King David

No fixed feast day in the calendar

King David: the back of the card, with its short story, lesson and a QR code that opens it in the Catholic Information app. The full text is below.

Flip the card and scan the QR code on the back to open it in the app

King David, the shepherd boy God chose, the singer of the Psalms and an ancestor of Jesus.

Who is he?

King David is the most famous king of Israel, who lived about a thousand years before Jesus. He was a brave warrior, a fine musician and a man who knew how to repent. God promised that the throne of his family would be made firm forever (cf. 2 Sm 7:16), and this promise came true in Jesus.

Life story

David was the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem. He had reddish hair and beautiful eyes (cf. 1 Sm 16:12), and every day he tended his father’s sheep. When the prophet Samuel came looking for the one God had chosen to be king, none of his brothers was chosen. They called David in from the fields, and Samuel anointed him. “The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sm 16:13).

At that time, the Philistine giant Goliath challenged the army of Israel, and no one dared to fight him. David wore no armor; he took only his staff, five smooth stones and a sling (cf. 1 Sm 17:40). He came “in the name of the LORD of hosts” (1 Sm 17:45). With just one stone, the giant fell (cf. 1 Sm 17:49).

As king, he chose Jerusalem as his capital and brought the Ark of God into the city. He joyfully danced with all his might before the LORD (cf. 2 Sm 6:14).

But King David also committed a serious sin: he took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and then arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle (cf. 2 Sm 11). The prophet Nathan came and told the king the story of a poor man’s little lamb, and the king realized his sin. He said: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sm 12:13). According to the title of Psalm 51, the king prayed that psalm to ask for God’s mercy.

Why does the Church honor him?

King David was not perfect, but he had a heart that loved God and knew how to truly repent. Many Psalms bear his name, like Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23:1). At the Annunciation, the angel announced that Jesus would be given “the throne of his father David” (Lk 1:32). The Roman Martyrology remembers him on December 29.

A lesson for you

Sing God’s praises joyfully, at Mass and at home.
When you face something hard, like a “Goliath”, trust in God instead of relying only on your own strength.
When you sin, don’t hide it: admit your fault and go to Confession, like King David.

Identifying marks

A harp: he played the harp beautifully and, according to tradition, wrote many of the Psalms.
A crown and a red royal cloak: he was the king God chose to shepherd the people of Israel.
The walls of Jerusalem: he captured this city, made it his capital and brought the Ark of God into it (cf. 2 Sm 6).
A sling (*): when he was a shepherd boy, he brought down the giant Goliath with a single stone (cf. 1 Sm 17:49).

(*) Only in some pictures and statues.

The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.