1 Samuel 16: Election Day

The word “election” is a homonym, which means it has two different meanings. Politically speaking, it’s the action of choosing a leader. Theologically speaking, it’s when God chooses a person to receive salvation, grace and/or fulfill his purposes. 1 Samuel 16 could be considered an election because it’s both.

Even if you pick up the story of David right in the middle of 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel 16:1fills you right into the story. God has rejected Saul, not once, but twice. The first time God rejects Saul is when Saul performs a sacrifice instead of Samuel performing the sacrifice. God punishes Saul by taking away his dynasty (1 Samuel 13). The second time God rejects Saul is when Saul does not follow through with God’s orders to totally destroy the Amalekites. God punishes Saul by taking away his position as king (1 Samuel 15). And that’s exactly where the story of David picks up. In fact, the transition flows quite smoothly. 1 Samuel 15closes with the sentence, “And the Lord was grieved that He had made Saul king over all of Israel.” And as you will be able to tell from the first verse of 1 Samuel 16, Samuel, who has been reporting to Saul everything the Lord tells him to, shares in the same grievance. The book of Samuel doesn’t tell the reader how much time passed from the end of chapter 15 to the beginning of chapter 16, but the reader can figure out that whatever time passed, the Lord got over it a whole lot faster than Samuel. The Lord has moved on and is ready to pick the next king. Once again, take a little bit of time to go back and read 1 Samuel 13 & 15, or more specifically, 1 Samuel 13:14 & 15:28 respectively. Each time God punishes Saul, he already has in mind a new candidate. And the candidate search will lead him right to the house of Jesse.

Samuel, at first, doesn’t want to go because he’s stricken with fear. Samuel remembers that he pronounced God’s judgment against Saul right to the face of Saul. Samuel remembers clear as day telling Saul that his descendants won’t be king, and Saul will be king no longer. Surely if Saul found out Samuel was meeting with another man, he would realize Samuel is anointing another king and would go out to kill both Samuel and the king-elect! But note that the holy Lord does not suggest that Samuel lie or do anything deceiving. God sends Samuel to perform his normal priest duties around the nation of Israel(in this case, perform a sacrifice), and along the way, God will point out who the new king is.

The fear continues when Samuel finally arrives in the town of Bethlehem. When Samuel arrives, the elders tremble in fear. A priest like Samuel does most of his work in the cities and more densely populated areas. They rarely visited the rural regions. If Samuel was there, they thought, he must be bringing judgment, either from the Lord or King Saul. Samuel reassures them that his only business is to perform a sacrifice. But in order to perform a sacrifice in Bethlehem, he needs everyone to be consecrated. So everyone consecrates themselves, but Samuel himself consecrates Jesse and his sons, for Samuel has something special in plan for them.

So pretty much, the sons of Jesse line up and pass by Samuel, oldest to youngest. The firstborn is Eliab, and so he’s naturally the first to pass by Jesse. When Samuel sees him, Samuel thinks to himself that this trip will be short and sweet, for surely Eliab is God’s chosen one. Being the firstborn, Eliab is most likely the tallest, strongest and best looking. (context clues from1 Samuel 16:7). This has to be the chosen one! After all, God chose Saul, a tall, dark and handsome man last time…right? But as Samuel’s about to anoint his choice, God tells him to hold on to his oil, because God’s going to make a profound statement. Check it out.

1 Samuel 16:7–

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Obviously, the theme verse for the book of Samuel as a whole would be the Davidic Covenant, as found in 2 Samuel 7:7-17. But if I had to choose a theme verse for 1 Samuel alone, I would choose 1 Samuel 16:7 because it becomes a theme in book of 1 Samuel. Any time the Bible mentions a physical description of someone or something, it does so to give it a symbolic meaning or to make some kind of point. The book of 1 Samuel is riddled all over with these. This verse, paired alongside the stories of the two kings, is the best example. Think about the dualistic dichotomy I said the books 1 & 2 Samuel were trying to show us – the difference between the bad king and the good king.  Remember the Israelite people thought that Saul would make a great king because he looked like a king – tall, dark and handsome (1 Samuel 10:23,24). Yet he becomes a terrible king because he will not listen to God but only himself. Then comes along David, who, while he has a few handsome features, is short and ruddy. This does not sound like someone who you would picture when you pictured a king. And yet he ends up becoming the greatest king of Israel and Judah. Why? It all goes back to this verse. God shows his people that what makes a great king is not his looks, but his heart.

On a similar note, this verse helps answer another important question: “If God is all-knowing, and if God predestines, why did God choose a king who would fail him and be a bad king? Well, first of all, I’d bring you to back to the overall book, how it shows a dualistic dichotomy between a good king and a bad king. You don’t know how good something is until you know how bad it can be. Saul shows us how bad it can be in order for us to see how good of a king David is. Second, pertaining to this verse, I reminder you who really chose King Saul. It was the Israelites! Go back to 1 Samuel 8. When the people ask for a king, they ask for the wrong reasons, and ultimately reject God as king. So, as Romans 1 says, God handed them over to their own evil devices. Not only did the Lord give them a king, like they wanted, he gave them a king just like they wanted! He gave them a king that seemed like a good king by human standards. And by the time we get to the end of 1 Samuel, I’ll admit to you, he still looks like a good king by human standards! But he fails to be a good king by God’s standards. This time around, the people won’t choose a king, but God will choose the king, by his standards.

Before I move on, I like to use this verse as a good application verse. It always seems like the people who are good looking. The good looking ones are the popular kids in the high school. The good looking ones get the job before the ugly ones. There’s even a pick-up line that goes something like, “You’re hot, so you must be taken” because it seems like the handsome men and the pretty girls get the significant others while the ugly people stay single. So we feed into this. We spend tons of money on beauty products, such as makeup, haircuts, manicures, pedicures and even plastic surgery. Then we spend even more on clothes, making sure we’re wearing the latest fashions, to look even better. But the Lord truly believes in the old adage, “It’s not what’s on the outside that matters, but what’s on the inside that counts. The Lord sees past all layers of clothes and beautification, and he sees the heart. The Lord knows that while the fruit peel might look beautiful, the fruit might be rotten. If this is the way the Lord thinks and feels, shouldn’t we think and feel the same way? If we don’t, the consequences can be dire. Choosing the hotter date over the ugly date could mean rejecting a nice, kind and gentle date for a date that treats you like property, only caring what he/she gets out of it. Hiring the better looking employee could end up picking a lazy employee over a hardworking one. And, just like Israel, it could mean picking a bad leader over a good leader. Let’s be like God. Let’s decide never to base our decision on how people look, but where their heart is.

The process of passing by Samuel continues with Abinadab, Jesse’s second son, and Shammah, Jesse’s third son. Neither of them are the chosen one. The process continues with four more of Jesse’s sons, all yielding the same result. Samuel thinks he has a problem here. The Lord definitely told Samuel that God has chosen a new king from the family of Jesse. Yet Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel, and God gave a “no” to all of them! So Samuel asks Jesse, “Are you sure these are all of your sons? Are these all the sons you have, or do you possibly have more?” Jesse seems to brush off his last son, saying something along the lines of, “Well, we do have the short, young one, babysitting the sheep out back.” Even Jesse seems to not believe his little David could be the next king. But Samuel is perplexed and excited. This has to be the one. Samuel tells Jesse to go get him, for they will not sit down at the sacrifice’s table until everyone is truly there.

Enter David. The Bible describes David as ruddy and small (the word we translate as “youngest” in verse 11 could also mean “small” in Hebrew). The Jewish historian Josephus recorded David to be ten years old at the time of this event, but most modern-day scholars believe fifteen would be more accurate. This description doesn’t sound like one of a king. But the second Samuel sees David, God immediately says to Samuel, “Anoint him. He’s the one.” Interesting enough, the Bible never records any words between Samuel and David before, during or after the anointing. Perhaps the action alone was enough for David to know what was happening.

If you’re anything like me, or any other person, you’re probably asking, “Where’s the proof? What proof do you have that David is now king and Saul is not?” Well, that’s what the second half of 1 Samuel 16 is for.

Now if you’re reading the 1984 edition of the NIV, like I am, there’s a section heading splitting the two halves of the chapter. But remember those headings weren’t there when the text was originally written. It’s a shame they put it there, for I believe verses 13 and 14 go together very well. I’ll put them together for you.

1 Samuel 7:13-14–

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

Here we need a quick lesson on the role of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Our Christian doctrine on the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit rests on all who believe. That’s very much New Covenant thinking from the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit rested only on special people for special tasks. Such people were priests, judges, kings and prophets. The Holy Spirit would rarely leave the person because those tasks were usually lifelong tasks. But here we have an interesting case. The Holy Spirit does leave Saul. But why does he leave Saul? God has rejected Saul as king. Saul is no longer king. Since the special person Saul no longer has his special task of being king, the Holy Spirit leaves. Now the Holy Spirits rests on David. Why? David is now king. He’s now the special person with the special task. So the first proof we have that David is the new king is that he has the Holy Spirit.

Why verse 14 usually gets more attention is the phrase “evil spirit from the Lord.” Christian doctrine has always stated that God is holy and righteous, and has nothing to do with sin or evil. So how then can an evil spirit be from God? First, as the footnote points out, the Hebrew word can mean “evil,” but can also mean “harmful” or “injurious,” or even “morally corrupt.” But I think we need a more theological answer to a theological question. For the answer, I’m going to use the Theological Interpretation of Scripture and borrow a passage from Luke 11:24-26.

Luke 11:24-26–

²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

In this passage, Jesus explains to his disciples that it’s no good to just merely cast out a demon, but the essential part is to put in the Holy Spirit. For without the Holy Spirit vacating that empty spot, the demonic powers come back worse. Take that second part, and that’s what happened to Saul. God the Holy Spirit left Saul. When the Holy Spirit vacated and left a void in Saul’s heart, an evil spirit jumped on the chance to infect the present king of Israel, maybe in hopes to stray the Israelites further from God.

Any way you interpret that passage, verse 15 clearly explains that the evil spirit tormented Saul. The Hebrew word for torment can also be translated “tortuned,” “terrified” or simply “startled.” Saul’s attendants, most likely household servants, take note of how this evil spirit is infecting Saul. They then speak a jussive, which is a first person plural command. Some have suggested it’s a nice and respectful way to give a command, but in this context, I believe it’s kindly commanding the king to give a command, for they can do nothing without the king’s permission. Their suggestion is to find a harp player to play soothing music from the harp (or lyre) when the evil spirit comes upon Saul. The Old Testament hints that the Israelites believed the harp had power in the spiritual world, for even Elisha calls for someone to play the harp for him (2 Kings 3:15). Saul agrees with the idea and makes it an official command. It seems like one of the servants had this plan from the start, as he already has a person picked out for the job. It’s David!

Sure enough, David comes into the king’s presence when Saul gets attacked by the evil spirit. David plays his harp, and it works! It works so well, and Saul is so pleased, Saul puts David in the service as an armor-bearer. This was a position only for someone close to Saul. David does seem close to Saul, for verse 21 says Saul liked David very much. Some translators even believe the verse should say Saul loved David! Either way, Saul appreciates what David does for him. Chapter 16 ends mentioning that this happened many times to Saul and every time David would come in, play his harp, and the problem would be solved.

So let’s talk about the passage in its near context by itself. What’s this passage trying to tell us? I see this passage as spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit has left Saul. In its place, an evil spirit has entered and began messing with the reigning leader of Israel. No one would want their leader to be possessed by an evil spirit, especially when it is God’s people. What are the Israelites suppose to do? In comes David. David is now filled with the Holy Spirit Saul once had. Through David’s harp playing, the Holy Spirit fights off the evil spirit within Saul, and the Holy Spirit wins! Even when God is not with the reigning king of Israel, he is still watching out for his people, protecting them from the evil forces of the world.

As for David, his role is much bigger. This event is the second proof that David is the next king of Israel. First of all, God has empowered David with the Holy Spirit to serve him, such as fighting evil spirits. Second, David’s success at fighting evil spirits has promoted David into the service of the royal family. Already David has footing in the palace, even though he is still far from king. Already God is making David the new king. So what’s the proof David is the new king? The Holy Spirit is upon David, and it is empowering David to do God’s work!

We’re not done with our proofs yet. In the next chapter, look out for more proof that David is the new king of Israel. Also look for how physical descriptions continue to play into the narrative.  In the next two chapters, look to see how David becomes more and more the king, and how Saul becomes less and less the king. Also, in the next two chapters, look for the continuing battle between the Holy Spirit within David and the evil spirit within Saul.

1 Samuel + 2 Samuel = Samuel

I went to a Christian middle school and Christian high school (whose names aren’t worth mentioning), and then in college, I had 2 internships at Christian schools, a practicum at another Christian school, and student teaching at yet another Christian school. I can say I got my fair share of the social feel of the student body. A lot of times, the students would complain that their school didn’t have open end periods, dances or off campus lunches. Their reason why they deserved all this? They would chant, “Well all the other public schools have them. Why can’t we be like the public schools?” Every time they would say that, my mind would float to the book of 1 Samuel, for a saying similar to that is what kicks off the events within 1 Samuel… or should I say just “Samuel.”

Something you may not know that the books we call “1 Samuel” and “2 Samuel” were together as one book, or should I say scroll, in the original Hebrew Old Testament. It wasn’t until the Greek Septuagint put in the vowels that the book of Samuel became too long for both scrolls and codexes (early books). So the book needed to be divided into two books. And the division is so perfect, it’s got to somehow be God inspired, and if it’s not then, the scribes who made the division prayer a lot about it! I’ll explain that later.

Something else you may not know is the book’s title is not Samuel because he’s the author. That’s because Samuel is most likely not the author of the book of Samuel. Yeah, it’s true that some traditions will insist that Samuel is the author, but there’s a problem with that. Near the end of the book of 1 Samuel, roughly halfway through the whole book of Samuel, Samuel dies. But I’m not ready to rule out Samuel for all of it. 1 Samuel 10:25 says that Samuel did write, so Samuel might have been a source or a partial writer for 1 Samuel 1-24. In fact, the author(s) of Samuel might have used or compiled a few sources for the book of Samuel. 2 Samuel 1:18references the book of Jashur as a source. 1 Chronicles 29:29 cites the prophet Nathan and the seer Gad as other sources. And of course Samuel himself might have contributed, as we saw in 1 Samuel 10:25. So the author(s) who wrote the book wrote the book of Samuel as we know it will remain forever a mystery. The authors could have been Samuel, Nathan and Gad, or the author(s) could have copied from the writing of Samuel, Nathan and Gad. No one will ever know. But the only reason I ever talk about a Bible book’s author is if I believe that the knowing who the author is will enhance the reader’s understanding of the book at hand. I do not see how knowing the author will help understand this part of the history of Israel, so the author’s identity is nothing to fret over. Besides, (an) unknown and uncertain author(s) remind us that no matter what human wrote the book down, God is always the author of every book, for the Bible is his inspired, God-breathed Word (2 Timothy 3:16). So if Samuel’s not the author, then why is the book called Samuel? The book’s name comes from the first main character in the book: Samuel.

Knowing the book’s author(s) may not be any help, but knowing the book’s main characters does help. Not only does it help outline the book (which I will talk about later), but it also helps to date when the book’s events happened and when the book might have been written. The book of Samuel opens with, as you may have guessed, the birth of Samuel. Scholars date this event to 1120 BC. The book of Samuel ends with David facing death, which scholars date to 971 BC. That means the book of Samuel spans 150 years! But remember in our English Bibles, the book of Samuel is two books: 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. 1 Samuel still opens with the birth of Samuel in 1120 BC. It ends with the death of Saul, which many scholars date to 1011 BC. So 1Samuel spans from 1120 to 1011, about 110 years. 2 Samuel begins with David’s throne finally being established, also in 1011 BC. 2 Samuel still closes with the near end of David’s reign and David’s life in 971. 2 Samuel’s timespan is much shorter than 1 Samuel, as it is only about 40 years. Still I think the book’s divide is perfect, almost divine. With 1 Samuel ending with the death of Saul, 1 Samuel’s story focuses around the reign of King Saul (1 Samuel 1-8 about Samuel serves as preface and transition to the monarchy). 2 Samuel’s story revolves around the reign of King David, all the way to near the end of his life. The divide also creates a dualistic dichotomy between the two kings, which will further be explained later. But can you see why I can easily believe this divide might be divine? It’s that perfect!

As for the date the book was written (or maybe even compiled), no one know for certain, but it has to be between certain milestones. Clearly, it has to be after the events happened, so it can’t be any earlier than 970 BC. Sometimes what helps date the book is the knowledge of historical events that the author has. If you read through the book of Samuel, you’ll see that it uses the phrase “Israeland Judah” six times (twice in 1 Samuel, 4 times in 2 Samuel). In the time of the story, Israel is a united nation; all twelve tribes consist of Israel. It would be redundant to say “Israeland Judah” in this time period. It does make sense, however, in the time of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. It shows the unity of the two nations. Therefore, the author(s) lived during the divided kingdom. Thus, the book has to be written after 931 BC, the divide of Israel and Judah into 2 nations. At the same time, the author does not seem to be aware of the fall of the nation of Israel, which happened in 722 BC. So the book couldn’t have been written any later than 722 BC. 931-722 BC is too big of a possible time span for me. For me, I like to believe that the events of book were recorded shortly after they happened. So let’s say the book was written between 930-900 BC. That’s a short time span I can live with.

Clearly, the events of the book take place in the united kingdom of Israel, with a little bit happening in Philistia. As for the where the book was written, it’s hard to tell. We know it’s got to be either Israel or Judah, but we really don’t know which one. The date time span and the unknown author doesn’t help pin this down. But just like the author, knowing where the book was written will not affect any interpretation.

What the location does tell us is the audience whom the book is written to. No matter whether the kingdom is united or divided, the book is written for God’s people, both Israeland Judah, both the Israelites and the Jews. It’s all about their history, how God is continuing his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He has rescued them Egypt, as well as many Canaanite people groups in the books of Joshua and Judges. It’s all about God’s faithfulness to them.

This brings us to one more point: the canonicity. The canonicity discusses the Bible book’s place in the Bible. The book of Samuel sits between Judges (Ruth is more of a side story from the time period of the Judges) and Kings. Of course, since it’s a history book, it’s naturally there for chronological order. But there’s even more than that. It sets the scene using its own history. In the previous book, the book of Judges, the Judges theocracy has got the Israelites stuck in a cycle of ups and downs. With every new judge, the judges have gotten progressively worse. The last judge in the book of Judges, Samson, is completely selfish and defiles God’s Laws and his Nazarite vows. It gets so bad that the book of Judges ends with Israel in civil war, displaying them as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah! Both the Lord and the Israelites realize this system isn’t working. It’s not the Lord’s fault, but Israel’s fault, being unfaithful to God. So a new system has to be put in place. Replacing the judges theocracy is the monocratic theocracy. God is still in charge, but instead of a judge arising in emergencies, a king will rule. How will king ruling differ from a judge ruling? This book will answer that question.

And just like that, I’ve set all the background information we need Samuel

AUTHOR (WHO): Unknown

AUDIENCE (WHOM): Israelites (Israel& Judah)
DATE (WHEN): Events: 1120-971 BC. Written:930-900 BC.
LOCATION (WHERE): The United Kingdom of Israel(Israel & Judah)
HISTORICAL OCCASION (WHAT): The judges theocracy has failed and so an monocratic theocracy will be established

Now let’s talk purpose. For the purpose, I am going to create a purpose for the book of Samuel, but also a purpose for 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel individually. The purpose for Samuel will be a hybrid combination of the purpose for 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. For what I see as the purpose, I want to draw your attention once again to that perfect divide between 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. First, remember that I said that the divide makes 1 Samuel’s main character King Saul while 2 Samuel’s main character is King David. So these kings have to be mentioned in the purpose. Also remember I said that the divide creates a dualistic dichotomy between these two people. If you know anything about these two kings, David is described to be a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). Saul is depicted to be quite the opposite; he has no heart for God. Despite coming from humble beginnings, Saul becomes selfish, only doing what he wants to do and what pleases him. When a dichotomy or dualism becomes that sharp, the story is trying to show its audience a good example and a bad example. A king (or any leader, for that matter) is supposed to a representative to the people and an example on how to live. A king should only be followed if he’s worth following. 1 Samuel is trying to show the reader Saul’s a bad example and not worth following because he does not give his heart to God. 2 Samuel, on the other hand, shows a good king David, who is worthy to follow because he’s a man after God’s heart. By doing so, the book of Samuel legitimatizes the Davidic covenant and the Davidic dynasty.

Samuel

The Lord/author wrote the book of Samuel to inform the Israelites that David and his descendants are God’s choice for Israeland the Messiah

1 Samuel

The Lord/author wrote the book of 1 Samuelto persuade the Israelites to not follow the example of Saul, who had no heart for God.

2 Samuel

The Lord/author wrote the book of 2 Samuelto motivate the Israelites to follow the example of David and to be a [wo]man after God’s heart.

The purpose for the whole book of Samuel is as clear as day. The text central to the whole book is the Davidic Covenant found 2 Samuel 7:7-17. Every event prior to that passage points up to that point. God rejects Saul as king because he has no heart for God. The Lord turns to David, a man after God’s heart to be the next time. Time after time, 1 Samuel will give proof David is meant to be king. Even when David is hiding from Saul, God is faithful to his promise, and David does become king. Even when one of Saul’s sons tries to take the throne right after Saul’s death, God is faithful and hands the kingdom over to David. Even after the event, when all seems to go downhill, God is still faithful, and the Davidic dynasty is still strong, even after civil war, both within the family and outside in the nation.

But I can still hear my LBC professors asking, “What’s the personal application? What do the readers take home with them? How are the readers suppose to act or respond?” For that answer, I go back to dualistic dichotomy. It’s too strong to ignore. Saul, although he comes from humble beginnings, ends up being selfish, with no heart for God, but only for himself. When David becomes king, he is a man after God’s heart from the start to the end. These two kings are side-by-side for a reason. When put side-by-side, it’s clear who the good king is and who the bad king is. Saul is the bad king and David’s the good king. What makes one king good and one king bad? It’s all about their relationship with God.

See, in Israel, the king served two important spiritual functions. First, he was to be a representative of the people to God. Second, the king was suppose to be a godly example to the people. Under that context, it becomes even more clear why Saul is the bad king and David is the good king. Saul failed to do both. He wasn’t a godly example. Because he wasn’t a godly example, he did motivate the people to become godly people. Therefore, Saul was a terrible representative to the people because he appeared as someone God would not want to deal with. David succeeded in both ways. By living a godly lifestyle, he motivated the Israelites to live godly lives themselves. Thus, a godly David represented a godly people, a people God wanted to work with. Maybe that’s why God offered David a covenant.

These two kings still play a similar role today as they did when they were reigning on earth. They are still examples. Except this time, both of them are not the example to follow; only one is.  The application the readers can take from the book of Saul can be summed up in a few questions: “Whose example will I follow? Will I follow the example of Saul, become selfish, and have no heart for God? Or will I follow the example of David, become humble, submissive and broken, and end up whole heartedly for God?” These two books help us make the choice by showing how to become a [wo]man with no heart for God and how to become a [wo]man after God’s own heart.

As for the plan on how the book[s] of Samuel express this purpose, all I’m going to say is it’s a historical narrative with a theological message. But I’m not going to outline it. If I do, I’m going to wait until the end. Why? Because I want everyone to see how the story plays itself out, and then we’ll look back and realize how God’s redemptive history unfolds. But as you are reading, ask yourself questions about the purpose. First, ask, “What makes the David the perfect man to establish a covenant one, especially one that makes him a king of a dynasty?” Second, ask, “What makes David a man after God’s heart?” The two answers we discover will show us why it’s important to study the book of Samuel and the story of David.