of godly leadership. In 1 Samuel 24, he calls Saul “my master” (v. 6), “the LORD’s anointed” (vv. 6, 10), “my lord” (vv. 8, 10), “the king” (vv. 8, 14), and “my father” (v. 11). David had married one of Saul’s daughters. But Saul was not a man of stable character. In 1 Samuel, we find that Saul loved David first (16:23), then was angry at him, suspicious of him, and intent on killing him (18:8–11). Saul became afraid of David (18:12, 15) and finally openly declared his desire to kill his son-in-law (19:1). His son Jonathan’s friendship with David led Saul to speak angry words of condemnation (20:30). Saul had lost the power of the Holy Spirit and opened his life to the powers of darkness (1 Sam. 16:14). “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).
Second Samuel: God’s King
It has been said that everything rises or falls with leadership, and this is true. Saul left his nation defeated and confused, and God gave His people David to encourage and unify them. David already had proven himself a competent leader as well as a courageous soldier. David was born into the right tribe—Judah (Gen. 49:10)—and in the right town—Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2)—the eighth son of Jesse, a descendant of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:18–22). People didn’t pay much attention to David until after he killed Goliath and caught King Saul’s attention. David was a faithful shepherd who cared for his father’s sheep and even risked his life to protect them (1 Sam. 17:33–37). When Samuel went to Bethlehem to anoint David as king, he made the same mistake the nation had made when they judged Saul by his appearance. Samuel beheld David’s seven virile brothers and expected God to choose one of them, but God rejected them all and chose David, “a man after His own heart” (13:14). For “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (16:7).
David had ministered to Saul with his harp whenever the king experienced one of his dark days (16:14–23). Of course, Saul’s problem was much deeper—Satanic influence—but David’s playing did soothe the troubled king. David was not only an obedient son and a courageous shepherd; he was also a brave soldier; a humble servant; and a gifted harpist, singer, and composer of sacred songs. Of the 150 psalms, half are attributed to David. It’s unfortunate that, when some people hear the name “King David,” they think only of his adultery with Bathsheba. Let’s remember that he confessed his sins and suffered deeply because of them. The Lord forgave him and he paid the price for that forgiveness, and we should also forgive. Whoever is without sin among us may throw the first stone at King David (John 8:7). Because of David’s sin with Bathsheba, four people died—the baby, Bathsheba’s husband, and David’s sons Amnon and Absalom. But when David took a census of the nation, seventy thousand people died (2 Sam. 24)! We tend to magnify sins of lust, but what about sins of pride leading to deliberate disobedience? We ask the Lord to cleanse us of our sins, and He does (1 John 1:9); but Paul commands us to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). May we put away permanently those things in our lives that rob us of the blessings of the Lord.
On the battlefield, David was a hero, but with his family, he was far from a success. We have the names of eight wives—there must have been concubines as well—and fourteen children, but undoubtedly there were more. Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar and was murdered by her brother Absalom. Absalom formed an army and tried to capture the crown but was killed. Was court life tempting? Did the children have too much freedom? Was David a better soldier and singer than father? Were his wives and children too much for him? Was he gone from home too much? Some of his psalms indicate that he had his share of burdens and cried out to the Lord for help. But David was God’s king, and he looked to the Lord for guidance and strength.
ADVENTURE ASSIGNMENT #6
Read 2 Samuel 9 and meditate on it. What does this event say about David? What does it say to us about our heavenly Father?