Start each day by reading the passages listed above. Then use the summary and reflection provided here to guide discussion around the daily reading.
After Saul, the first king of Israel, disobeyed God, the prophet Samuel sought out Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the future king. David was the youngest son of Jesse. He succeeded Saul as the second king of Israel. During his life and reign, David disobeyed God on several occasions. But because of his posture of repentance before God, he was called a man after God’s heart.
Reflect on the relationship with God and David. What stands out to you about his interactions with God?
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46 thoughts on "David, Anointed Shepherd"
What I love about the life of David is that we get to see what is essentially a spiritual relationship with the Lord that is similar to our own. Not that the experiences are the same, but that David was human and had his own faults. Each time he sinned, we can see how he repented to the Lord; not only did he make the customary sacrifices for the redemption of sin, but we are able to get a glimpse into his heart, and into his prayer life. This reminds me of how our prayer life is today…Christ come to be the sacrifice for us, so that we do not have to make physical sacrifices for our sins. It’s lovely to see how much God loved David through their spiritual relationship, and to know that we can have the same kind of relationship with the Lord.
David and God’s relationship is closely packed, David wants to prove to his father that since he is the youngest it doesn’t mean he can’t do what his older siblings do, so he try’s to take over his siblings work whenever his siblings don’t succeed in the task their father, God, gives them.
♥️
David repents and turns back to God as opposed to Saul who made excuses. In a recent small group meeting, someone talked about how she used to go to a church that was really big on repentance. Another group member had been talking about falling back into thought patterns that weren’t consistent with God’s character (e.g. that if you pray for something God might give it to you but in a bad way, kind of like “be careful what you wish for”). She recommended repenting. To immediately recognize those thoughts and repent, telling God “I’m sorry for believing the lie.” I’d never thought of that before. How many lies do I believe when I let my mind go down negative paths or when I create negative scenarios that might never happen? Instead of focusing on what I know about God’s goodness and what is sure (his love, his grace, my salvation, eternity secured) when I’m facing the unknown. God forgive me for believing the lies. I want to turn back to him whenever those negative thoughts come up.
David’s relationship with God is surprisingly intimate to me. It’s beautiful to see and it is such a contrast to how Saul interacted with God. Saul thought about what would make him “right” before God as David thought about what would “please” Gods heart.
What stands out to me is that when David sinned and God chasten him on it, David immediately repented and ask for God’s forgiveness. He never let God’s angry fall on the people. David had a close relationship with God it mirrored the relationship the Adam had with Him in the Garden before He sinned and was cast out.
Praying for a God blessed appointment for your husband, Nancy. May he put his hands on you during your appointment and give you peace in all that you hear from the doctor.
David at length was pitched upon. He was the youngest of the sons of Jesse; his name signifies Beloved; he was a type of God’s beloved Son. It should seem, David was least set by of all the sons of Jesse. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. His anointing was not an empty ceremony, a Divine power went with that instituted sign; he found himself advanced in wisdom and courage, with all the qualifications of a prince, though not advanced in his outward circumstances. This would satisfy him that his election was of God. The best evidence of our being predestinated to the kingdom of glory, is, our being sealed with the Spirit of promise, and experience of a work of grace in our hearts.
God can tell what they are. He judges of men by the heart. We often form a mistaken judgment of characters; but the Lord values only the faith, fear, and love, which are planted in the heart, beyond human discernment.
Carnal, deceitful hearts, like Saul, think to excuse themselves from God’s commandments by what pleases themselves. It is hard to convince the children of disobedience. But humble, sincere, and conscientious obedience to the will of God, is more pleasing and acceptable to him than all burnt-offering and sacrifices. God is more glorified and self more denied, by obedience than by sacrifice. It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burned upon the altar, than to bring every high thought into obedience to God, and to make our will subject to his will. Those are unfit and unworthy to rule over men, who are not willing that God should rule over them. -Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
David had a humble relationship with God. Being the youngest of seven brothers, he did not grow up in a position of status. He maybe was never looked at by his family as someone who would do much with his life, but serve his family. When Samuel came and anointed David with oil, he could have become hot headed and gotten back at his brothers for how they treated him, but we don’t see that. We see David continued to humbly wait for The Lord to show Him the next right thing. David served the King, when the King wanted to kill him David had a couple opportunities to kill Saul, but he never did.
David is human, he sinned, but he always came back to The Lord humbly asking for forgiveness. He wanted to be real with God, not just say empty words, he wanted the Lord to “hide his face” from his sins. He wanted the Lord to “blot out” his iniquity. He never justified his actions, he accepted his punishment, asked for forgiveness, and went on serving The Lord. May we continue to serve God even when we fail. Its pride that keeps us from returning to our Heavenly Father when we chose to sin rather than serve Him!
I am thankful for the opportunity to know the relationship of David with God. It’s encouraging to see our Father’s endless pursuit of David, like he also continues to pursue us. Knowing David as “a man after God’s heart” is also encouraging because we see his sin on full display, but God loves him and doesn’t give up on him or the plan to bring forth Jesus, our Redeemer, through David. David’s mess leads to beauty in Christ.
Yes, David did a lot of bad things, but he repented and glorified God. I think that was a huge lesson. If you do wrong, repent and praise our God for he is faithful. Repent and know that he is a forgiving God because our Savior Jesus died for our sins to be forgiven.
The thing that stood out to me is after Nathan gives David this amazing word from God, David’s first response is to “sit before the Lord”. When others might have sat more comfortably on their throne in the assurance of Gods blessing, David went instead and sat before the Lords throne in humility, thankfulness and relationship. I can almost see him as he walked from his throne room into the temple, smiling as he thought about of all the difficult places his Father had brought him through. David always returned to the Source, even in his sin. He followed his own advice, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
David was humble when confronted with his sin. Saul made excuses. I believe that is why David earned favor with God. He submitted to God’s discipline in his life.
Hello dear she’s. I hope you all are well. Couple things from scriptures spoke loudly to me today:
1. How long will you mourn for Saul/ those whom God has rejected? (1 Samuel 16:1) How long will we still long for the leaders that God has pulled down? God intentionally took his mercy away from certain people (2 Samuel 7:15) for He rejected them. May we be sensitive enough to the leading of God so our faithfulness will not be placed on the wrong place. Our utmost faithfulness should be placed onto GOD alone. It’s good to be faithful and submissive to leadership but not to everyone. May we, especially, be flexible enough for a change of heart and not keep on mourning for a certain downfall (ordained by God).
2.David’s posture of repentance vs. Saul’s prideful denial of God’s mercies and correction. Lots of times, God’s correction is His mercies.
PRAYING for
@VICTOR : may any unclean spirits causing depression, addiction to anti depression drugs, and any other form of mental and physical oppression, all evil chains be loosed by the Hand of God.
@KATIE L: praying for your strength. The battle between a MIL and a daughter is usually very harsh. Praise God for bringing your mom into the picture. Prayers for you and everyone involved. Especially I am praying for your MIL ..or ex MIL.
@CEE GEE: more rest/sleep for you and strength for VBS. God bless your dear heart!
@KRISTEN and @ KELLY NEO: thank you for the great study notes :)
Thank you so much ladies for praying for my young baby and her teeth. Thank you for your encouragement and extra enforcement for us! Praise God for you all!!!
Be blessed dear sisters.
I don’t know why, but the whole thing felt dark to me. I totally misunderstood David’s relationship with god.
By God’s own grace alone, the Spirit was on David when he was anointed. Even though David made many mistakes, it seems his posture towards God was always in the right position. He knew who he had ultimately wronged-God. As humans we can get caught up in the small picture, starting with trying to fix things with the person we may have wronged, when really it starts with our heart, and repentance to God. Making things right with the person before addressing our sin in our heart before God does not truly make things right, but is a mere old bandaid without much stick. I am so grateful that when we come before Him, He is a merciful God, full of compassion!
ALEIDA: Praying for you and Victor ❤️
@Maria Baer I noticed that Saul said that too. This doesn’t address that specific comment, but I read this in my study Bible’s notes: Saul offers two excuses for his actions. First, the people are responsible and not he; second the animals would be sacrificed. Samuel rejects his attempt to avoid personal responsibility. Goes on to say that ritual performance is worthless without accompanied by a sincere and submissive spirit. My thoughts: Saul blames, and David acknowledged what he did and repents! May we all be quick to do this!
In verse 16:7 stature, because I have rejected him says that the reference to “stature” is a false measure of an individual’s qualification to be king, along with the notice that this son of Jesse is “ rejected” is reminiscent of Saul, who was notable for his height but was rejected. As some of you mentioned, God chooses! His will will be done!
In 2 Samuel 7:18 the notes said that having offered God a house( that is a temple), David is overwhelmed by the Lord’s declaration that He will build David a house (that is. dynasty). The humility evident in David’s “Who am I “ agrees with his recognition that He is the Sovereign Lord who has been with him (1Samuel 16:18) to bring him this far. 7:19 says the words” this is instruction for mankind”, the notes say the likely meaning of this phrase is like the covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) and like the purpose of crossing the Red Sea (Ps 66:5,6) the covenant with David had implications for all humanity. (Amazing) 7:22-24 David is moved by the consideration of his unique status and that of his house to contemplate the uniqueness of His God, and His unmerited favor. He has chosen David and the nation of Israel itself to be the people through whom His great Name will become known. I’m reminded God’s plan can’t be thwarted. God bless you all and in agreement with the prayers!
@Cindy: I suspect this is a language difference or syntax difference that appears in the Hebrew to English process. Just like English puts our modifiers first (“beautiful rose”) but many languages would put the noun or verb before the modifier, we may be looking at a statement of fact, “Jesse made 7 sons pass before Samuel” before the details are given about what transpired with that seventh son. I would love to hear a Hebrew scholar’s take on this… Our English language is forcing us to assume chronological order of sentences, but that may not be reflective of the Hebrew language custom.
Cindy- good question:) my Bible’s commentary says this:
“With David, Jesse had 8 sons. The fact that 1Chron. 2:13 indicates 7 sons must mean that one of the 8 died afterward and is not considered in the Chronicles account.”
Thoughts-
Do you choose to not do wrong,
Because you “should” do right?
If all you have are “shoulds”
Then wrongs won’t be worth the fight- (Saul)
Or do you choose to not do wrong,
Because you LOVE what is right?
If you LOVE what/Who is right,
Then WHEN you do wrong,
True repentance will come,
And the GOD of LOVE will right your wrongs.(David)
-Kelly- I thank God for the truth that anchors our soul/mind/body in Him that you shared today. It gives such peace and an exhale of breath to know that He is the One calling and redeeming every person and every story in His story. This greatly impacts how now to live and how to pray.
-joining with the She’s in praying for Victor.
Good morning ladies!!
Well, I sent in my letter of resignation this week to my work. It is a strange feeling. It is bittersweet, because my management and supervisors have been really great. It has been really challenging, but I know I have grown a lot and have gotten so much better than when I first started. I am thankful for it, even though it was so hard. I know God used this to strengthen me and grow me. He is orchestrating everything. Praying he would prepare me as I become a pre-K teacher. Praying for you all! I am doing the Bible Recap for my devos but I’m coming back to check on comments/prayer requests!
This isn’t important to the point of our lesson but if David is the seventh son, who is the seventh son mentioned in the following verse? 10 “And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” – 1 Samuel 16:10. Jesse presents 7 sons before sending for David. Like I said. Did some ancient scribe accidentally record the wrong number? Not important but a head scratcher nonetheless.
Right from the beginning David had a heart for God. That is why God chose him, God even says in 1 Samuel 16:7 that He looks at the heart, He saw something in David’s heart – a desire for God, something that Saul did not have. God took the least of the family, the most unsuspecting candidate – and chose him to be the king of Israel, because David had a heart for God. He knew God intimately, personally. He wasn’t perfect and he would fall, but he knew where his strength came from and who to turn to when he could no longer endure the effects of his sin. Thank God He doesn’t discount us when we sin. He lovingly reprimands us and woos us back to Himself. Praise God He doesn’t chose us according to our appearance, He looks at the heart.
@Katie L. – continuing to pray for your situation. Praise God for our moms! Glad she is able to be with your son during the visits.
@Cee Gee – praise the Lord for your little students at VBS – may all continue to go well as you teach them about Jesus.
@Nancy – prayers for you and your husband as you meet with the doctors today.
David understands how sinful his tendencies are and how holy and blameless God is. He comes before the Lord with humility and repentance, not with excuses or blame shifting. This is why their relationship is so intimate and strong.
@Aleida- the Lord give wisdom and grace to your son, Victor. As Cee Gee said, his name says a lot. May God show him that he has victory in Him. May He uncover his eyes to see His goodness. May He heal the brokenness that has occurred throughout his life. May God show Himself faithful. May Victor turn to see God’s lovingkindness towards him. May he know how deeply loved he is and may that knowledge be what transforms him. God, please be near to Victor and help him get on a healthy path. Lord, You say in Proverbs 3:7-8 that if we fear You and depart from evil, it will be healthy to our flesh and strength to our bones. May Victor know that and see that. May the path be made clear, that he should take. May he resolve to follow You, despite the denial of self that is a barrier. May Victor see it is worth it. May he see that life is better when we plan it with You, instead of in our own strength. Not one of us can be You, God. Not one of us knows Your best plan for our lives in detail, only You know every step to take. God, please give Victor strength to say yes to You and no to the cycles he might have found himself in. It is not an easy road, but it is the way in which we truly find Life. You are the way, the truth, and the life, God. May Victor feel that in his bones today and seek to truly understand what that means for his own life. I pray over his mother and family that You would bless them and help keep them in peace as they navigate this with Victor. May they all see a victory, and proclaim it, in Jesus’s name!!!
@Katie L- what a whirlwind. Glad that you and your ex husband don’t need to interact with the ex MIL, at least. So gracious and loving of your mom to step in for you and bless your family in this way. May God continue to guide you and keep you in perfect peace.
Thinking of some specific Shes prayer requests over the past few months and lifting you up…
@Sarah D
@Linda K
@Molly R
Shouting you out and saying God hears you and sees your questions/wrestling, hard work, and obedience…He is ALWAYS with you. God bless you make His light shine on you. May you see His goodness in this beautiful day. Love you all!!!
It’s interesting to me that scripture says that when Samuel names David as God’s choice as king, “the Spirit of the Lord” came upon him. That would have directed many of his future choices to follow the Lord, though not perfectly, as we know, just like us. I’m asking for prayer today:my husband & I have a long appointment at Johns Hopkins Bayview Memory Clinic for further evaluation of his Alzheimer’s Disease. He’s very anxious, & I’m praying that we come away with some helpful (hopeful?) information.
Praying for you and Victor this morning Aleida!
Amen
Once again, we see the unexpected. Joseph, Judah, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and now David, last son in a large family, is chosen because God sees his heart. None of them are anywhere close to perfect (OK, maybe Ruth!). They are humans full of weaknesses and flaws, but God chose them rather than what the community would consider the obvious choice. Makes me wonder how often we’ve overlooked the people who would have enriched our world and instead picked the tallest or strongest or best looking… or the “most Christian.”
David knows God intimately. He speaks to Him with respect but also as easily and honestly as to a father or friend. Whether in his moments of deepest sin or moments of his deepest joy, David turns to God.
KELLY – Thanks for sharing that; so good!
David – such an example of one who has a true bond with God, but God was in control and it is so encouraging to see how David’s misdeeds didn’t hinder his relationship with his God. David’s words for God and God’s words for David are so beautiful and speak of the relationship they shared.
KIMBERLY Z- Thank you for your sweet comments!!! You blessed my heart. Praying for time to catch your breath and rest your spirit in the Word!
Praying for all SHES
ALEIDA POLANCO –
(and for VICTOR – his name says it all!!!).
David was the seventh son in his family. It has to be a pretty humbling slot – so many older brothers telling you what to do, getting to go first at everything (I’m thinking of my own two kids and the sibling rivalry that exists). He probably never expected he would one day be elevated to the position of king. But that humble beginning of his life probably helped him when it came time to rule fairly and justly over all his people. It’s the same reason Jesus was born the son of a carpenter and not the son of a king.
David’s relationship with God strikes me as personal and intimate. He wants to build God a house, but God says no, here’s what I will do for you. When David sins with Bathsheba and Uriah, he confesses his sin—after God sends Nathan to confront him— and repents. He leans on God in his weakness.
David had a humble heart.
KELLY (NEO) – thank you for those words you shared about David. So often the focus of his designation as “a man after God’s own heart” is on his character and something he did. There is such comfort in knowing that the same God who chose and kept David firmly in his plan is also choosing me, despite my sin and flaws, and will keep me firmly rooted in him.
ALEIDA – praying for Victor this morning. Praying for Gods provision and healing.
KATIE L – thank you for sharing your update. I’ll be continuing to pray for your family and especially your son.
David is flawed and knows it but it never keeps him from seeking God and knowing he has a personal relationship with Him. It is pure love and faith like a small child with their parents. Beautiful.
Aleida, praying for Victor— for his protection, God’s provision, wisdom and guidance. Hugs to you, sister.
On another note—- I am doing a separate study through my church, and this week we also read Samuel 15:21 and it struck me how Saul refers to God as “The Lord YOUR God” when pushing back against Samuel when Samuel points out his disobedience. This has stuck with me because, while many commentaries focus on how this implies Saul not taking responsibility for his actions and blaming Samuel, to me it speaks more about Saul’s spiritual posture. It is as if, in his self-love as King, he forgot that Yahweh is also his God. And that same God is who brought him to his position as king. To me it is such a stark contrast between Saul and David’s posture throughout their lives.
David’s relationship with God has always been such a beautiful one. To me, as the preface to today’s question says, David’s posture of repentance, is reflective of the life of a Christian. We love God but we are not perfect and we sin. But through His grace, mercy and forgiveness we are able to come with a repenting heart and be washed clean because of the high price Jesus paid with his precious blood.
“after God’s own heart” does not refer to David’s desire for God and His law, but instead it is referring to God’s desire for a man He has chosen (like He chose the others in Jesus’ line). When Israel demanded a king, they wanted one like the surrounding nations. God rejected Saul after 2 years as king and said He would give Isreal a king that was what He wanted them to have.
This from Dustin Smetona was helpful, “David’s installment and perseverance as Israel’s king was a result of divine election and promise-keeping (cf. Psalm 78:70, 1 Kings 8:16), not the result of any particular merit he possessed. God is the one with the wisdom and authority to designate this son of Jesse as the “man after his own heart.” When David commits his egregious sins, he is kept in office because God picked him. This points us to one of the most notable features of the Old Testament narrative: the major figures are incredible sinners. And yet, they remain God’s instruments in advancing the redemptive story because He ordained their part in it. In like manner, we who are chosen by God have confidence in His promise to keep us as His own. God has “predestined us for adoption” (Eph. 1:5) and we have complete assurance that no sin can take God’s favor from us. All former, present, and future transgressions have been paid for by Christ and we can confidently enjoy God’s abounding love. The point is that our character does not determine whether or not we are men and women “after God’s own heart.” God has already picked us. Rather, knowing that God chooses us despite our glaring deficiencies is precisely what shapes our character.”
ALEIDA POLANCO – praying Victor will find peace and healing in the Lord through his treatment program
KATIE L – thanks for the update. Praying your mom will be a comfort to your son during the other grandmother’s visits
Praying for Victor! Lord hear our prayers. Amen!
Aleida–praying for Victor.
She’s can I please ask for prayer for my son who has severe depression and anxiety? He is also self medicating with substances that are very damaging. He’s currently looking for a job and going through treatment. God has all the details. Please pray for his protection, for God’s provision, wisdom and guidance. And of course for complete healing and restoration.
His name is Victor. Thank you so so much!