The Great Story - Week 10: The Rise of David (1 Samuel 16-31)

David was the youngest among his brothers. He spent his youth as a lowly shepherd. He had no expectations of wealth and power, yet the Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Saul had defied the commands of God. The Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, and the kingdom would soon follow. Saul, the people’s choice for king, was beginning a downward spiral from which he would never recover.

Samuel was sent to find a man who would replace Saul. Unlike Saul, the new king would be chosen by God. This new king would lead Israel into a time of unprecedented prosperity and loyalty to the Most High God.

David entered Saul’s service as a harp player and armor bearer. When Saul was being afflicted by a tormenting spirit, he would call upon David to play his harp and he would be relieved. Because of this relationship, David had the ability to visit Saul at will. This is an example of God’s Providence as David was able to go into Saul and petition him to fight Goliath.

David’s success against Goliath and his numerous victories over the Philistines made him very popular among the people. At the same time, Saul became jealous David’s popularity and sought to kill him. He attempted to kill David by throwing his spear at him, twice. Later, Saul pursued David through the wilderness in two separate attempts to kill him, but failed. Saul never got the chance to harm David, but rather David spared Saul’s life in both of these attempts because he refused to harm the Lord’s anointed.

Saul’s dynasty was cut short by the Philistines. His sons were killed while retreating from battle. Saul, who was severely injured by an arrow, resorted to falling on his own sword to avoid being captured. With his death, Israel was left without a king.

Visit “The Great Story” page to download your weekly study guide or listen to the audio version of the study: The Great Story

Visit the CallUponTheLord YouTube Page for the Complete Blog Archive!