God makes David shepherd of Israel
Bible Accent: Kings of Israel
Saint for Today: St. Andrew Dung Lac
God makes David shepherd of Israel
When David was 30 years old, the people of the tribes of Israel came to him in Hebron and said, “Look! We are your bone and your flesh. In days past, when Saul was still our king, you were the one who led Israel out in all its battle and brought it back. And the Lord said to you: ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel.'”
After saying this, the elders of the tribes met with King David and made a covenant with him in the Lord’s presence. Then they anointed him as their king, and he reigned as their king for 40 years.
David formed an army of his men and went to Jerusalem where the Jebusites had taken over the land. The Jebusites insulted David by saying, “You shall not enter here: the blind and the lame will drive you away!” But David conquered the Jebusites and claimed Jerusalem for Israel, and it became known as “The city of David.”
David gave orders to begin fortifying the city, building walls on every side. Hiram, who was king of Tyre, sent building materials and some of his carpenters and masons to help with the work. David knew then that the Lord was blessing him as king. He prospered in Jerusalem and his family continued to grow.
When the Philistines, who were enemies of Israel, learned that David was the new king of Israel, they assembled their own armies against him. David went before the Lord and asked, “Shall I attack the Philistines, and will you deliver them into my power?”
The Lord answered David, “Attack, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your power.” David’s army was victorious over the Philistines, and David declared, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me just as water breaks through a dam.”
The Philistine army once against tried to resist David in the valley of Rephaim. Again David went before the Lord and asked for his guidance. The Lord said, “Do not attack the front — circle behind them and come against them near the balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord has already gone before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”
David obeyed the Lord and defeated the Philistines, driving them back from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
2 Samuel 5
Q&A
1. What city had the Jebusites taken for themselves?
2. What did David do each time before he attacked the Philistine army?
Bible Accent: Kings of Israel
Before being ruled by a king, Israel had been ruled by judges and the elders of the 12 tribes that were named after the sons of Jacob. The people of Israel hoped that a king would help to lead and unify their nation, as well as protect them from their enemies. The sons of Samuel were among the ruling judges. They were corrupted by their power and authority and often accepted bribes. The people demanded that Samuel appoint a king instead, as many neighboring countries were already ruled by kings. Samuel warned them that this could lead to different problems, but he agreed to their request. The first king of Israel was “a powerful man” from the tribe of Benjamin named Saul.
Saint for Today: St. Andrew Dung Lac
Andrew Dung Lac and his missionary companions are part of a group of nearly 100 men who died as martyrs in Vietnam between the 1723 and 1861. Andrew had been born in 1785 into a very poor family. Although his parents were not Christians, they sent him to a Catholic teacher for his education. Because of this religious instruction Andrew was inspired to become a catechist and eventually a priest. Members of his congregation paid for his release after he had been arrested for teaching the Christian faith. Andrew changed his last name from Dung to Lac in order to be able to continue to teach. Unfortunately he was arrested again, and again his followers paid to release him. The last time he was arrested he was killed by his captors. We honor Andrew and the other brave martyrs on Nov. 24.
