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King David....
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David, the son of Jesse and descendant of Ruth, became king of
Israel after the death of the rebellious Saul, and thus began the golden
age of Israel.
This powerful king wisely governed the tribes of Israel, forging them
into a united nation. God blessed this man to be a valiant soldier, a
great military strategist, an able administrator, a diplomat, a
composer, a musician and king.He extended Israel’s lands in the north (1 Chron. 18:3, 14), triumphing
over Israel’s enemies the Canaanites and the
Philistines. |
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David was originally based in Hebron in southern
Judah,
but when all 13 tribes of Israel accepted his ruler ship he needed a
central location from which to govern. An ideal place was on the northern
border of Judah, the city of Jebus, also called Jerusalem (City of Peace),
but the Jebusites (Canaanites) held the city (1 Chron. 11:4).
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The city was built on a hill and seemed in penetrable.
But David found a way to enter the city, via a
water shaft. He said that
whoever could enter the city would become the commander of his army, and Joab the son of Zeruiah went up the shaft and thus David conquered the
city, and called it the City of David (1 Chron. 11:6-7).
On Mount Moriah, next to the city, he moved the Ark of the Covenant, and
there his son Solomon later built the first
temple. |
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King David
playing the harp |
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David did much more than all this of course, and you
can read for yourself about his life in the Bible, especially in 1 Samuel,
2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles. He was also an ancestor of
Jesus
Christ (Matthew 1:1), and today the Royal Family of England are also
descended from him. Queen Elizabeth II is of the House of David, of the
tribe of Judah. Her throne in London will eventually be taken over by the
Son of David, Jesus Christ the Messiah, when He returns to the earth in
power and glory (Revelation 11:15; 19:11-16). What a wonderful future we
have in store with the Kingdom of God ruling the earth rather than
man-made governments and kingdoms which do little to improve the standards
of living for all mankind. |
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