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God’s Servant David

King David is described as a servant in numerous places. God promised in 2 Samuel to establish David’s throne forever. Reflecting on God’s promise in this passage, Psalm 89:19–29 recounts what God had to say to David.

I have granted help to a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David my servant; I have anointed him with my sacred oil. My hand will always be with him, and my arm will strengthen him. The enemy will not oppress him; the wicked will not afflict him.

I will crush his foes before him and strike those who hate him. My faithfulness and love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted. I will extend his power to the sea and his right hand to the rivers. He will call to me, “You are my Father, my God, the rock of my salvation.” I will also make him my firstborn, greatest of the kings of the earth. I will always preserve my faithful love for him, and my covenant with him will endure. I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as heaven lasts.

David is described as a warrior because he defeated Goliath, the Philistines, and many more. Yet it wasn’t David’s willingness to fight for God that we should notice. The Bible is clear that God saw in David a man after His own heart. After King Saul’s rebellion, God set circumstances in motion to remove Saul and replace him with someone who would have a heart for God and His kingdom. Through Samuel, God said to Saul, “The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded” (1 Sam. 13:14). Then, in 1 Samuel 16:10–13, God revealed that David was the servant He sought.

Several of the most important qualities of a servant are found in King David. In particular, he was humble, obedient, and full of devotion to God. While this description may not fit what we would expect in a king, it was exactly what God wanted. Even David’s father, Jesse, failed to understand the kind of person God sought as king. God’s ideal person was not the largest, strongest, oldest, or even the most established. Rather, God sought someone simple, unassuming, and focused on doing His work. David’s devotion to God shaped everything in his life, causing him to be humble and leading him to obedience.