King David is known as the eternal king of our nation, Israel. We also know the true Messiah will be his direct blood-descendent. Despite passing away about 3000 years ago, King David's memory and inspiration are alive and well.
He wrote most of the book of Psalms, whose influence has spread beyond the borders of Judaism and is looked to for faith and inspiration by billions around the world. Psalms are part of all Jewish prayer services. The daily prayer (Shemona Esrei) and blessings after meals also include petitions to God asking for King David's offspring (including the Messiah) to flourish and be blessed.
Even Jews from a secular background who don't know the religious liturgy have heard the anthem whose source is the Talmud, "King David Lives and Existed (David Melech Yisrael Chai Vikaiyam)." Do we know of any other nation who has remained loyal to their fleshly king as Israel has to King David? Has any king throughout history remained relevant to so so many? No one comes remotely close.
King David is the archetype of a perfect King of Israel, a ruler of the people who's intentions were to God alone. The King of Israel is meant to lead people to God, which King David did. Privately he was dedicated to God in every way as the book of Psalms records. His thoughts and prayers were directed towards God through his many struggles and emotionally complex situations.
He is an embodiment of his son King Solomon's words, "There is a season for everything." King David was not a pacifist; he not only waged battles through prayer, but he was also a man of physical war. He was the leader of his troops who fought not only against foreign nations, conquering territory and expanding the borders of Israel, he also waged war against his flesh and people, fighting his son and his son's troops who rebelled against him.
The book of Psalms recounts both the victories and times of triumph and moments of great turmoil that put King David within a hairsbreadth of defeat. Through it all, he turned to the Creator in every situation, expressing his honest heart as prayers at all times. Even when faced with the realization that he made a grave mistake, he repented of his wrongdoing. It's in this moment of repentance that tradition tells he rose to the spiritual heights and status of being our eternal king. Simultaneously this carved the path of individual repentance, whereby an individual can repent of his wrongdoing and return as an individual back to God (previously repentance was only done as the general public).
From King David, we learn that being a person of God is multifaceted, and there is no single path of behavior that one must take to serve Him properly. One must submit to His will when it is time to submit, run when one is forced to run, pray for salvation in times of difficulty, thank in times of bounty, and fight when it is time to fight, and more. King David's genuine greatness allows his legacy to be carried on while inspiring billions until this day.
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