This book was written to turn people on to the story of David. I discovered his life when I was a young man. At the time of that discovery, I thought I already knew the stories. The guy who killed Goliath. The king who committed adultery with Bathsheba. These incidents are barely the tip of the iceberg for one of the most influential characters in the whole Bible. Few Biblical characters achieve the capacity to amaze us like King David. He was the man after God’s own heart: the apple of God’s eye, the giant killer, adulterer, murderer, and lover of the presence of God.

When I first encountered the real story of David, many years ago, my perspectives were stripped clean of any religious training or taming of the story. Absent such influences and instruction, I learned to read the Bible differently. I knew the Sunday school versions of his story, of course—but when I approached him for myself, most of my discovery of the ancient king’s life was new and, frankly, quite shocking.

I quickly realized the mere existence of the narrative does not equal God’s endorsement or affirmation. In other words, just because it is included in the Biblical story does not mean it is a positive thing. God did not bless David’s adultery, any more than He blessed his multiple marriages, or relationships with his concubines. These details are included for a reason—but it is not to paint a picture of David as some sinless saint, as many perceive him today.

No story in Scripture challenges us to see the will and purpose of God quite like David’s. Although the portrayal is astoundingly transparent in its account of this famous hero of ancient Israel, it is also largely silent on defining right and wrong within that record. The story of David spans 1 and 2 Samuel, parts of 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and the Psalms. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly of David’s life—more so than any other figure in the Bible—but we seldom find clarification of God’s view on the issues encountered in those chapters and verses. Are David’s actions in the story good or bad? To find those answers, we must go deeper, and get to know the God of David!

As I wrote this book, I often excitedly shared different accounts with my wife and daughter around the dinner table. Their responses frequently included a look of frustrated disapproval. When we read the story of David, if we are not offended at some level, we are probably reading it wrong. It is far more than the tale of a young shepherd boy defeating the giant. It is a complex chronicle of a deeply flawed character, whom God chose, loved, and profiled in His Word for us to learn from. When we dig beyond the superficial level of David’s story, we are forced to confront our own religious assumptions—and then move beyond them, to find the true nature of the God who loved this man. I believe that is part of the point of God’s preferences upon the ancient king’s life. God wants us to see who He really is within the story of David.

I am thankful for the nature of my first approach to King David so many years ago. I was a novice. My initial perspectives of the Biblical hero developed mainly without influence from other sources apart from the Bible. Through the years and decades since, I have read and studied the insights of different thinkers and scholars on the life of David. Many of these included the perspectives of believers, but I also looked at insights from non-believers. While those perspectives lacked the life and spirit of truth I preferred in my studies, I found it important to consider their viewpoint, because David is seen as a highly regarded and often derided figure of history. His fame as a warrior and king is countered by his terrible scandal of adultery, betrayal, and murder. When Paul described hypocritical religious leaders who inspire the ‘name of God to be blasphemed among the Gentiles’, he surely must have included these actions of David with Bathsheba and Uriah in his mind.[1]

As a result of my studies, what follows in the pages of this book is a complex and layered account of the life of David, the man after God’s own heart. David’s son, King Solomon, once wrote:

Through wisdom a house is built,

And by understanding it is established;

By knowledge the rooms are filled

With all precious and pleasant riches.[2]

That proverb always struck me in its description of the complex nature of the discovery of truth. First, there is revelation; then, there is understanding; and finally, there is knowledge to help illustrate and convey that original revelation. That is the purpose of this book: to tell the story of David, and bring us home to the revelation of God that stands behind the life of this complicated but incredible figure from Scripture.

I once shared with a friend that David might be one of my heroes of the faith. By the time we finish this story, the reader will appreciate why such a statement must be qualified. Some parts of David’s story are far from heroic, and this goes well beyond the Bathsheba scandal. Some parts are downright shameful. Yet, when I read modern books and accounts of the life of David, I find myself offended by the liberties authors and dramatists take in depicting his life. Many revisionist historians take unprovoked and careless steps with the narrative. My instinctive revulsion when I come across such inappropriate accounts is intuitive evidence of how valued the story of David is within my own heart.

One popular addition to the story in recent decades has been the suggestion that David was a homosexual. There is zero historical or Biblical evidence to support such a lie, yet many novelists have spread and embellished such slander, since the 1970s. These untruths in the retelling of David’s story tell more about the writers and their times than about David. We will address that specific falsehood later in this book. Still, I find its persistent assertion so frustrating, because there is so much bad press plainly visible in the scriptural accounts of David. Why would anyone need to add to it? The lies distract us from what we can gain among the horrible truths clearly revealed in David’s saga. When I encounter books, movies, and even television shows that dramatize the epic of David, with so many extra details that have no basis in the scriptural narrative, it convinces me the writers and creators do not understand the actual story. There is far more than enough drama here to satisfy any epic retelling. But then again, if the real story of David was effectively retold on the silver screen, as much as I would like to, my personal boundaries of what content I allow myself to watch at the theater might prohibit me. The real David story is rated R for all the wrong reasons.

The books of the Bible that tell the story of David began to be written onto scrolls around 931 to 722 BC, making it a little older than works like the Odyssey, which stands as a famous Greek epic from the other side of the Mediterranean world in ancient history. Subtract the bias that many scholars hold against Biblical narratives, and the works of ancient Greece do not hold a candle to the story of David. While the Odyssey tells stories of men being turned into pigs, half-bird half-woman sirens, people descending into the underworld to speak with the dead, and one-eyed cyclops giants, the story of David is authentic human drama and tragedy. Interestingly, compared to many other books of the Old and New Testaments, there are hardly any miraculous events in the story of David. The sun does not stand still in the sky. The dead are not raised. The waters don’t part for David and his followers to cross the sea on dry land. The story of David is one of political intrigue, family loyalties formed then torn apart, powerful warriors, influential political advisors, honorable women, betrayal, failure, friendship, love and so much more. This is a storyof real life every day drama. We even find our first person with a disability profiled in history within this story. This epic is gritty everyday life drama that we can all relate to. In the 1940s, the Old Testament scholar Gerhard von Rad described the David story as the beginning of history writing in the Western tradition.

Most of us are familiar with the adventure parts of David’s story. His story is certainly action-packed, but it is also full of political intrigue. When we miss the political realities that serve as a backdrop to the story, we miss the significance of many events from the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. The story is also a tragedy of epic proportions, with multiple layers of plot and subplot.

For example, David was not the first king of Israel. He was the second king—Plan B, if you will. King Saul might have been the man with whom God made an eternal covenant, the centerpiece in the line of Jesus’ genealogy. But Saul failed, and refused to repent. This first king began as an astounding and heroic figure within Israel, but he devolved into a self-destructive madman cursed with terrible depression, spending his last night on earth at dinner with an outlaw witch, after he went calling on the dead. Such tragic details and depth are supported by mere single lines of different verses that add to the richness of the David story. These subplots buttress the broader drama, informing us of the political divisions, and context of the kingdom and the unfolding epoch in which David ascended and ruled.

Romance is also captured within the pages of our hero’s journey. For the first time in recorded human history, we observe a woman’s love for a man in this story. Another woman is identified for her distinct wisdom, rather than her physical appearance—this is what makes Abigail, David’s second wife, so attractive. We find her intelligence and wisdom highlighted rather than only her physical beauty. Scholars have noted that among the most unique aspects of the David story in ancient history is the role of women. Time and again, women operating as background actors in the drama move the plot along, and even shift David and other chief characters away from doomed pathways toward the correct path. These women are often featured by name, while at other times, we know them only as an unnamed ‘wise woman’.

At various turns in the story, David is featured as a man who is loved. King Saul, the man who ultimately tries to kill him, is the first person described as one who loved David. In a chapter in 1 Samuel, Saul’s children Michal and Jonathan are both said to love him. Strangely, with all the love directed toward David, we never find a verse that informs us that he loved anyone. Notably, the Bible never tells us that Bathsheba loved David.

These details are important, because they shed so much light on the greater story. The Bible offers immense and brutally honest details about the life of David, but these details are in a concentrated form. We must pull out what seems like an obscure point, and dig into it deeper, to fully understand and appreciate what is being said. For example, David is noted to have often ‘inquired of God’ to find his pathways forward. I have heard many teachings about this attribute of David’s faithful inquiry of God. It is crucial information for understanding his success. However, we must also note that it was not a consistent rule in his life. Sometimes, he inquired of God; sometimes, he didn’t. In the famous encounter between David and Goliath, God never instructed David to fight the giant, and David never inquired of God on the matter. The story is more complicated, because both David and God are more complex than a simple formula for success.

The story of David is one of betrayal, coups and rebellions, vendettas, falls from grace, nepotism, mercy, judgment, regret, and redemption. When we dig into the saga of David, we discover a room of God’s Word filled with enormous treasure. I hope that as you read through the following pages, you will be intrigued by David’s journey. More importantly, I hope you will be inspired to take your own journey through God’s Word, to learn and discover the life of David. As I read Scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart, nudging me toward personal changes that trigger transformation, convicting me of sin, righteousness, and judgment.[3]

To that end, this book is structured in such a way that invites personal Bible study. Each chapter is preceded by markers, that note where the details of that chapter can be found in Scripture. I encourage you to open your Bible and read along on this journey. If you start with the Biblical account and then follow that up with the chapter that elaborates on that account in this book, the pages that follow could make as great an impact on your heart as they did on mine. Every detail within the pages that follow is supported by Scripture. Occasionally, when I present theories or conjectures regarding unspoken parts of Scripture, I will always emphasize such speculations, so as not to confuse Biblical truth with my perspectives. This book may inspire and provoke—but only God’s Word, ‘alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword’, can penetrate the human heart and trigger a transformation of our inner being.[4]

***

This is the incredible story of David, poet, warrior, and king, as I found it in the Word of God.

[1] Romans 2:24

[2] Proverbs 24:3-4

[3] John 16:8

[4] Hebrews 4:12