David WK1: Give Us A King! • June 3, 2018

The story of God forming the nation of Israel in the Old Testament tells of the special relationship between God and his people; a theocracy. God Himself was Israel’s King who guided His people using leaders He had called and directed. Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. Joshua was called to lead the military campaigns to possess the land of Canaan. After the Canaanites were militarily defeated, all that was left was the cleanup action. The land was divided among the twelve tribes and they were told to finish the job. The book of Joshua concludes with a renewal of the covenant with God and acknowledgment that God has fulfilled His promise. As the generation of Joshua passes away, the book of Judges records the unfaithfulness that emerges over the next 350 years as the Israelites take on the unacceptable religious practices of those they neglected to remove from the land. As a result, the Israelites come under the political influence and oppression of those around them, spiraling downward in a cyclone of failure. This is the Israel that demands a king and the story into which David is born.