Dear Azy, Rumi, and Ari,
Today we’re going to tell you the story of the first king of Israel, Saul, and then about the boy, David, who defeated a giant called Goliath, to become the next king of Israel.
If you remember, the Israelites wanted a king after Samson and the time of the judges so they can be like everyone else around them. Despite God’s condoning this, God allowed it, and during that time, God had a prophet named Samuel. Samuel’s mom’s originally couldn’t have kids. Then, one day, she went to the temple, their church at the time, and made a promise to God that if you give me a child, I will dedicate him to you by giving him back to you to be raised as Levite, or priest. God granted her prayer and, at the age of 3, Samuel was dedicated to be raised as a Levite.
Then one night God called to Samuel. Samuel didn’t know who it was and thought it was the head priest. But God told him and gave Samuel the ability to do his will and see the future, or become his prophet. Samuel loved God and obeyed him. By sharing God’s commands with the people he gained great respect because everything he said would come true. So Samuel became one of the greatest prophets of all time. And his mother went on to be blessed and have many more kids, despite having troubles for most of her life having kids.
There are many lessons here. Samuel’s mom turned to God when she was dealing with her problem of not having kids. When we have problems, we should also turn to God first. Then she dedicated her child’s life to serving God. In life, you can do many things, but serving God should always be your first priority. Then when Samuel heard the voice, he didn’t realize it was God. It wasn’t until he heard it a few times and got used to it that he knew it was God. When you first start talking to God, you may or may not hear him. But what’s great is you have the bible to read to find out who God is, what he’s created, and use that to build a relationship with him to discover your purpose here on Earth. And, like Samuel, by continually building that relationship with God, he will show you your purpose here on Earth and bless you. And last, while God was against the Israelites having a king, because he was their true king, he allowed it. In life, God gives us free will so we choose how we want to live. So if we do things that go against God’s will, life will bring a lot more trouble because then we have to deal with all the problems that God tried to help us steer clear from. So it’s best to listen to God and go with his wishes than sin, or be separate from God, and deal with the consequences.
Then, one night, God spoke to Samuel and told him it’s time to anoint a new king. His name is Saul and he is in the smallest of the 12 tribes, the Benjamin tribe. Saul was tall, good looking, but from the very beginning did not believe he deserved to be king. Nonetheless, he began by serving God and blessed him by helping him win many battles against the enemies of the Israelites: the Philistines, Ammonites, and Amalekites. As Saul gained status and power, he started to take credit for all the victories himself without giving the credit to God or praising God first. Also, for one battle, God had given Saul the command to wait for Samuel to come and give an offering first and then destroy everything so the Israelites would not be infected by the enemy. But Saul, seeing the huge army of the Amalekites and seeing his men getting scattered, didn’t wait of Samuel and decided to do the offering himself, scared his men would leave and to start the battle. Then he decided to keep the livestock of the enemy and give them as a reward of his warriors. He also captured the king of the Amalekites and did not destroy him.
When Samuel arrived at the battle site and asked Saul what have you done? Saul said he feared his men would scatter and Samuel was late so he did the offering himself. And then kept the rest of the spoils and the enemy king to make an offering to God. But Samuel told him God cares more about your obedience than your sacrifice. Because Saul refused to obey God’s commands, God realized Saul would not listen to him and put him first. So he took his favor from Saul and told Samuel it was time to anoint a new king. This new king will be a Shepard boy named David, who will be a man after his own heart, or have a heart of God.
There are lots of lessons we can learn from Saul. First, he didn’t believe he deserved to be king. So when he did become king, he was insecure and always tried to please the people and build his own name versus praising God and giving him the credit or glory. As a result, he disobeyed God and lost the anointing of being king from God. We must realize whenever we receive a blessing or assignment from God, we are worthy. He gave us that assignment so it’s our job to carry it out to please him to the best we can. Second, when it comes to cutting corners, Saul did so, and put God as an afterthought. But Samuel told him God cares more about following his commands then making an offering afterwards. So our obedience must be made to God first above all else. That is how we know we are truly serving his will, and not mixing our own desires into it and making him second or third.
God sent Samuel to see the sons of Jesse. That was the name of their family from the tribe of Judah, which was the biggest tribe of Israel. Samuel asked Jesse to bring out all his sons which he did. Samuel started by going to the biggest, strongest one, and asked, is this him Lord, and God would say no. And Samuel went through all the sons, but God said no, this is not the one. Then Samuel asked Jesse, do you have any other sons, and he said yes, a boy named David who’s a Shepard taking care of the sheep. He brought David and when Samuel asked God is this to be your newly appointed king? God said yes. Samuel said this one? For David was a small boy who was a Shepard compared to all his brothers who were stronger and mighty warriors. And God responded, “Don’t judge by appearance or height. For the lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”
The biggest lesson here is the world judges us based on our outward appearance. What we look like, how tall we are. But God doesn’t see things the way we see them. He sees our hearts. So it’s important we’re caring and compassionate to others and love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. For God looks at our heart and sees who we truly are and the reason behind our actions. That’s also why daddy married mommy. The first time he saw her, he said if she’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, I’m going to marry her. Your mommy has the most beautiful heart and that’s what Daddy fell in love with. 🙂
Once Samuel anointed David as king, he did not become king right away. He had to wait for the right time. In the meanwhile, since the battle Saul had where he lost God’s favor, Saul started seeing visions and being tormented. It just happens that David was very good with playing the harp and would play while tending the sheep. So the king sent for David to come to the palace. Saul did not know yet of Samuel anointing David the next king of Israel. David’s harp would soothe the king and Saul liked David. At the same time, David was getting to see the inside working of what it was like to be a king and the daily decisions Saul was making.
Then, a battle come against the philistines where they brought out a giant called Goliath. He was over 7 feet tall and challenged the Israelites to bring out their best warrior to fight him. Saul and the Israelites trembled with fear, but David knew God would be with him, so he accepted the challenge. One note, David was very good with a slingshot he would use it to keep off the wild animals and protect the sheep. He also had fought a lion and won before so he was brave. When he saw Goliath, he didn’t see a huge warrior to fear, but a big target to hit with his slingshot. So when the battle began, David rushed to Goliath, took out his slingshot, and with one shot, hit the rock on Goliath’s head, and defeated Goliath. This is where David’s fame grew as he helped the Israelites beat the Philistines in that battle. But it would still be some time before he would get to rule as king. After David defeated Goliath, Saul wanted to know more about David and his family for he was no longer just a harp player but famous with the Israelites, and Saul was jealous of David. We’ll talk more about the adventures of Saul and David next time as well.
But first, the lessons of David from today. He had ability to get into the palace and study the king. God did this so he can learn how to be a king. So God was molding David at this time. Next, all those years protecting the sheep with a slingshot and killing a lion had prepared David for battle with Goliath. Sometimes God is getting us ready through the skills we acquire. We may not know until many years later how we can use it, but God will provide the opportunity where we can use those skills to serve him, same way David use his skills to destroy Goliath, Israel’s enemy. Also, while everyone saw Goliath as a giant, David saw him as a big target he couldn’t miss. This teaches us life is all about prospective. While some only see things are bad, others see what’ good and are able to make things work that those who think things are bad, miss. So always look at a prospective that’s good and helps create solutions to problems than getting stuck in the problem. And last, David knew God was with him. Goliath was fighting for himself while David was defending God. He had faith God was going to be with him. And God helped him defeat a giant against all odds. Just remember as long as you’re on God’s side, no enemy can defeat you and you will always prosper.
That’s it for today. Hope you’re enjoying these bible stories. Just remember these are God’s words and what God wants you to know about them so you know how to live your life and build a relationship with him. Have a heart like David and always put God first like David and you’ll be living your best and most purposeful life. Until next time, love you.
Love,
Daddy
4/5/25
