David’s weaknesses

King David

He committed adultery with Uriah’s wife. He plotted for Uriah’s murder. He coveted his neighbor’s wife. He forced a soldier to meet the wife. He broke military laws by putting Uriah in the frontline instead of the back. He married many wives which took a large portion of state money. Conclusion:  He repented and God forgave him.

KING DAVID’S IMPORTANCE

David and Bathsheba

I Samuel 16:1 – 23, 2 Sam 6:1 – 19

The achievements of David as king of Israel

QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER DRAWN FROM DAVID’S LEADERSHIP

Have faith in God.  A leader should be a God fearing man/seek God’s guidance as all authority comes from him. Have courage/bravery and fearlessness in spite of many dangers:  a leader should be more courageous than his people. Be just and fair.  All leaders must ensure that there is fair treatment for all in society/was a good administrator/ he never favoured anyone. David led his armies into battles.  Christian leaders should be in the forefront when their people have problems to be solved. Humility.  When David sinned he was ready to ask for forgiveness from God.  A leader should accept mistakes and be willing to ask for forgiveness/ repentance. David consulted the prophets of God in all his undertakings.  A leader needs to     recognize God’s chosen servants, priests; pastors co-operate with them and constantly ask Gods guidance before indulging in any venture.  Kindness.  David had a forgiving heart towards some of the offenders e.g. spared Saul’s life 1 Sam 24:10. Therefore modern leaders should be willing to accommodate their rivals even forgive their offenders. David felt that he was ruling for God.  He was just a servant of God not his master. A leader should lead as a servant of God. A leader should be patriotic to his country and be ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of unity, love and peace. A leader should be patient in decision making.  David gave his people to decide whether to accept his rule or not.  12. Loyalty.  David drew support of his subjects and never imposed his will on them.  Modern leaders should never betray their oath of loyalty they make to serve their subjects faithfully after taking office. Gratitude.  David always thanked God for any success or favours he received from him (Samuel 7:18 – 29).  Modern leaders should not be boastful over their personal achievements.  It is God who gives such success. Obedient and humble. He humbled himself before God and his Prophets and obeyed God’s commands/compassionate, loving, kind and merciful.  He was tolerant with King Saul.  He also helped the needy. Shrewd administrator. He chose wise leaders to help and advise him. Modern leaders should choose wise people to advise them in their administrative duties.​

Lessons Christians learn from King Solomon’s reign

King Solomon

These lessons include to: Be sexually pure. Be Monogamous.  Solomon’s seven hundred wives led him into worshipping their foreign gods. Be just and fair. Respect and honour God. Not misuse national resources. Put God above everything else.

The death of Solomon and the Division of the Kingdom

Death of King Solomon

​After the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam succeeded him. Not all tribes of Israel accepted him as their King and therefore it split into two. The Northern 10 tribes formed Israel while the 2 Southern tribes formed Judah.  Judah retained Jerusalem as the capital city. Factors that led to the division/reasons for the rise of schism in Israel

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King Solomon’s failures and weaknesses

King Solomon weaknesses

He married many foreign wives who brought with them the worship of foreign gods to    Israel.  Ex 34:16. He allowed his foreign wives to worship their gods in Israel. He built high places of worship/temples for the gods of his wives. Ex 20:4 – 5. Solomon worshiped the gods of his wives alongside the God of Israel thus broke the covenant with God. He imposed heavy taxation on his subjects and his districts in order to raise part of the government revenue. Solomon overspent and misused the wealth of the Kingdom by building a huge palace. He overtaxed his subjects to maintain high standard of living in his royal court/ was extravagant. He introduced forced labour to carry on his building programmes. E.g. palace and temple, therefore breaking the covenant rule of brotherhood. He gave King Hiram of Tyre an area of Israel’s land to pay off his debts thus treating the nation’s land as his own personal property. He killed his half-brother Adonijah (1Kings 2) because he suspected that Adonijah could be his rival to the throne thus committing murder. He practiced nepotism by exempting his own people from taxation and forced labour i.e. tribes of Judah and Benjamin exempted from forced labour and payment of taxes. He hired the skills of pagan craftsmen in the construction of the Temple and his palace. He made treaties with foreign Nations/neighbouring nations against the covenant requirements.

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REASONS FOR KINGSHIP IN ISRAEL - (1 SAMUEL 8:1 – 9)

Give five reasons why the Israelites demanded for a king.(1 Samuel 8). (5 marks)

Ways in which David demonstrated his faith in God/promoted worship of Yahweh

KCSE 2016 (Q3A.PP1): Explain six ways used by King David to promote the worship of Yahweh In Israel. (12 marks)

The following are the reasons why Samuel was unwilling to choose a king;

State six reasons why Samuel was against kingship in Israel. 

The importance of David as an ancestor of Jesus Christ

Bible Verse: David as the ancestor of Jesus Christ

David intended to build a splendid temple for God after he had accomplished building a palace for himself in Jerusalem, 2 Sam 7:1 – 29. He felt it was not fair for the Ark of the Covenant to continue dwelling in a tent while he himself lived in a magnificent palace. He consulted Nathan the Prophet to find out whether it was in order to do so. The Prophet approved the idea. Later that night, Nathan received a revelation that stated that David was not to build a     house/ temple for God; (2 Sam 7:5 – 6)

Promises God made to David through Prophet Nathan 

In 2 Sam 7:9 – 16 is a summary of the divine promises made to David by God. These are as follows;

The immediate fulfillment of these promises was seen in the reign of King Solomon, David’s son and successor.

David as an ancestor of Jesus Christ

Questions on topic