After
Saul’s death, David became king over all of Israel. He conquered Jerusalem and made it into the
capital city. He had the Holy Ark of the Covenant brought to Jerusalem, together with the
tablets of stone on which the commandments of the covenant were written. He
wanted Jerusalem to be the city of God.
David trusted God. He wanted to stay faithful to the
Covenant. When he had done something evil he admitted his guilt and asked God
to forgive him. One day David summoned Nathan. Nathan was a man whom God had chosen
as his spokesman – a prophet. David said to Nathan: I am living in a splendid
palace, but the Holy Ark is still in a tent. I want to build a house for God.
The next day Nathan came back to David and said: God does
not want you to build him a house. On the contrary, he will build you a house
– a living house. When you die, your son will rule over God’s people. This
word holds true for ever. And so the people of God believe that the great
Saviour, the Messiah whom God had promised to man, will come from the family
of David.