The Rise and fall of king david

On July 7th, we will begin a four-week sermon series entitled “The Rise and Fall of King David.” The Old Testament lectionary readings for these Sundays come from the book of 2nd Samuel. The sermon series will look like this:

July 7 2nd Samuel 5:1-5 They Anointed Him King

14 2nd Samuel 6:1-5; 12-19 Dancing a Holy Jig

21 2nd Samuel 7:1-14 Building the House of the Lord

28 2nd Samuel 12:1-13 You Are the Man!

David is one of the more fascinating figures in the Bible. His story is, well…, complicated. He slays the giant, writes the 23rd Psalm, leads ancient Israel to great heights. But he is also a flawed character. He has an affair with Bathsheba and then tries to cover it up.

I think one reason David’s story resonates with us is that we are so much like him. We have the capacity to do great things when we follow God’s will for our lives. But we also have the capacity to do horrible things. There is good and evil in all of us.

We see the complexity of David’s life in the picture above. Painted in 1622 by Gerard van Honthorst, it captures the key elements of his life. He is king, musician, composer. He is surrounded by darkness, and yet he is illuminated by light when he looks to the Lord.

I hope you will join me during the month of July as we study this complicated figure. He has a lot to teach us.