Tag: 1 Samuel

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Was David king before facing Goliath?

david and goliath

True/False: David was anointed king before facing Goliath.

TRUE!

David was anointed king by the prophet Samuel and began serving king Saul as a musician and armor bearer (1 Samuel 16) before he faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
It is possible for you to be anointed (or declared to be something) and wait a while before seeing it manifest in your life.
Abraham was called blessed and the father of nations (Genesis 12:2-4) 25 years before he had his promised child, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-7).
Joseph was declared to be a prosperous man, while he was still a slave in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:1-6). He would go on to serve time in prison before he was finally elevated to the #2 man in the land of Egypt (Genesis 41:37-44; 42:6).
David was anointed king after God rejected Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-11,23). But he continued to serve his father and even Saul faithfully even though the former saw little value in him and the latter wanted to kill him. In due time, David met a challenge, Goliath, that elevated his stature in the kingdom and paved the way for him to finally ascend to the throne.
What Goliath (or mountain) are you facing in your life today?
First, find out what God’s Word says about you. Then declare God’s Word over your life and watch it come to pass.

Our Prayer For You

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 NKJV.

Did You Know?

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world (1 John 4:4 NLT).

About BibleStorm

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truth found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God. Learn more about us.

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What Were Israel’s forms of government in the Old Testament?

November 6 is election day in the United States of America. So our trivia question for today is:

Which of the following forms of government did Israel NOT have in the Old Testament?
A. Anarchy
B. Democracy
C. Monarchy
D. Theocracy

The answer is “B” – Israel did not have a democratic form of government during the Old Testament. They started with a Theocracy, went through a period of Anarchy, before choosing a Monarchy.

 

Theocracy

The Israelites initially had a theocracy (ruled directly by God) beginning with God establishing His covenant with Abraham [1] through the days of Moses and Joshua. For example, God led the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the promised land using a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. [2] When the pillar moved, the people moved. God was training the people to follow Him (and for today’s believers, He does that through the Holy Spirit).

 

Anarchy

God told the people of Israel that when they entered the promised land, they were to: [3]
  • Utterly destroy the people living there
  • Not make covenants with them
  • Break down their altars/images
  • Not marry them or allow their children to marry them

However, after entering the promised land, the people did not heed God’s commandments. Because of this, God did not drive out their enemies but left them in place to be a thorn and snare to Israel. [4]

As such, there was a period of anarchy. During this time “every man did what was right in his own eyes” [5] and sin and injustice was rampant throughout the land. Once in a while, the people would cry out to God and He would raise up a judge (such as Gideon and Samson), that He would use to temporarily deliver the people from their enemies. But they would return to their wicked ways. During this time, “the word of the Lord was rare and there was no widespread revelation”. [6]

 

Monarchy

The judge/prophet, Samuel, was the bridge between the period of the judges and the establishment of the monarchy. [7] In fact, Samuel anointed the first [8] and second [9] kings of Israel (Saul and David respectively). God would have established Saul and his descendants to rule Israel forever, but due to his disobedience and unlawful sacrifice, the kingdom was given to David instead. [10]

 

Scripture References:

  1. Genesis 17:1-16
  2. Exodus 13:21-22
  3. Exodus 34:10-17
  4. Judges 2:1-4
  5. Judges 17:6
  6. 1 Samuel 3:1
  7. 1 Samuel 8:1-9
  8. 1 Samuel 9:27-10:1
  9. 1 Samuel 16:11-13
  10. 1 Samuel 13:13-14

 

Other References