Preparing to Read Mark · Unit 09 of 16
Saul, David, and God’s promise to David
Bible readings: 1 Samuel 8–10, 15–17; 2 Samuel 5, 7, 11–12 (selected passages)
In the previous stage, we saw the repeated observation at the end of Judges: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone acted as they pleased.” Israel had settled in the promised land, but its political and religious life remained in turmoil. The story now enters a new stage: Israel begins to have kings of its own.
1. Israel Asks for a King
When Samuel was old, the elders of Israel came to him and asked him to appoint a king to govern them. In particular, they wanted a king “like the other nations.”
“Now appoint a king to govern us, like the other nations.”
— 1 Samuel 8:5
The issue was not simply whether monarchy itself was an acceptable institution. More importantly, Israel wanted to be like its neighbors and place its security and government in the hands of a human king.
“The LORD said to Samuel, ‘Listen to everything the people say to you. It is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me and do not want me to be their king.’”
— 1 Samuel 8:7
Israel would have a king, but Scripture continued to remind the people that their true and highest king was God.
2. Saul Becomes Israel’s First King
God directed Samuel to anoint Saul. Saul was tall and impressive; to the people, he looked like a king, and many supported him.
“No one among the people could compare with him; from his shoulders upward he stood a head taller than everyone else. Samuel said to all the people, ‘Look at the man the LORD has chosen. Is there anyone among all the people who can compare with him?’ Then all the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’”
— 1 Samuel 10:23–24
Saul’s accession formally brought Israel into the age of kings. Yet looking the part did not mean he would faithfully obey God.
3. Saul’s Failure: A King Must Still Obey God
Saul later failed repeatedly to follow God’s commands. On one occasion, he kept plunder that should have been dealt with as commanded, explaining that it was intended “for sacrifice to God.” Samuel rebuked him: religious ceremonies cannot take the place of obedience.
“Samuel said, ‘Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in listening to his word? Obeying is better than sacrifice; heeding him is better than the fat of rams.’”
— 1 Samuel 15:22
Saul’s failure shows that Israel needed more than simply “a king.” It needed someone willing to rule under God’s authority.
4. David Is Anointed
After Saul was rejected, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king from among Jesse’s sons. Samuel too was initially drawn to outward appearances, but God reminded him not to judge people by how they looked.
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or his tall stature; I have not chosen him. The LORD does not see people as humans do: humans look at outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
“Samuel took the anointing oil in his horn and anointed him among his brothers. From that day onward, the Spirit of the LORD worked powerfully in David.”
— 1 Samuel 16:13
To “anoint” someone is to pour oil on that person, marking them as set apart for a particular office. A king could therefore be called an “anointed one.” This expression would later become crucial background for understanding the word “Messiah.”
5. David Gradually Becomes Israel’s Leader
David did not begin as a man seated in a palace. He tended sheep and served at Saul’s side. One of the best-known episodes in his life is his confrontation with the Philistine warrior Goliath.
“David said to the Philistine, ‘You attack me relying on sword, spear, and javelin. I come against you relying on the name of the LORD of hosts, the God who leads Israel’s armies, whom you have insulted.’”
— 1 Samuel 17:45
The point is not that David himself was stronger than Goliath, but that David trusted God as Israel’s true deliverer. Later, David’s reputation grew; after Saul’s death, he eventually became king over all Israel.
6. David Reigns, and Jerusalem Becomes the Royal City
David became king at thirty, ruling first over Judah and then over all Israel. He later captured Jerusalem and made it his capital, so Jerusalem also became known as the “City of David.”
“David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years.… David lived in the stronghold and named it the City of David.”
— 2 Samuel 5:4, 9
From this point, “David,” “Jerusalem,” and “kingdom” form a crucial connection in the biblical story. Solomon would later build the temple in Jerusalem as well.
7. God Makes a Crucial Promise to David
David wanted to build a temple for God. Through the prophet Nathan, however, God told him that what mattered was not only the “house” David wanted to build for God, but the “house” God would establish for David—a continuing dynasty.
“When your lifetime is complete and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, and I will make his kingdom secure. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever.”
— 2 Samuel 7:12–13
“Your house and your kingdom will stand securely before me forever. Your throne too will be established forever.”
— 2 Samuel 7:16
This is a foundational passage for what is often called the “Davidic covenant.” Within the immediate story, David’s son Solomon would succeed him and build the temple. Yet the promise of an “everlasting throne” also led later Israelites to keep hoping that God would ultimately raise up a descendant of David who truly pleased him.
From then on, the “descendant of David” became a central focus of the Bible’s hope for a king and Messiah.
8. What Do “Messiah” and “Christ” Mean?
“Messiah” originally means “anointed one.” Israel’s kings were anointed and could therefore be called God’s anointed ones. Later, as David’s dynasty declined and foreign powers ruled the land, the hope that God would raise up a future descendant of David as king became increasingly important.
“Christ,” used in the New Testament, is the Greek expression for the same title. “Jesus Christ” is therefore not “Jesus” followed by a surname. It declares that Jesus is the “Christ,” or “Anointed One.”
Messiah = anointed one; Christ = the Greek expression for the same title.
9. David Was Not a Perfect King Either
The Bible does not portray David as faultless. He later sinned with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband Uriah to die in battle. The prophet Nathan confronted him directly, and David acknowledged that he had sinned against God.
“David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD!’ Nathan said, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin; you will not die.’”
— 2 Samuel 12:13
David is enormously important, but he is not the final, perfect king of the biblical story. His own life shows that even Israel’s most important king still needed God’s forgiveness.
10. Key Points from This Stage
- After the time of the judges, Israel asked for a king like the other nations.
- Saul became the first king but lost his kingship through disobedience to God.
- Samuel anointed David, who later became king over all Israel and made Jerusalem his royal city.
- God promised David that his descendants and throne would have a special, enduring future.
- The “anointed one” became important background for understanding “Messiah” and “Christ.”
- Important as David was, he still sinned, so the story continued to await a more perfect king.
11. Where Does the Biblical Story Go Next?
After David died, his son Solomon succeeded him as king. Solomon would build Jerusalem’s temple, and Israel’s kingdom would enter a prosperous period. But this did not bring the kingdom’s problems to an end.
Solomon turned away from God in his later years. After his death, the nation divided into the northern kingdom of “Israel” and the southern kingdom of “Judah.” The biblical story would now enter a period of divided kingdoms and prophets repeatedly calling the people to return.