From the time he is introduced in 1 Samuel 16 to the conclusion of the book of 2 Samuel, David dominates the narrative, and so it felt fitting to spend an entire week reflecting on both the highs and the lows of his reign.

After being upstaged by David following Goliath’s defeat, King Saul drags the country into civil war, pitting David’s supporters (which included Saul’s son and heir, Jonathan) against Saul and his troops. In the end, David assumes the throne, accompanied by another covenant that God makes with David and his ancestors to establish an eternal kingdom, accompanied by the construction of a permanent temple to replace the Tabernacle (effectively ending the nomadic, tribal period of Israel’s history).

David is revered as one of the great leaders in Israel’s history, noted for his poetry — including numerous psalms that are ascribed to him, such as Psalm 18 and 23, which we’ll read this week — as well as his love for God. Yet for all that he did to unite Israel, David also infamously abused his royal power to bring a married woman named Bathsheba to his court and send her husband to the front lines of battle to die. In the vein of Samuel and other biblical prophets, his prophetic advisor Nathan confronts him about this — leading to David’s repentance and remorse.

Despite his flaws, David would leave the kingdom on strong footing following his forty-year reign — even weathering another civil war by his son, Absalom, before unexpectedly naming Solomon, one of his younger sons, as heir to the throne. The kingdom had never been stronger, the construction of the Temple was on the horizon, and David’s descendants had been promised an eternal reign. Solomon would build on this era of relative peace and prosperity — and so we’ll be covering his reign, along with several books attributed to his wisdom, next week.

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