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DAVID WAS SET TO BE KING OF ISRAEL
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23
1 Samuel 18

1 Peter 2:13-17

 

“Submit yourselves to every
ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake:

whether it be to the king, as supreme.”

 

DAVID WAS SET TO BE KING OF ISRAEL
 
After the slaying of the Philistine giant, Jonathan (Saul’s son) showed his love for David. They sealed their friendship with a covenant. However, King Saul then developed a negative attitude towards David and plotted to get rid of him. He was offended that all Israel loved David. He intended to kill David by the sword of the Philistines, thus he sent him to the battlefront more often.
 
David did not shy away from war. He won every time. Saul also offered him one of his daughters to be his wife, but it was with the intention to ensnare him. When the king asked for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines as a condition for him to marry his daughter, David was pleased and he doubled the number that the king had asked for. Thus, he married Saul’s daughter.
 
Jonathan’s friendship with David was a brotherly one. As the son of Saul, Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne. However, the popularity of David with the nation was a cause for worry for King Saul. He expected his son to succeed him, but as the events unfolded, they did not seem to be on the same page. Jonathan loved David and had also identified David as the future king. He knew that David would be the next king of Israel, and was willing to relinquish the throne to him. The covenant they made was a very clear indication that God’s choice was David.
 
David was a king-in-waiting because Samuel had already privately anointed him to that office. The action of Jonathan was God’s peaceful way of transition. His speech and actions fell short of proclaiming David as king. The surrender of his robe and armour was quite telling of Jonathan’s regard for David. The unfolding of events all pointed to David as the successor of Saul. David already knew that he was going to be king but he did not act unlawfully. He was waiting on the Lord to show him the right time to take over the throne.
 
THOUGHT: God’s appointment is final, no man can change it.

PRAYER: Father, choose for us worthy national leaders.

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