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Alpharic Research Institute

Centre for Research in Philosophy, Theology and
Ethics
Email: alpharicinstitute@gmail.com 09066927954

MESSIANIC ROLE OF (BIBLICAL) KING DAVID

BY
GODSWILL OME UFERE
Email: uferegodswillmatthias@gmail.com, godswillmatthias99@gmail.com; __GSM: +2347045155575
MAY, 2021

King David who was a shepherd boy became
Israel’s third and most important king. He is
the most frequently mentioned human in the
Old Testament, and the second most
frequently mentioned human in the entire
Bible. He is a main character in the Old
Testament books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1
Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles. He is also
mentioned in several other books, and nearly
half of the Psalms are attributed to him.
Today, David is most famous for being the
boy who defeated a giant with a slingshot. In
fact, the famous narrative of “David and
Goliath” has been so prolific in literature, art,
and culture that it has become a common trope
for describing other stories about underdogs
(Hiesberger 289).
But what makes David such a significant
biblical figure with messianic role is his role
in establishing God’s earthly headquarters in
Jerusalem. David is described as a man after
God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts
13:22). Though, David was far from perfect,
but his faith and zeal made him the standard
against which all Israel’s future kings would
be measured against. David was from the tribe
of Judah. The 12 tribes of Israel descended
from Jacob’s 12 sons, and with the exception
of Levi, each tribe controlled a specific
territory within the nation of Israel. Judah was
the son who “prevailed over his brothers” (1
Chronicles 5:2), and while Saul—Israel’s first
king—was from the tribe of Benjamin, Judah
became the tribe of kings. Judah’s territory
included the city of Jerusalem. When David
became king, he established Jerusalem as the
nation’s capital and God’s headquarters,
permanently altering Judah’s importance in
Jewish life and culture. David’s line ruled in
Jerusalem for about 400 years, until King
Nebuchadnezzar captured the city and broke
the line of kings (Hess and Carroll 36-37).
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Redemption ran in his family. Over the course
of his life, David was frequently the vehicle
God used to display his compassion and
redeem his people. After his death, he became
a symbol of God’s unique relationship with
Israel and the redemption that was still to
come. It is established from the book of Ruth
that David is directly descended from Ruth
and Boaz. Several passages record his lineage,
and they all point out that he was the son of
Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the
son of Boaz and Ruth—making him the great
grandson of this significant couple (1
Chronicles 2:12) (Hess and Carroll 59).
Today, most people associate the little town of
Bethlehem with the birth of Jesus. But
centuries before Jesus, another saviour came
from this unassuming town. The Gospel of
Luke refers to Bethlehem as “the town of
David” (Luke 2:4), because it was well-known
that this was David’s old stomping grounds,
and it was where Samuel anointed him king of
God’s people.
In the Bible, God’s anointed one was the
person he chose to lead and save his people.
When the Israelites wanted a human king, the
prophet, Samuel, anointed Saul to show that
God had set him apart for this special role:
“Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and
poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him,
saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler
over his inheritance?’ —1 Samuel 10:1. Years
later, when Saul disobeyed God, God rejected
him as king (1 Samuel 15:26). And it was time
for God to choose someone else. So he sent
Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem, telling him “I
have chosen one of his sons to be king” (1
Samuel 16:1). Samuel thought he would know
whom God had chosen by their appearance,
and assumed the oldest, Eliab, was clearly the
chosen one: “When they arrived, Samuel saw
Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed
stands here before the Lord.’” —1 Samuel
16:6 (Hiesberger 289).
However, God told Samuel that he does not
use the same factors as people when it comes
to choosing kings: “‘Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected
him. The Lord does not look at the things
people look at. People look at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
—1 Samuel 16:7
Earlier, Samuel had prophesied to Saul, “the
Lord has sought out a man after his own heart
and appointed him ruler of his people, because
you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1
Samuel 13:14). And when Samuel laid eyes
upon Jesse’s youngest son, the shepherd,
David, the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him;
this is the one.” When Samuel anointed David,
it did not instantly make him king, but it did
signal that he was the Lord’s chosen one, and
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“from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came
powerfully upon David” (1 Samuel 16:13).
David’s Shepherding Skills
Before David was a king, David was a
shepherd. This was why he wasn’t with his
brothers when Samuel came to anoint the next
king (1 Samuel 16:11). And when the
Philistines (and Goliath) invaded, David was
torn between his duties as Saul’s musician and
his responsibilities for tending his father’s
sheep (1 Samuel 17:15). As a shepherd, David
did not merely feed and lead his father’s
sheep. While a shepherd may seem like an
inconsequential position, it was still
dangerous. David killed bears and lions alike
to defend his father’s sheep (this messianic—
saving). In fact, David cites his experience as
a shepherd to convince Saul why he can defeat
Goliath:
“Your servant has been keeping his
father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear
came and carried off a sheep from the
flock, I went after it, struck it and
rescued the sheep from its mouth.
When it turned on me, I seized it by its
hair, struck it and killed it. Your
servant has killed both the lion and the
bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will
be like one of them, because he has
defied the armies of the living God.
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.” —1 Samuel 17:34–37.
In his confrontation with Goliath, David
would care for Yahweh’s flock—the people of
Israel—and once again defend “his father’s
sheep” from harm. This time, the Lord would
rescue him from a foe that Saul and his entire
army were terrified of (1 Samuel 17:11).
Later, David used his experience as a
shepherd to create one of the most powerful
portrayals of God’s relationship with his
people, foreshadowing “the good shepherd”
(Richard n.pg).
David Musical Skills
Many years before Samuel anointed David
and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him,
Samuel anointed Saul, and the Spirit of the
Lord came upon Saul (1 Samuel 10:1–6).
When David was anointed, the Spirit of the
Lord left Saul, and an evil spirit began to
torment him (1 Samuel 16:14). Saul’s servants
believed a musician would help soothe Saul
whenever the spirit came to torment him. And
it just so happened that David was a talented
musician. So Saul had him brought in, and
made him one of his armor-bearers; the music
played by David made Saul to be relieved of
the evil spirit that tormented him, because,
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“Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul,
David would take up his lyre and play. Then
relief would come to Saul; he would feel
better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” —
1 Samuel 16:23. From this point on, David’s
duties were divided between watching his
father’s sheep and playing music for the king
(Richard 23).
David Slaying of Giant
Perhaps David’s biggest claim to fame was his
legendary showdown with the Philistine giant,
Goliath. The Israelite and Philistine armies
lined up on opposing hills, Goliath taunted the
Israelites and challenged them to decide the
battle with a duel: him against one of them (1
Samuel 17:8-11). Nobody wanted to take him
up on the offer. But David came to the
Israelite camp to play music for Saul, and he
heard Goliath’s taunts. He also overheard the
Israelites talking about what Saul would give
to the person who defeated Goliath (1 Samuel
17:23-27). Goliath was not just taunting the
Israelites. He was defying God himself on
God’s own turf. Every day Israel declined
Goliath’s challenge, they conceded that their
God was no match for the gods of the
Philistines. David wasn’t going to let this go
on any longer. After convincing Saul to let
him challenge Goliath, David chose five
stones and went out to meet him.
Goliath mocked him and cursed him. And
then David famously replied:
“You come against me with sword and
spear and javelin, but I come against
you in the name of the Lord Almighty,
the God of the armies of Israel, whom
you have defied. This day the Lord will
deliver you into my hands, and I’ll
strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will give the carcasses
of the Philistine army to the birds and
the wild animals, and the whole world
will know that there is a God in Israel.
All those gathered here will know that
it is not by sword or spear that the Lord
saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and
he will give all of you into our hands.”
David killed Goliath with a single stone,
hurled from his sling. He beheaded Goliath
and took his weapons as trophies. The story of
David and Goliath has been told so many
times through literature and art that David,
Goliath, and their confrontation have all
become cliched symbols for underdogs, brutal
antagonists, and stories of overcoming
impossible odds (Richard 24). But in the
Bible, this is not an underdog story. It’s a
story of faith. David’s faith would become one
of his defining characteristics, and it led him
to overcome countless enemies after Goliath.
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David as a Great Warrior Despite being anointed to rule God’s people,

David had a long and arduous path to
Defeating Goliath marked the beginning of
kingship. Even after Saul died in combat,
David’s life as a warrior. Wherever Saul sent
those loyal to him were not just going to hand
David, God went with him, and he was
over the kingdom to David. Remember, Saul
successful. And the more successful David
was anointed, too. And David had been living
became, the more responsibility Saul gave
with and fighting for the Philistines—the
him: “Whatever mission Saul sent him on,
Israelites sworn enemies. When Saul died, the
David was so successful that Saul gave him a
tribe of Judah anointed David as their king (2
high rank in the army. This pleased all the
Samuel 2:4), but Abner son of Ner, the
troops, and Saul’s officers as well.” —1
commander of Saul’s army, made Saul’s son
Samuel 18:5
Ish-bosheth king over all Israel. So there were
But then people started to see David as greater two kings and two kingdoms in Israel, but
than Saul. After the Israelites defeated the only David was God’s chosen one.
Philistines. Understandably, this made Saul
Unfortunately for Ish-bosheth, his reign was
feel threatened by David. As David’s fame as
short-lived. And while he and Abner were at
a warrior grew, Saul feared him more and
war with David the whole time he was in
more. This fear led Saul to drive away his
power, Ish-bosheth didn’t die by David’s
greatest asset. He attempted to kill David on
hand. Both Ish-bosheth and Abner were
multiple occasions, and became his constant
murdered. Abner was murdered out of
enemy. After Saul died in battle with the
revenge, and David cursed his killers and
Philistines, David warred against Saul’s
mourned his death. Ish-bosheth was murdered
commander Abner, and Saul’s last son, Ish-
by Israelites who seemed to be trying to earn
Bosheth, whom Abner had made king of
David’s favor. When they came to David with
Israel. Eventually, David became king (more
their “good news,” he had them executed for
on how that happened in a moment), and
their crime. With Saul’s family out of the
continued his legacy as a great warrior
picture, Israel’s elders met with David and
(Richard 26).
anointed him king over all of Israel when he
was thirty years old (2 Samuel 5:3-4) (Richard
27).
David as Israel’s Greatest King
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During Saul’s reign, Jerusalem was captured,
and the Ark of the Covenant was in Judah.
When David became king, he retook the
fortress of Zion (which became known as the
City of David), conquered Jerusalem, and
returned the Ark to the city. As king of Israel,
David won numerous battles and made Israel a
formidable nation, expanding its territory and
military might, all while pointing his people to
God.
David United the Kingdom
Through David’s anointed leadership and
victory over his enemies, all the tribes of
Israel were forged into one united, mighty
nation. The nation established its borders from
the River Euphrates in the north, to the Red
Sea in the south. The ten northern tribes of the
Kingdom of Israel rejected Solomon’s son as
king, and instead chose someone outside the
tribe of Judah, Jeroboam, and formed the
northern Kingdom of Israel. The kings of
Judah served as political heads and also as
intermediaries between God and the nation,
with David’s heart for God and anointed
leadership setting the standard. David
understood that God was the real king of
Israel (Richard 30).
Hunt pointed the following:
 God anointed David king of Israel when
he was a boy. He defeated Goliath,
married King Saul's daughter and
became a hero in Saul's army (1 Sam
16:1-13; 17:1-58; 18:20-30).
 David became King of Judah and then
King of the united 12 tribes of Israel (2
Sam 2:4).
 David conquered Jerusalem (2 Sam 5).
 David brought the Ark of the Covenant
to Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:7; 1 Chr 15:25-
16:3).
 God made a covenant with David
promising that his throne will last
forever (2 Samuel 7:16; 23:5).
 David defeated the Philistines (2 Sam
8:1).
 David defeated Moab, Ammon and
Syria bringing lasting peace to Israel (2
Samuel 8:2-10:19).
David himself is the king installed by God on
Zion and is, at the same time, the prayer who
in Psalms 72 invokes righteous rule for his
successor. This understanding is suggested by
the psalm’s superscript (“Of Solomon”) and
by the notice that closes the second book
(“The prayers of David son of Jesse are
ended” Ps 72:20). With this remark the Psalter
now leaves behind the perspective of the
“historical” David (Wasckhe 7). Overall, the
hopes connected to David in the Psalter have
the same purpose as the royal texts in the
prophetic books. The primary difference is
that with the prophets these hopes are
addressed to Israel as divine promises,
whereby in the Psalter Israel reflects and
meditates upon the promises in prayer.
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David plotted to have Uriah killed

CHALLENGES OF KING DAVID
David killed a lot of people in battle. He killed
David committed adultery with Bathsheba a lot of prisoners after battles. And he
executed plenty of criminals. But one killing
When his armies were out waging war without
in particular “displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel
him, David walked along the roof of his
11:27). When David could not get Uriah to
palace and saw a beautiful woman bathing. He
sleep with his wife Bathsheba (and therefore
sent someone to find out about her, and
conceal David’s adultery), he plotted to have
learned she was married to Uriah the Hittite—
Uriah killed in combat. In the morning David
one of his best soldiers (2 Samuel 23:39). The
wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In
Torah had a thing or two to say about adultery
it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the
(Leviticus 18:20, Deuteronomy 5:18, Exodus
fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him
20:14), and it was punishable by death
so he will be struck down and die. So while
(Deuteronomy 22:22, Leviticus 20:10). David
Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a
knew all that, but he sent for her anyways,
place where he knew the strongest defenders
slept with her, and got her pregnant (2 Samuel
were. When the men of the city came out and
11:4-5). When David learned she was
fought against Joab, some of the men in
pregnant, he hatched a scheme to hide his sin:
David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite
since her husband Uriah was away at war,
died.” —2 Samuel 11:14-17. In order to have
David had him brought back home. If Uriah
Uriah killed in battle, Joab had to sacrifice
slept with her, then no one could say he was
some of David’s other men, and Joab feared
the one who got her pregnant. But it did not
David would be angry for the waste (2 Samuel
work out that way. After David’s repeated
11:20). But David was rather indifferent. The
attempts to get Uriah to spend time with his
lives of God’s people were simply collateral
wife, Uriah told him: “The ark and Israel and
damage in David’s effort to cover up his sin.
Judah are staying in tents, and my commander
Once Uriah was dead and Bathsheba had time
Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the
to mourn him, David married her, and she
open country. How could I go to my house to
gave birth to a son.
eat and drink and make love to my wife? As
surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” Later, the prophet Nathan rebuked David for
—2 Samuel 11:11. So, to hide his sin, David his sin. Nathan told a story about a rich man
committed another one. who stole a prized lamb from a poor man.
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David condemned the man in the story,
unaware that it was a metaphor for what he’d
done to Uriah with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:1-
10). Nathan told David that “the Lord has
taken away your sin” (2 Samuel 12:13), but he
also cursed him, and the son who came from
David’s adultery died. David committed a
grave sin. But after his encounter with Nathan,
David wrote Psalm 51, which reflects his
humility and sincere repentance for what he’d
done.David was an imperfect messiah. To this,
it is fitting that David is such a prominent
figure in the Old Testament. Because as an
imperfect human, anointed by God to save and
rule his people, David lays the foundation for
Jesus Christ—the only sinless human, whom
God would use to save and rule all of
humanity.
David’s Census
The census incident was one of the incident
David disobeyed the Lord. This man, who was
so faithful to God in even the most adverse
trials of faith and war, turned from seeking the
rewards of the King in Heaven to seeking the
rewards of being a king on earth.
Hunt pointed the following to be the deeds of
King David which make him to be reckoned
as being Messianic in the role:
 King Saul became jealous of David's
success. David was forced to flee and
live the life of an outlaw until Saul's
death (1 Sam 19:11; 21:11/19-25:1).
 David committed adultery with
Bathsheba who became pregnant (2
Sam 11:4-11:5).
 David arranged the death of Bathsheba's
husband Uriah (2 Sam 11:17).
 David confessed and repented his sin
and God forgave him, but Bathsheba's
child died (2 Sam 12:10, 13, 19).
 David failed to discipline his sons. His
son Amnon committed the sin of rape
and incest; he was murdered by David's
son Absalom (2 Sam 13:14-29).
 David's son Absalom led a rebellion in
an attempt to usurp David's throne (2
Sam 16-17).
 David's "beloved son" Absalom was
murdered and David's throne was
restored. It was a bitter victory for a
heart-broken father (2 Sam 18:14, 15).
 David ignored Joab's advice and took a
national census (2 Sam 24:2-15). And
this David's unauthorized census
resulted in a deadly plague which
infected the people (2 Sam 24:1-9; 15;
1 Chr 21:7-17).
WORKS CITED
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Richard, Dadd. Saul’s and David’s Life. Hess, Richard S. The Study of the Old
NCP: Warrens_Shaft, 1867. Print. Testament Character.Grand Rapids: Baker
Publishing Group, 2014. Electronic
Hunt, Michal E. “David, the King: His
Database.
Triumph and Failure.”
www.AgapeBibleStudy.com. Accessed 7 Waschke, Ernst-Joachim.The Significance of
April, 2021. the David Tradition for the Emergence of
Messianic Beliefs in the Old Testament. NCP:
Hess, Richard S. and Carroll R. M. Daniel
NPC, 2004. Electronic Database.
(eds.) Israel’s Messiah in the Bible and the
Dead Sea Scrolls.Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wilson, Ralph. Life of David.Discipleship
Baker Academic, 2003. Print. Lessons from the 1 and 2 Samuel.Electronic
Database.
Hiesberger, Jean. The Life of King
David.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Print.