THE STORY OF KING DAVID 2

Hello 👋 friends, nice to see you again and we will continue our discussion on THE STORY OF KING DAVID 2.

In an attempt to kill David king Saul offered Merab his first daughter to David as a wife, but David declined “who am I or what is my family that I should become the king’s son-in-law” but the king’s second daughter was in love with David. For the second time the king said to David, “indeed you are going to be my son-in-law” and all I want for her bride price is 100 foreskins of the Philistines as a revenge on my enemies, (the king was thinking David would be killed by the Philistines). The message delights David so much and he took his men against the Philistines, killing 200 men and brought the foreskins to the king before the wedding date. Knowing Michal already loved David, the king had no option than to give her second daughter to David as wife, and David becomes more famous and was successful in his services more than other officials. 

David was loved by Israel and Judah but the king was having a sleepless nights because of the throne (what else should he want, rather than the throne). The king could not continue to keep his intention of killing David to himself, he let his officials and Jonathan know about his secret plans but Jonathan informed David and he ran away. The king sent his men to David’s house to kill him but Michal made him escape through the window. David went to meet Prophet Samuel and tell him everything the king was doing and they both went to Naioth in Ramah and when the king heard about it, he sent men to arrest him. But Samuel was leading a group of prophets who are dancing and shouting and the king’s men joined the prophets, the king send another group and still, they join the prophets. For the third time, the king send out his men to arrest David but they all joined the prophets in their rituals and the king saddle his horse and making his way to Naioth in Ramah to arrest David himself but when he sees the prophets, he was overpowered by the spirit of God and he joined the prophets dancing and shouting.  

At the “New Moon Festival” Jonathan and David made a solemn promise to each other and when Jonathan finally knew the king is determined to kill David, he said to David, run for your life. Then he fled to priest Ahimelech in Nob who gave David and his men some sacred bread and the sword of Goliath. David went to Gath to king Achish and they recognized him and said to one another “this is the man whom the women sang as they are dancing “Saul killed thousands but David, tens of thousands”, and David becomes afraid and started behaving like a madman in their presence and the king Achish asked his men to chase him away. David fled from Gath to the cave in Adullam and when the people knew he was there, about four hundred men gathered with him, making him their leader. David took his family to Mizpah in Moab and begged the king of Moab to allow his family stay there for a while. 

David was told by a prophet to go to Judah and he stay in the forest of Hereth. The Philistines was attacking the city of Keilah stealing their harvested grains and David saved them and king Saul heard that David was in the walled town with fortified gates of Keilah, he called his men to besiege the town and capture David but David escaped before their arrival. David hides in the wilderness of Ziph and Saul was determined to kill him but “God did not turn David over to him”. The men of Ziph went and informed king Saul that David is in their territory and the king went with his men against David in a rocky hill of the wilderness of Maon and they were about to capture David and his men, when the king received a message about the invading of the Philistines and he abandoned chasing David and went against the Philistines....the place is called “Separation Hill”. 

When the king had finished fighting the Philistines, he returned with three thousand soldiers to Engedi in search of David, and the king went to relieve himself at “Wild Goat Rocks”, and David was hiding in the same cave and his men said, this is your chance! But David crippled over and cut the piece of the king’s robe and convinced his men that he would not harm his master “the Lord’s anointed”. When the king left the cave, David called him “Your Majesty” the Lord put you in my power to kill you but I chose to spare your life, this piece of your robe is an evidence. The king accepted his wrongdoings and confirmed that “indeed David will be king of Israel” and asked David to make a promise “he will not harm his descendants so that his family name will remain”, and David gave him his promise. 

David was in the wilderness of Paran and a wealthy but bad-tampered man from the tribe of Caleb named Nabal and his servants were in the town of Carmel. David sent ten of his men to Nabal with greetings and pleaded for some provisions from the wealthy Nabal since is a season of celebration. Nabal insisted he never heard of David though the country is filled with “runaway slaves” and I will not give him anything. When David received Nabal message, he buckled his weapons with four hundred of his men, and on their way to attack Nabal before he was met by Nabal’s wife Abigail. She offered them two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five roasted sheep, two bushel of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs. 

Few days later Nabal died and David took Abigail as wife. 

In our next post, we will continue to discuss our King David.

Peace ☮️ out.