Who was David in the Bible?

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David

A Man After God’s Heart (Acts 13:22)

Birth:

David was born in the town of Bethlehem in approximately 1040 B.C. He was born into the tribe of Judah and was the youngest of the 8 sons of a man named Jesse.

Death:

David died of natural causes after reigning in Israel for 40 years (2 Kings 2). Solomon, David’s son with Bathsheba, took his father’s throne.  

Life and Notable Achievements:

David is a very important character in God’s story for multiple reasons. He is most famous for killing a Philistine giant with a sling and a stone, but God had many more plans for David following his victory over Goliath. God chose David to replace Saul, the first king of Israel, who had disrespected God through his disobedience. David spent many years on the run, fleeing from Saul’s attempts to murder him, but after the king was killed on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31), David ascended the throne at 30 years old.

He was a great warrior who led God’s people to many victories, and the Kingdom rose to prominence under his leadership. The later part of David’s rule was plagued by difficulty due to the consequences of a terrible sin he committed with a married woman named Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). He commissioned his son, Solomon, to build a house for the Lord, and laid the groundwork for the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

God promised David He would establish his throne forever and that one of David’s descendants would always be king (2 Samuel 7:16). He accomplished this through the eternal King, Jesus the Christ (the anointed), who was David’s descendant.

David is the author of many of the Psalms. The Holy Spirit used him and his writings to prophecy about the future. David’s words are quoted many times by Jesus and the New Testament authors.