Question: "What can we learn from the life of David?"

Question: "What can we learn from the life of
David?"
Answer: We can learn a lot from the life of
David. He was a man after God’s own heart ( 1
Samuel 13:13-14 ; Acts 13:22 )! We are first
introduced to David after Saul, at the insistence
of the people, was made king ( 1 Samuel 8:5 ,
10:1 ). This choice of king, or even having an
earthly king at all, was against the will of God,
and although Saul was anointed by God through
Samuel, he did not measure up as God’s king.
While King Saul was making one mistake on top
of another, God sent Samuel to find His chosen
shepherd, David, the son of Jesse ( 1 Samuel
16:10 , 13 ). David was believed to be 12-16
years of age when he was called in from tending
his father’s sheep to be anointed as the true
king of Israel. As soon as the anointing oil
flowed down David’s head the Spirit of the Lord
departed from King Saul ( 1 Samuel 16:14 ). The
fact that evil spirits were tormenting Saul
brought David into the king’s service ( 1 Samuel
16:21 ). Saul was pleased with young David, but
this feeling vanished quickly as David rose in
strength to slay the Philistine giant, Goliath, and
win the overwhelming favor of the people ( 1
Samuel 17:45-51 ). The chant in the camp of
Saul was taunting as the people sang out the
praises of David and demeaned their king,
causing a raging jealousy in Saul that never
subsided ( 1 Samuel 18:7-8 ).
If you or someone you know has eked his way
through life amid strife, conflict and continuous
battles, then you might understand how David
lived and felt throughout his lifetime. Although
Saul never stopped pursuing him with the intent
to kill him, David never raised a hand against
his king and God’s anointed ( 1 Samuel 19:1-2 ,
24:5-7 ). He did, however, raise up a mighty
army and with power from God defeated
everyone in his path, always asking God first for
permission and instructions before going into
battle ( 2 Samuel 5:22-23 , 23:8-17 ). Throughout
the life of David, God honored and rewarded this
unconditional obedience of His servant and gave
him success in everything he did ( 2 Samuel
8:6 ).
David mourned King Saul’s death and put to
death the one claiming responsibility for Saul’s
death ( 2 Samuel 1:12-16 ). Only after Saul’s
death was David anointed king over the house
of Judah ( 2 Samuel 2:4 ), and even then he had
to fight against the house of Saul before being
anointed king over Israel at the age of thirty ( 2
Samuel 5:3-4 ). Now king, David conquered
Jerusalem and became more and more powerful
because the Lord Almighty was with him ( 2
Samuel 5:7 ). David was so enthralled with
bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
that he omitted some of God’s instructions on
how to transport the Ark and who was to carry
it. This resulted in the death of Uzzah who,
amid all the celebrations, reached out to steady
the Ark, and God struck him down and he died
there beside it ( 2 Samuel 6:1-7 ). In fear of the
Lord, David abandoned the moving of the Ark for
three months and let it rest in the house of
Obed-Edom ( 2 Samuel 6:11 ).
After the Ark was in its rightful place, David
decided to build a temple of the Lord around it
( 2 Samuel 6:17 ). Because of David’s bloody,
battle-scarred record as well as his adulterous
relationship with Bathsheba and the slaying of
her husband, God denied his otherwise faithful
servant the honor of building the temple, the
house of the Lord ( 2 Samuel 6:5-14 ). This was
surely a blow to David, but God assured him He
would continue to make his name the greatest
on the earth and forever establish the throne of
David through David’s son, Solomon. Instead of
being angry with God and having a pity party,
David sat before the Lord, praising Him and
thanking Him for all the many blessings he had
received in his life ( 2 Samuel 7:18-29 ).
David’s battles did not end with his kingship but
continued with the surrounding nations and
within his own household. Throughout the life of
David, His sons connived and conspired to take
control of the kingdom and they, as did Saul,
threatened their own father’s life. And as with
the death of Saul, David mourned the death of
his beloved son Absalom, showing a passionate
and forgiving heart (2 Samuel chapters 15-18).
David’s broken heart and contrite spirit are what
brought him the forgiveness of God and are
what will bring him back to be the prince of
Christ during Christ’s millennial reign.

Question: "Why did David choose five smooth stones before going to fight Goliath?

Question: "Why did David choose five smooth
stones before going to fight Goliath? Was David doubting God? Was it because Goliath had five brothers? Or, was David simply being
prepared?"
Answer: Some presume that David took five
smooth stones instead of just one because he
had some doubt. However, there is no indication
in the story of David and Goliath that by picking
up five smooth stones instead of one that David
was doubting God. Rather, David was simply
being prepared. What if the Philistines attacked
him after he killed Goliath? How would he have
defended himself? David was simply being
prepared when he took the four additional
stones. Also, he couldn’t have known that one
stone would be enough to kill the giant. God
had not promised that David would kill Goliath
with the first stone.
David had experience in defending the sheep he
guarded with his sling and stones. It would
seem that the animals David had faced were far
braver than the men with Goliath, because they
all turned and ran away ( 1 Samuel 17:51 ). David
told Goliath that he (Goliath) came with spear
and sword, but his weapon was God the Father
( 1 Samuel 17:37 ). He trusted God with all his
heart, believing that God would tell him exactly
what to do and how. And so He did.
Others speculate that David chose five smooth
stones because Goliath had four brothers, and
David was readying himself to dispatch all five
giants. This theory is based on 2 Samuel 21:15–
22. That passage lists four very large Philistines
who were related to Goliath in some way: Ishbi-
benob, Saph, Goliath, and an unnamed giant
with six fingers on each hand and six toes on
each foot. “These four were born to the giant in
Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by
the hand of his servants” ( 2 Samuel 21:22 ). The
account of 1 Samuel 17 does not suggest that
David knew about Goliath’s brothers or that he
believed he would have to fight the whole
family. What we know for sure is that David and
his men faced four other giants, somehow
related to Goliath, in later battles.
David’s faith was in the Lord, and he knew from
experience God’s faithfulness. David’s faith was
born out of his experience of God’s grace and
mercy in his life up to that point. The Lord had
delivered him out of dangerous situations in the
past, proving His power and trustworthiness,
and David relied on Him to deliver him from the
Philistine. Whether it took one stone or five,
David recognized that the power was not in his
sling but in the Lord of hosts. As David wrote
later in Psalm 21:13 , “Be exalted, O LORD, in
your strength; we will sing and praise your
might.”