David and Saul were two kings of Israel who ruled during the same general time period. They were both anointed by God and accomplished a certain amount of good, but one achieved greatness and the other fell far short of it. This Bible study will examine the reasons why.
The fascinating story of Saul and David raises a very interesting question: How did a young “farm boy” from out in the middle of nowhere (and the youngest of eight sons) end up being chosen as the King of Israel and replacing another man who seemed to have everything going for him?
THE BACK STORY TO SAUL AND DAVID’S KINGSHIPS
(I) Beginning with Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, God’s chosen people were ruled by a succession of patriarchs, priests, prophets and judges who were raised up by God to establish and govern the Jewish nation. This was essentially a God-instituted form of government in which specially chosen and anointed servants of God executed God’s will for His people and communicated to them His holy laws, principles and commandments.
(II) There came a time when the people of Israel rebelled against God’s authority and demanded leaders like the other nations had: Kings! “Appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have,” they told the prophet Samuel (I Samuel 8:5b NET). Though this was not God’s will, He gave them what they wanted and allowed them to pick a king—the first king in Israel’s history. That king was Saul—a man not chosen for his character or inward spiritual qualities, but for his “outward appearance.”
(III) Essentially, Saul was chosen because of his good looks and impressive physique. Saul was “a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people” (I Samuel 9:2b NASB). Obviously, the people’s standards for choosing a leader were very questionable, and they paid a price for their poor judgement when Saul failed and had to be removed from office by God.
In short, Saul was not a spiritual man who was committed to serving God. He was more interested in his own power, and he made one bad decision after another that resulted in his ultimate removal by God. God sent the prophet Samuel to inform him of his demotion:
“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command” (I Samuel 13:13-14 NLT).
(IV) Samuel then chose, anointed, and raised up David, whom he called “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22 NLT) to replace Saul.
(V) If we study the contrasts between David and Saul, we can see a number of important Biblical principles regarding leadership that reveal the qualities God desires in a leader. The following chart shows the comparison side-by-side:
(VI) Nowhere in the Bible is it said that David succeeded because of his natural strength, ability, intelligence or wisdom. Instead, David’s words and God’s own words make it clear that the only reason for David’s success was his relationship with God. David said this himself in Psalm 18:50 (ISV) when he declared, “[The Lord] is the one who gives victories to his king; who shows gracious love to his anointed, to David and his seed forever.”
(VII) David’s relationship with the Lord began very early in David’s life when he was a young shepherd boy who relied upon God’s strength in defending his flock from its enemies. In I Samuel 17:37, David states that he was able to slay a bear and a lion with his bare hands in order to rescue one of his sheep. David attributed these extraordinary feats directly to God, not to his own natural strength and ability.
(VIII) David so built his trust in God on this back pasture proving ground that when Goliath threatened to take over Israel, David was the only one who dared to fight him. “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine,” he said (I Samuel 17:37a NIV).
(IX) Later, when Saul made him a captain over 1000 men, David succeeded in a most extraordinary way. David realized that God had chosen him to be in a position of leadership, and he turned to God for the strength and wisdom which he needed.
(X) One of David’s key strengths was his prayer life and personal communications with God when facing difficult situations. When David walked with God and did what God told him to do, he had remarkable (actually, universal) success. When he didn’t, just like Saul, he ran into deep trouble.
A LOOK AT DAVID’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• David’s life as a leader was filled with many extraordinary accomplishments. He saved his nation while only a teenager by defeating Goliath.
• David also excelled as a spiritual, military and political leader, and was the human author of approximately half of the Psalms that are compiled in the Bible.
• While serving in Saul’s court, David displayed an unusual God-given wisdom that allowed him to excel in every responsibility given to him: “And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants” (I Samuel 18:5 ESV). In the King James Version of the Bible, I Samuel 18:5 reads as follows: “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely.”
• I Samuel 18:14 (NIV) says: “In everything [David] did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.”
• As David kept succeeding, he was promoted. “David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed” (I Samuel 18:30b NASB).
• Being a self-centered man, Saul felt threatened by David’s popularity and began a long campaign to have him killed. This showed that Saul was more concerned about his own status than he was about the fate of the nation.
• Because of this, and because of several instances of disobedience, God chose to remove Saul from the kingship and replace him with David.
• Once he became king, David began to win a series of military victories. II Samuel 5:10 (NASB) records that “David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of hosts was with him.”
• In one of these expeditions, David captured Jerusalem; he then built Jerusalem into Israel’s national capital.
• David also took an army of 60,000 men to recapture the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Jerusalem. This was an important spiritual victory for the nation.
• Eventually, David won such a string of military victories that he extended Israel’s control over the entire region and brought about a lasting peace. II Samuel 8:6b (NIV) says: “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.”
• David brought peace to Israel because he defeated all of its enemies on all sides.
• This peace prepared the way for Solomon to build a house for God, Solomon’s Temple, which fulfilled one of David’s greatest desires.
• David’s life as a leader was filled with many extraordinary accomplishments. He saved his nation while only a teenager by defeating Goliath.
• David also excelled as a spiritual, military and political leader, and was the human author of approximately half of the Psalms that are compiled in the Bible.
• While serving in Saul’s court, David displayed an unusual God-given wisdom that allowed him to excel in every responsibility given to him: “And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants” (I Samuel 18:5 ESV). In the King James Version of the Bible, I Samuel 18:5 reads as follows: “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely.”
• I Samuel 18:14 (NIV) says: “In everything [David] did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.”
• As David kept succeeding, he was promoted. “David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed” (I Samuel 18:30b NASB).
• Being a self-centered man, Saul felt threatened by David’s popularity and began a long campaign to have him killed. This showed that Saul was more concerned about his own status than he was about the fate of the nation.
• Because of this, and because of several instances of disobedience, God chose to remove Saul from the kingship and replace him with David.
• Once he became king, David began to win a series of military victories. II Samuel 5:10 (NASB) records that “David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of hosts was with him.”
• In one of these expeditions, David captured Jerusalem; he then built Jerusalem into Israel’s national capital.
• David also took an army of 60,000 men to recapture the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Jerusalem. This was an important spiritual victory for the nation.
• Eventually, David won such a string of military victories that he extended Israel’s control over the entire region and brought about a lasting peace. II Samuel 8:6b (NIV) says: “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.”
• David brought peace to Israel because he defeated all of its enemies on all sides.
• This peace prepared the way for Solomon to build a house for God, Solomon’s Temple, which fulfilled one of David’s greatest desires.
(VI) Nowhere in the Bible is it said that David succeeded because of his natural strength, ability, intelligence or wisdom. Instead, David’s words and God’s own words make it clear that the only reason for David’s success was his relationship with God. David said this himself in Psalm 18:50 (ISV) when he declared, “[The Lord] is the one who gives victories to his king; who shows gracious love to his anointed, to David and his seed forever.”
(VII) David’s relationship with the Lord began very early in David’s life when he was a young shepherd boy who relied upon God’s strength in defending his flock from its enemies. In I Samuel 17:37, David states that he was able to slay a bear and a lion with his bare hands in order to rescue one of his sheep. David attributed these extraordinary feats directly to God, not to his own natural strength and ability.
(VIII) David so built his trust in God on this back pasture proving ground that when Goliath threatened to take over Israel, David was the only one who dared to fight him. “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine,” he said (I Samuel 17:37a NIV).
(IX) Later, when Saul made him a captain over 1000 men, David succeeded in a most extraordinary way. David realized that God had chosen him to be in a position of leadership, and he turned to God for the strength and wisdom which he needed.
(X) One of David’s key strengths was his prayer life and personal communications with God when facing difficult situations. When David walked with God and did what God told him to do, he had remarkable (actually, universal) success. When he didn’t, just like Saul, he ran into deep trouble.
(XI) One great example of David’s interactive relationship with God occurred when the Philistine army threatened Israel. The Bible records David’s response: “So David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?’ The LORD answered him, ‘Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.’” (II Samuel 5:19).
A nearly identical incident follows some time later when the Philistines again threatened Israel, but this time God’s directions were different: “So David inquired of the LORD, and He answered, ‘Do not make a frontal assault. Circle around behind them and attack them opposite the balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the LORD will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines.’ So David did exactly as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer” (II Samuel 5:23-25 Holman).
(XII) David’s greatness was directly attributable to his being a man after God’s own heart whose central desire was to discover the will of God and do it. It was this personal relationship with God which allowed David to become one of the Bible’s greatest leaders.
(XIII) It is a great blessing to Christian believers that David revealed his heart toward God in a very deep way in the 73 Psalms he penned. In these Psalms, we can learn much about David’s love for God, his personal devotion to God, his habits of prayer, humility, and gratitude to God, and his desire to please God.
(XIV) This Bible study will end with a compilation of passages from the Psalms that help to answer the following question:
HOW DID DAVID MAINTAIN HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
(A) David began his days with prayer and prayed frequently during the day:
“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3 KJV).
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17 KJV).
(B) David brought all of his troubles before the Lord:
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 KJV).
“I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you will answer me” (Psalm 86:7 NLT).
(C) David prayed for God to give him the strength that he needed to fulfill God’s will:
“When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need” (Psalm 138:3 NLT).
“The Lord will work out his plans for my life – for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever” (Psalm 138:8a NLT).
“I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2 NLT).
(D) He asked God to save him from his sinful tendencies and to keep his heart pure:
“My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion” (Psalm 37:7b NLT).
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:21-22 NLT).
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 KJV).
(E) David always sought to give God first place in his life and to maintain an intimate fellowship with Him:
“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8 KJV).
“My eyes are ever towards the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15 KJV).
“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5 KJV).
“Do not be far from me, for trouble is near” (Psalm 22:11a KJV).
(F) David sought God’s guidance at all times because he lived in a dangerous world:
“Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies–make straight your way before me” (Psalm 5:8 NIV).
“I cry out to the Lord… I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me” (Psalm 142:1a, 2-3 NLT).
(G) Because David had the responsibilities of a leader, he sought God’s help and blessing:
“For you grant victory to kings! You are the one who rescued your servant David” (Psalm 144:10 NLT).
“For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken” (Psalm 21:7 NIV).
“O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength” (Psalm 21:1a NIV).
“He gives the king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed” Psalm 18:50a (NIV).
“O Lord, save the king!” (Psalm 20:9a ESV).
“[The Lord] is the saving strength of his anointed” (Psalm 28:8b KJV).
(H) David was always grateful to God for his privileges as a leader and for God’s help:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1 NASB).
“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praises to Your Name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2 NASB).
