From a humble shepherd, David grew to become the most honored king in Israel’s history. Hundreds of years later, the kingdom of Judah was still ruled by “the house of David” (Isaiah 7:2; 2 Nephi 17:2).
How did he accomplish this? As the record continually reminds us, he didn’t do it. The Lord did. Long before becoming king, David understood this, as he courageously testified to Goliath, “The Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). Many years later, after becoming king of Israel, David needed to be reminded of this fact. “I took thee from the sheepcote,” the Lord told him, “from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel” (2 Samuel 7:8). Then, He added, “Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16).
David’s kingdom eventually fell to the Babylonian empire in about 587 BC. But as Isaiah had previously prophesied, that was not the end. His dynasty would continue in an unexpected way:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6-7; compare 2 Nephi 19:6-7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
This prophecy was fulfilled centuries later, when an angel visited a young woman in Nazareth who was engaged to “a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David” (Luke 1:27). The Savior’s eternal victory over death and sin is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise that David’s house would endure forever.
Perhaps that’s why the version of Isaiah’s prophecy recorded in the Book of Mormon uses present instead of future tense: “Of the increase of government and peace there is no end” (2 Nephi 19:7; italics added).
This week, as we study David’s rise to power, let’s consider how God was building his leadership and legacy through both his triumphs and his trials.
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