Israel is at a precarious moment in their history. They have enemies on all sides. Their first king has just died. They face an internal struggle. Will they descend into chaos or become the nation God has called them to be, a light to the other nations?

At this crucial moment, David steps up. He prayerfully pursues God’s leading and welcomes the anointing of the people as their king. Remember, God had chosen him earlier, telling Samuel to anoint him (1 Samuel 16). So now David’s kingship becomes a reality, fulfilling that earlier promise. And David shows graciousness to those who have been loyal to Saul. Through David, God is going to unite a troubled nation and give them good leadership. God is bringing order out of chaos, new life out of a time of degeneration and death. The people of Israel must increasingly be dead to Saul and alive to David as king.

So too, when we trust in Jesus as Lord, we transfer our allegiance from our old degenerate life of selfishness and sin to begin a new life in Christ. We bring our lives under his rule and reign. We proclaim and begin to embody his kingdom.

What does it mean to be a Christian? One way to describe it is to say that we live under a new King. We are loyal to the loving King whom God the Father has given to the world, and we live in the hope and service of his kingdom.