Tag Archives: obedience

Queen of Sheba

118 – Queen of Sheba

I Kings 10:1 – 11:25; 11:42-43 II Chronicles 9:1-31

The queen of Sheba heard about the great wisdom of King Solomon. She couldn’t believe it was true. So she decided to go and test him with a list of hard questions. She organized a large band of servants to travel with her and selected presents to present to the king. She arrived in Jerusalem with a great caravan of camels loaded with gold, jewels, and spices.

She met with the king and asked him her list of questions. He was able to answer every single question. None of them was too difficult for him to explain to her. She was amazed to see the palace he had built, the variety of food at every meal, the way his servants were dressed, and the burnt offerings he made at the Temple. She said, “Everything I heard about you is true, but I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Now I find that I wasn’t told half of what is true about you. May your God continue to bless you as you carry out justice and righteousness.” 

She gave him a half a ton of gold, and more spices than had ever come to Jerusalem. Solomon also gave her many gifts before she and her servants returned home.

Every year, Solomon received 25 tons of gold in addition to normal trade. Because of this, he covered many things with gold—ornaments, drinking cups, dishes, and his throne. He didn’t use silver because he didn’t think it was valuable.

Solomon crafted 200 large shields, each made with 15 pounds of hammered gold. He also made 300 smaller shields with 4 pounds of gold in each one. No other king in the world was as rich and wise as Solomon.

He accumulated a large herd of horses for his military. These were imported from many countries around that part of the world.

Unfortunately, Solomon also accumulated many women, which was a direct violation of God’s law. He had 700 wives, all daughters of kings. Each one worshiped the gods of her country. He also had 300 concubines.

When Solomon got old, these women convinced him to build a shrine for each of their gods. Eventually, every hill around Jerusalem had a shrine on it, honoring their many gods. Solomon started burning incense at these places and offering sacrifices. Finally, he departed from worshiping the Lord and joined his wives in worshiping their gods. Wickedness filled his heart.

God was angry with Solomon because he departed from following the ways of David. The Lord said, “I’m going to tear your kingdom in two, and give one part to a servant of yours. But I won’t do this in your lifetime because of my promise to David. Your son will lose most of your kingdom.”

Then God allowed the enemies of Solomon to organize against him, so there was no longer peace in the land. Finally, Solomon died. He had been king of Israel for forty years.

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Building the Temple

117 – Building the Temple

I Kings 5:1-9:28 & II Chronicles 2:1-7:22

Solomon knew it was his responsibility to build the Temple of the Lord. Therefore, he gathered a large work force and provided them all the materials they needed. He got cedar from King Hiram of Lebanon, who had been a friend of David, his father.

The entire construction took seven years to complete. During that time, there wasn’t the sound of tools at the Temple site because everything was assembled elsewhere. The inside walls were totally covered with cedar. The walls of the most Holy Place were covered with pure gold. All of the vessels, furnishings, and tools for worship were also made of gold. He also made a place for Gentiles who wanted to come to the Temple and pray.In the beginning,

Once the Temple was done, King Solomon assembled the leaders from all the tribes of Israel. The priests went and got the Ark of God. The only things in it at that time were the two tablets of stone that Moses had put there. As the priests carefully carried the Ark toward the Temple, sacrifices were made all along the way. Finally, they arrived, and the Ark of God was put in the Most Holy Place. 

Suddenly, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple like a cloud. It was so thick the priests had to stop what they were doing.

The king gave thanks to God. He then turned to face the people and gave them a blessing and a prayer of dedication. Finally, he stood before the altar of the Lord and prayed. He asked God to hear his people when they confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness. He also asked God to hear Gentiles who prayed at the Temple.

Together, the entire nation of Israel sacrificed to God and dedicated the Temple to the Lord. This celebration lasted for fourteen days. Once it was over, the people returned to their homes with their hearts full of happiness.

God then met with Solomon a second time. He said, “I have heard your prayer and have set this house apart for myself. If you walk with me as your father did, I’ll establish your kingdom forever. But if you or your descendants disobey my commandments and start worshiping other gods, I’ll depart from this house, and it will become a disgrace. I’ll then take the people of Israel off from this land.”

For the next thirteen years, Solomon built a house for himself. After that, he built several cities. He established a great work force for all of his construction projects. There was no other king in the entire world like Solomon.

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Jerusalem model Temple Mount from south, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Jerusalem model Herod’s Temple (NOT Solomon’s) with eastern gates, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Death of David & Joab

115 – Death of David & Joab

I Kings 2:1-46

Before David died, he gave Solomon instructions on how he should rule as king. He said, “To be successful, you must be strong and brave, and always walk in the ways of God’s commandments.

“Kill Joab when the time is right. He murdered two commanders of Israel—Abner, Saul’s commander, and Amasa, his cousin. He didn’t kill them on the battlefield. Both of these men trusted him because it was a time of peace. Don’t let him grow old peacefully.

“Remember that Shimei cursed me when I was running from Absalom. He begged for mercy and I said he could live. It’s up to you to punish him. Deal with him according to your wisdom.” 

Soon after that, David died and they buried him in Jerusalem. He had been king for forty years.

Later, Adonijah went to Bathsheba and said, “You know that all of Israel expected me to become king. I accept Solomon as king, because it’s God’s will for Israel. I just have one request.”

“What is it?”

“The king won’t refuse anything if you ask for it. So please, go and ask if I can have David’s nurse as my wife.”

So Bathsheba went to Solomon. He stood and greeted her and called for a throne to be set at his right hand.

She sat down and said, “I have one little request. Please don’t turn me down.”

“Mother, ask and I’ll give it to you.”

She said, “Please let Adonijah have David’s nurse as a wife.”

Solomon was shocked. He said, “This is the same as asking if he could be made king. This request will cost Adonijah his life. He’ll be dead before this day ends.” Solomon then gave the order, and Adonijah was killed.

The high priest had supported Adonijah, so the king took his job away from him. He was the last priest from the line of Eli. This fulfilled the prophecy given about him.

Joab knew that his time had come, so he went to the Tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar. Solomon heard about this and told a guard, “Go kill him.”

The guard went and told Joab, “Come out here.”

He said, “No, I’ll die here.”

The guard went back and told the king. Solomon said, “Do as he asked. Kill him there! He deserves to die for murdering two good men who were better than himself.” So Joab was killed at the altar and buried near his home.

Solomon then called for Shimei. The king said, “Build a house in Jerusalem and live there. You’re not to leave this city for the rest of your life. If you leave, you’ll die. So, your life is in your hands.”

Shimei said, “This is fair. I’ll do as you have said.”

He lived in Jerusalem for three years. One day, two of his slaves ran away, so Shimei went after them and brought them back.

Solomon had him brought in. “You ignored the command I gave you. Now you’ll pay for what you did to my father. You cursed him, yet his kingdom will last forever.” With that, Shimei was killed.

So Solomon established himself as King of Israel.

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David’s Tomb building from north, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
David’s Tomb cenotaph, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Absalom’s Revolt

108 – Absalom’s Revolt

II Samuel 15:1 – 17:23

Absalom was a handsome man with beautiful thick hair. He was also ambitious and wanted to be king. To impress people, he rode in a chariot with 50 men running ahead of him. 

In the morning, he stood by the road that went to the city gate. He honored anyone who bowed down to him. If he saw someone going to see the king about a problem, he asked, “What city are you from?” If they were from one of the northern tribes, he’d say, “I understand your problem. It’s too bad the king won’t listen to you. If I were king, I’d make sure you were heard.”
 
Soon, the northern tribes of Israel became loyal to Absalom. When the time was right, he sent messengers to them saying, “Listen for the ram’s horn. When you hear it, shout, ‘Absalom is king!’” 

The conspiracy spread quickly. More and more people started supporting Absalom. He left the city and enlisted the help of Ahithophel, one of David’s advisors. Both David and Absalom knew that Ahithophel’s wisdom was a gift from the Lord.

David didn’t hear about this until it was too late. By then he knew his life was in danger, so he and his servants quickly left the city. He took off his shoes, covered his head, and openly cried as he walked up the Mount of Olives. People came and cried along the path.

Once he arrived on top of the Mount, he saw Hushai, one of his friends and advisors. David said to him, “Don’t come with me. Go tell Absalom that you’ll serve him just like you served me. Advise my son against Ahithophel’s counsel if you can.” 

They then set up a way Hushai could send David information about Absalom’s plans. Hushai returned to Jerusalem just as Absalom and a large crowd were entering the city. Ahithophel was at his side. Hushai bowed before Absalom and said, “Long live the king!”

Absalom said, “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

Hushai said, “I’ll serve the one the Lord and the people have chosen. I’ll serve you just as I served your father.”

As David was leaving, he passed by the home of a man named Shimei. He was from the family of Saul. Shimei started throwing stones at David and yelling, “You deserve this, you filthy murderer! God is judging you for what you did to King Saul. Go hide in a hole, where you belong.”

A soldier pulled out his sword and said, “This filthy dog is dead! I’m going to cut off his head!”

David turned to him, “Why would you do that? It was the Lord who said to him, ‘Shimei, go curse David!’ Why would we fight God at a time like this? Maybe the Lord will see what I’m going through and have pity on me.” 

So David and his men continued down the road with Shimei on a ridge above them. He kept yelling curses and throwing stones and dirt at David.

Once Absalom was in the palace, Ahithophel said, “Allow me to take 12,000 men and chase after David tonight. I’ll attack him while he’s weak and tired. This will cause his people to panic and they’ll scatter. I’ll only kill the king, and bring all the others back to you. We’ll have peace when people see that you’ve only killed the king and allowed everyone else to live.”

This proposal seemed good to Absalom, but he said, “Send for Hushai. I want to hear his advice.”

When Hushai heard this plan, he said, “Oh no! Don’t do that. You know your father and his men. They’re warriors. Right now they’re like a wild bear, robbed of her cubs. Your father knows how to fight. He’s probably hiding in one of the caves, waiting for your men to come out. If you act now, some of your men will get killed. Once the people hear that, they’ll say that David is slaughtering your forces. Everyone will believe it because they know your father is a skilled warrior.

“Here’s what you should do. Gather a great army from all over Israel. Personally lead them into battle. Attack David wherever you find him. With a massive army, you can make sure he doesn’t escape. If any city hides him, totally destroy that city and don’t leave one stone on top of another.”

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Kidron Valley, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Jerusalem Old City and Kidron Valley from northeast,from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Tamar

106 – Tamar

2 Samuel 13:1-39

Amnon was David’s oldest son—and his favorite. Amnon had everything he wanted, except one thing. He wanted his half-sister Tamar. She was beautiful and a virgin. He thought about her all the time. He literally got sick wishing he could go to bed with her.

He had a cousin who was known to be crafty. Once he heard how Amnon felt, he came up with a plan.  He said, “Lay in your bed as if you’re sick. When the king asks about you, tell him you want Tamar to come make some bread in your room. Tell him you want her to feed it to you.”

Amnon followed this plan, so the king asked Tamar to go help her brother with some food. While she was there, Amnon sent all the servants out of the room. As she handed him some food, he grabbed her and said, “Get in bed with me!”

She begged him, “No, please. Stop this. This is a horrible sin. You’re putting me to shame. Ask the king and he’ll give me to you. He’ll give you anything.”

But Amnon wouldn’t listen. He pulled her into bed and raped her. As soon as he was done, he no longer wanted her. In fact, he hated her. He said, “Get out of here!”

She yelled, “No! Don’t throw me away. What you’ve done is wrong, but sending me away is worse.”

He shouted for his servant. “Take this woman out of here and lock the door behind her.”

After Tamar was put out, she tore her clothes, the ones that showed she was a virgin. She put ashes on her head and cried as she walked along. 

Her brother was Absalom. As soon as he heard what happened, he vowed to kill Amnon. But he knew it had to be planned out carefully. So, he had his sister move into his house. He told her, “For now, try to put it out of your mind. Don’t say anything about it.” 

From that day on, Tamar was sad and moody, and Absalom totally stopped speaking to Amnon. The king was furious when he heard about the rape. Still he didn’t do anything about it. 

Two years later, Absalom held a sheep shearing party and invited all of David’s sons. He made sure Amnon would be there. Absalom provided a large banquet for the occasion. Everyone had plenty to eat and drink. 

Absalom told the servants to watch Amnon carefully. He said, “Wait until he’s had plenty to drink, then kill him. Don’t be afraid. You won’t get into trouble. You’re simply following my orders.”

They did exactly as they were told. When the time was right, they killed Amnon. The other sons ran for their lives. 

News of this quickly got back to the king. He was told Absalom had killed all of the king’s sons. David ripped his clothes and fell to the ground. Finally, someone told him that it wasn’t true. Only Amnon had died. They said, “Absalom has been planning this since his sister was raped.”

Finally, the other sons of David came down the road and went before the king. Everyone cried together.

Absalom ran to a neighboring country to hide from his father. David grieved for Amnon for three years.

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Nathan’s Story

105 – Nathan’s Story

II Samuel 12:1-31 Psalm 51:1-19

Only God knew about David’s sin with Bathsheba. He sent the prophet Nathan, who stood before the king and told this story: “There were two men who lived in the same city. One was rich. He had a large herd of cattle and a large flock of sheep. The other was poor. He only had one small lamb, but she was like a daughter to him. The lamb grew up with his children as a pet. She ate from their bowls, drank from their cups, and even slept with them at night.

The rich man had a friend come to visit from a far off city. When it came time for a meal, the rich man didn’t want to use one of his own sheep. Instead he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.”

David became angry. He stood up and shouted, “That’s disgusting! How could he be so heartless? He deserves to die. He’ll give the poor man four lambs for what he’s done.”

Nathan pointed at David and said, “You are the man! The Lord says, ‘I made you king over Israel and gave you all you have. I would’ve given you more if you had asked for it. So why have you despised me and done this evil? You killed Uriah with an Ammonite sword, and took his wife. Because of this, the sword will never leave your house. You did all of this in secret, but I’ll judge you openly.’ ”

David broke down before Nathan. “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

Later, he wrote this prayer:

“Oh God, have mercy upon me. 

Hold me tight within your love.

In your compassion, remove my rebellion.

Wash my guilt, and remove 

the stain of my sin.

I know I’m rebellious. 

My sin haunts me day and night.

You’re the one I fought against.

This evil is against you.

You’re right to be angry and throw me away.

I’ve been this way all my life.

But I know you want to teach me.

Go deep inside of me and put wisdom there.

Use harsh cleansers until 

everything is absolutely clean.

Replace my depression with joy.

Remove my sin and give me 

a clean new heart.

Give me a determined spirit, 

and restore the joy of my salvation.

If you do these things, I’ll teach others about your ways.”

Nathan went to David and said, “The Lord has heard your prayer and has taken away your sin. You’ll not die, but the child will die because of how you treated the Lord.”

Suddenly, the child became sick. David begged God to spare him. The king wouldn’t eat, but spent day and night on the ground pleading with God. His servants tried to get him to eat, but he refused.

On the seventh day, the child died. The servants were afraid to tell David. They had watched him agonize while the child was still alive. They thought he would do something desperate when he found out the child was dead.

He saw them whispering to one another. He said, “Is the child dead?”

“Yes, he is dead.”

So David got up off the ground, took a bath, and put on clean clothes. He worshipped in the house of the Lord and then sent for something to eat.

The servants were amazed. He explained it to them. “While the child was still alive, I pleaded with the Lord in case he would be gracious and let the child live. But now that he’s dead, there’s nothing I can do. He can’t come back to me, but I can go to him.”

 Later, Bathsheba gave birth to another son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon, and said he would be the next king of Israel.

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Bathsheba

104 – Bathsheba

II Samuel 11:1-27

When it was spring, it was time to once again attack the Ammonites. Normally David would go with his men, but he decided to stay home.

After taking a nap one afternoon, he walked along the sundeck that was on the roof of the palace. From there, he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. He sent for a servant and asked, “Who is that woman?”

“Oh, her name is Bathsheba. She is the wife of Uriah, one of your 30 fighting men.” 

David sent for her, so she came to the palace. He slept with her that night. In time she realized she was expecting a baby, and she knew it was from the night she spent with the king.  She sent word to David that she was pregnant. 

He decided he had to hide what he had done. So he immediately sent a message to Joab. “Send Uriah to me.”

The soldier arrived and the king asked him, “How is the battle going? Is Joab well?”  After Uriah gave a report, the king told him he could go home to his wife before going back to the battle. He even sent a gift for the couple.

Uriah left the king, but didn’t go home. He slept the night at the door of the palace with all of the king’s servants. In the morning, the king called him in and asked, “Why didn’t you go home?”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. The Ark of God is on the field of battle. The army of Israel sleeps in tents. Joab and his officers are on the field. I can’t go to my house and live in ease. I can’t eat and drink with my wife while they are sacrificing for our nation.”

David said, “Stay here one more day, and then I’ll send you back to the battle.”

The king then asked Uriah to eat and drink with him. During the course of the evening, David got him drunk. Still, he didn’t go home, but slept on a cot at the palace doors.

The next morning David wrote a letter to his commander. “Put Uriah in the front where the fighting is the fiercest. At an assigned moment, have your men fall back, leaving him to die.” 

The king gave the sealed letter to Uriah, and told him to take it to Joab. He went back to the battle and gave the letter to his commander. Joab obeyed the order and put Uriah at the exact place that was the most dangerous. At the assigned moment, everyone else fell back and Uriah was killed. Bathsheba heard that her husband died in battle, and she mourned his death.

Joab continued his battle against the Ammonite capital city. Finally, he broke through and captured their water supply. He sent word to David. “Come quickly! Lead the army into the city and capture it so you’ll get the glory.”

David went and led the army to victory over the Ammonite cities. He had the Ammonite people totally tear down their walls and all of their buildings. He took everything of value, and put the people to work making bricks. 

David then went back to Jerusalem. Once Bathsheba’s time of mourning was over, he made her his wife. Soon afterwards, she gave birth to their son. Only God knew about their sin, and he was not pleased.

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Amman citadel fortifications, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Amman Citadel northern end view to northwest, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
City of David excavations aerial, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
City of David, Palace of David excavation area, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Building an Empire

102 – Building an Empire

2 Samuel 7-8 4:4 I Chronicles 17:1-18:34

David established his kingdom and defended it from the nations around him. Finally, there was peace in Israel. He then started thinking about building a Temple for the Lord. One day he said to the prophet of God, “I live in a beautiful palace, while the Ark of God remains in a tent!”

The prophet agreed, “Go ahead and build the Temple. God will be pleased.”

That night God spoke to the prophet and gave him a message for David. The Lord said, “You were following sheep when I made you king of Israel. I’ve been with you all these years, and I’ve given you victory over your enemies. Now I’ll establish your name among the greatest men who’ll ever live. Your royal family line will last forever.

 “Still, I won’t allow you to build my house. I’ve made you a man of war and many have died because of you. Your son will be a man of peace, and he will build my house. I’ll be a father to him and establish his kingdom.”

King David was content when he heard this message, and humbled himself before the Lord. From that day he started looking at the nations around him. He invaded the Philistines and took back the cities and lands they had taken from Israel. He then turned to the Moabites and Edomites and brought them into submission to Israel. 

He turned his armies north and defeated nation after nation. Jerusalem became prosperous as gold, silver, bronze, and horses were brought to the city. David set up garrisons in all of these countries to maintain control over them. He used their men to build up his army. His name became feared and honored throughout that part of the world. 

David dedicated to the Lord all that he gained. He brought justice to the people, and taught them righteousness. 

One day David asked his servants, “Are there any members of Saul’s family still alive? I want to show them kindness just like Jonathan showed kindness to me.” 

A servant named Ziba spoke up and told him about Mephibosheth, who was Jonathan’s son. He was five years old when his nurse heard about the death of Saul and Jonathan. She panicked and ran with the boy on her shoulders. He fell to the ground and his feet were hurt. Ever since, he had been lame in both feet.

David sent for him. He came in and bowed down on the ground. He said, “I am your servant.”

David said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m returning to you the kindness that your father gave to me. I’m giving you all the fields that belonged to Saul. Also, from now on, you’ll eat at my table.”

Mephibosheth once again bowed down and said, “I’m nothing but a dead dog. Why should you care about me?”

The king said to Ziba, “You and your sons are to work the lands that I have just given to Mephibosheth. You’re now his servants.”

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem and ate at the king’s table. He became like one of David’s sons.

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David’s Mighty Men

100 – David’s Mighty Men

2 Samuel 5:1-25 23:13-23 I Chronicles 11:1-23

David had developed a group of 30 men that were the core of his fighting force.  Joab’s brother, Abishai, led the group because of his bravery.

All 30 of these fighting men were proven warriors with skill and courage. But the mightiest of them were an inspiration to the entire army—they were called “the Three.”  One of the Three personally killed 800 soldiers in a battle. Another stood firm when the rest of the army retreated.  While they fell back, he turned and attacked the Philistines by himself.  He fought so hard and so long that his hand stuck to his sword. The others finally came back, but only to plunder the dead bodies around him.

Before David became king, there was a time when he and his men were in hiding. He became thirsty and said, “Oh, I long for the water from the well in Bethlehem!” At that time, Bethlehem was in the hands of the Philistines.

The Three heard David longing for that water. They slipped out of the camp and went to Bethlehem. They crept into the city and got water from the well. They were then able to get safely back out of the Philistine area.

When they brought the water to David, he was shocked at what they had done. He said, “I won’t drink this water! This is precious like the blood of the men who risked their lives to get it.” He stood before the Lord and poured it out as an offering to God.

 All of David’s men remained loyal to him after he became king. God was with him and established his kingdom over Israel.

Jerusalem was a walled city on Mount Zion controlled by the Jebusites. David said to his men, “Whoever is able to conquer this city will become the commander of my army.” Joab conquered it by getting inside the walls through the water tunnels. So he became the commander of the army. 

David renamed the town, “The City of David,” and from that time on it was the center of his government. 

When the Philistines heard about him becoming king of Israel, they decided to fight against him. David asked the Lord, “Should I go fight them?”

The Lord said, “Go. I will give them to you.” So David went and defeated them.

Later, they invaded Israel again. So he asked the Lord, “Should I go fight them?”

The Lord said, “Go, but this time circle around behind them. Put your camp in a grove of trees. Wait until you hear the sound of marching in the top of the trees. Then you’ll know that I have marched ahead of you.

David did exactly what the Lord told him to do. He defeated the Philistines and totally ran them out of the land.

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The Rephaim Valley connects Jerusalem to the Sorek Valley

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Rephaim Valley aerial, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

David Earns a Wife

88 – David Earns a Wife

1 Samuel 18:1-30

After the death of Goliath, Saul’s son, Jonathan, became a close friend to David. The love between these two men was great. Jonathan gave David everything he needed to fight on the battlefield, and also what he needed for working in the king’s court.

David was successful as a commander in the army. All the people admired him, and his men became loyal to him. One day when Saul and his army came in from battle, the women from the various cities greeted them with dancing and singing. Their song was, “Saul has killed thousands. David has killed tens of thousands.” 

This made Saul furious! He said, “Listen to them. They give him more credit than me. What will they do next? Give him the kingdom?” From that day on, Saul became more and more jealous of David.

The next day, God allowed an evil spirit to take control of Saul. He started to act crazy. It was still David’s job to go play his harp when the king was in one of these moods. As David played, Saul said to himself, “I’ll end this right now. I’ll pin him to the wall.” When the time was just right, he grabbed a spear and threw it at David. David dodged it just in time, and kept playing the harp. Saul waited, and once again when the time was just right, he grabbed another spear and threw it at David. Again David dodged it just in time.

With that, Saul realized that the Spirit of the Lord had left him and was now with David. The king’s anger turned to fear.

He put David in charge of 1,000 soldiers and sent him out to battle. David was successful in every campaign he led. This increased the love that the people had for him, but it made Saul even more afraid of him.

One of the king’s daughters, named Michal, loved David. When Saul found out about this, he got an idea. He thought of a plan where the Philistines would kill David. The king had his servants go to David and say, “The king likes you so much that he’s willing for you to become his son-in-law.”

When David heard this, he said, “I am not a rich man. I can’t offer the king anything for his daughter.”

“Oh, the king doesn’t want you to pay him money. All he wants is for you to get revenge on his enemies. He wants you to kill 100 Philistines, and bring back proof that they’re dead.”

David was pleased by these terms. So he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines and took Saul proof that they were dead. Saul had no choice but to give his daughter Michal to David.

Even more now, Saul considered David to be his enemy. Still, the Lord gave David victory every time he went out to battle. He was more successful than all of the other military officers and his name became more and more famous.

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