David becomes King in free Bible art and free Bible lessons all ages. Beautifully visual Bible
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What Came Before:
Saul had reigned forty years. At the beginning of his reign the Israelites were
almost free from the Philistines, and for a time Saul seemed to have success in
driving the Philistines out of the
land. But after Saul forsook the Lord, and would no longer listen to Samuel,
God's prophet, he became gloomy and full of fear, and lost his courage, so that
the land fell again under the power of its enemies. David could have helped him,
but he had driven David away; and there was no strong man to stand by Saul and
win victories for him. So at the end, when Saul fell in battle, the yoke of the
Philistines was on Israel heavier than at any time before...
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"The LORD bless you for showing this kindness to
Saul your master by burying him. May the LORD now show you kindness and
faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.
Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of
Judah has anointed me king over them."
2 Samuel 2:5-7
The third day after the battle on Mount Gilboa, David was at his home in Ziklag,
on the south of Judah, when a young man came into the town, running, with
garments torn and earth on his head, as was the manner of those in deep grief.
He hastened to David, and fell down before him. And David said to him, "From
what place have you come?" And the young man said, "Out of the camp of Israel I
have escaped. The men of Israel have been beaten in the battle; very many of
them are slain, and the rest have fled away. King Saul is dead, and so is
Jonathan, his son."
"How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are dead?" asked David. And the young
man said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa in the battle; and I saw Saul
leaning upon his spear wounded, and near death, with his enemies close upon him.
And he said to me, 'Come to me, and kill me, for I am suffering great pain.' So
I stood beside him and killed him, for I saw that he could not live. And I took
the crown that was on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, and I have brought
them to you, my lord David."
Then David and all the men that were with him tore their clothes, and mourned,
and wept, and took no food on that day, on account of Saul, and of Jonathan, and
for the people of Israel who had fallen by the sword. And David said to the
young man who had brought to him the news, "Who are you? To what people do you
belong?"
And he said, " I am no Israelite; I am an Amalekite."
"How was it," said David to him, "that you were not afraid to slay the king of
Israel, the anointed of the Lord? You shall die for this deed."
And David commanded one of his men to kill him, because he had said that he had
slain the king. He may have told the truth, but it is more likely that he was
not in the battle, and that after the fighting he came upon the field to rob the
dead bodies, and that he brought a false story of having slain Saul, hoping to
have a reward. But as David would not slay the anointed king, even though he
were his enemy, he would not reward, but would rather punish the stranger who
claimed to have slain him.
After this, at the command of the Lord, David and his men went up from Ziglag to
Hebron, in the middle of the tribe-land of Judah. And the men of Judah met
together at Hebron, and they made David king over their tribe. And David reigned
in Hebron, over the tribe of Judah, for seven years.
But Saul's uncle, Abner, who had been the chief over his house and over his
army, was not willing to have the kingdom go out of the family of Saul. He made
a son of Saul king over all the tribes in the north of the land. This king was
called Ish-bosheth, a name which means "a worthless man." He was weak and
helpless; except for the strong will and power of Abner, who had made him king.
For six years seemingly under Ish-bosheth, but really under Abner, the form of a
kingdom was kept up, while Ish-bosheth was living at Mahanaim, on the east of
Jordan.
Thus for a time there were two kingdoms in Israel, that of the north under
Ish-bosheth, and that of the south under David. But all the time David's
kingdom was growing stronger, and Ish- bosheth's kingdom was growing weaker.
After a time Abner was slain by one of David's men, and at once Ish-bosheth's
power dropped away. Then two men of his army killed him, and cut off his head,
and brought it to David. They looked for a reward, since Ish-bosheth had been
king against David. But David said, "As the Lord lives, who has brought me out
of trouble, I will give no reward to wicked men, who have slain a good man in
his own house, and upon his own bed. Take these two murderers away, and kill
them!"
So the two slayers of the weak king, Ish-bosheth, were punished with death, and
the head of the slain man was buried with honor. David had not forgotten his
promise to deal kindly with Saul's children.
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