David’s Story
Because of your faithful partnership, David’s Story has been translated into 13 Muslim languages.
Could you understand the depth of the Psalms if you didn't know about David's life?
Muslims recognize David as a prophet of God and consider the Psalms (or Zabur) to be God's revelation to him. Unfortunately, they are generally unaware of the events of David's life. The Quran does mention that David killed Goliath and struggled against Saul until he became the king of Israel.
The extent of our knowledge of the life of David provides context for our reading of the Psalms. Once King Saul realized that David was a threat to his throne, he began to pursue David relentlessly. David faced disappointment when he realized that his childhood friend, Saul's son Jonathan, could not help him evade Saul's intent to find and kill him.
Eventually, David finds himself in the court of Achish, an enemy of the people of Israel. But his fame has preceded him, and he is betrayed by a provocative lyric: "Saul struck down his thousands, but David his tens of thousands." In fear for his life, David resorts to feigning madness, scribbling on walls and foaming at the mouth, until King Achish throws him out, humiliated but unharmed.
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18, ESV)
Though the Prophet Samuel had anointed him as the future king of Israel, David was chased away from that promise and forced to rely on theatrics to survive. But as Psalms 34 unfolds, we experience David's gratefulness to God for his escape. We sense a new level of faith welling up in his heart as he tastes the goodness of God and believes that God is FOR him.