The United Kingdom of Israel:
Saul, David & Solomon
Foreshadow Christ the King

Lesson 21 The Sweet Psalmist of Israel
the Second Book of Samuel 22:1—23:7

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for The United Kingdom of Israel
cross references in The United Kingdom of Israel
next lesson: David Sins by Numbering the People

This material coordinates with Lesson 21 on pages 126–130 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”
—the Second Book of Samuel 7:12–13

welcome to our in-depth study of Saul, David & Solomon
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson videos, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King has been granted an imprimatur and may be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Second Book of Samuel 19:41—21:20
Lesson 20 Dissension: Jacob’s Descendants Disagree describes problems in David’s kingdom after Absalom’s failed attempt to usurp the throne. An argument ensues between the men of Israel and the men of Judah over which is in better standing with David, foreshadowing division and strife for descendants of Jacob. A Benjaminite named Sheba challenges David’s rule. David asks Amasa, his new military commander, to assemble the men of Judah, but when Amasa fails to do so in the time allotted, David sends Abishai to deal with Sheba. Abishai takes his brother Joab, who slays Amasa. The two then go after Sheba, who has taken shelter in Abel of Beth-Maacah. Rather than see their city destroyed, the people living there behead Sheba. David returns command of his army to Joab. Other changes occur in David’s inner circle as well. His sons no longer are listed as priests, and a new position is added to oversee forced labor. A three-year famine strikes the land, and the LORD tells David it’s the result of Saul previously having killed a number of Gibeonites, with whom the descendants of Jacob had entered into covenant. David agrees to allow the Gibeonites to take the lives of seven descendants of Saul in exchange for the Gibeonites murdered by Saul’s forces. Two of the descendants are sons of Saul’s concubine Rizpah, whose public mourning leads David to provide honorable burial for them in the territory of Benjamin. David also arranges for the remains of Saul and Jonathan to be buried there. The LORD ends the famine. The Philistines renew war with Israel. David’s men persuade him not to join in the battles, and although the Philistines are feared because of their size, David’s forces prove superior.

two testaments but one God (23:44)
In the video overview for Lesson 21, “The Sweet Psalmist of Israel,” Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps offers an alternative way to think about the common idea that the God of the Old Testament is vengeful while the God of the New Testament is kind and loving. The Old Testament frequently portrays God pushing back against people who are determinedly headed in the wrong direction, that is, in a way that’s opposed to his commandments. The key to understanding what’s happening is to think about how God’s actions can represent kindness. When we fail to live in accordance with God’s precepts, we risk ending up in difficult situations. What sometimes is considered vengeance on God’s part (we didn’t do what God wants so now we have to pay a price) is not punitive. It just as easily can be seen as loving concern of a Father who wants to guide and correct his children because it’s in their best interest.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. You can follow along as author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 21, “The Sweet Psalmist of Israel,” on pages 126–130 in the study book.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the Psalms written by David?
The First and Second Books of Samuel primarily focus on David’s role as a military leader and king chosen by the LORD. The twenty-second chapter in the Second Book of Samuel emphasizes David’s ability to write sacred hymns. Many Psalms are attributed directly to David.

?  Compare David’s prayer in the twenty-second chapter in the Second Book of Samuel with Psalm 18. How do the two differ?
?  Why do you think it is that the editors who compiled the Second Book of Samuel included this particular Psalm?
?  Consider why none of David’s other Psalms are mentioned in the Second Book of Samuel.
?  What do you think is most remarkable to Christians about some of David’s more well-known Psalms?

pray with the Psalms—foreshadowing the priesthood of Jesus
Psalm 110 can be understood to identify Melchizedek, David, and Jesus Christ each as a king chosen by the LORD. Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, also is the king of Salem, a word that means peace. Salem was the ancient location of what later became the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem, which David conquered to establish as his capital city. Melchizedek is described as both a priest and king, and David also exhibits a good deal of overlap between those two roles. In addition, David is seen as a prophet because of the way his Psalms point toward the coming of Christ. In Acts of the Apostles 2:34–35, Peter credits David with writing Psalm 110. Prayed at Sunday Second Vespers (Weeks I and II), Psalm 110 is included as part of Lesson 3 You Are a Priest Forever and Lesson 17 The LORD Has Sworn an Oath, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

prophet—you could look it up in our archives
The twenty-third chapter in the Second Book of Samuel identifies David as someone through whom the LORD speaks. To learn the main features associated with the word “prophet,” read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about David’s last words?
Although there’s no other suggestion that David is expected to die soon, the twenty-third chapter in the Second Book of Samuel nevertheless records his last words.

?  Why do you think that these last words are inserted at this particular place in the account of David’s life?
?  What new information about David appears in the Second Book of Samuel 23:2–3, a passage that provides special insight into David’s character?
?  Oracles always are associated with the prophets. What other ways can a prophet be recognized?
?  Consider what about David’s last words mark him as a prophet.

David prepares the way for Christ
St. Hippolytus of Rome (170–236) was an early Christian bishop and pupil of St. Irenaeus, a follower of St. Polycarp, who was closely associated with Jesus’ beloved disciple John. St. Hippolytus taught that in addition to being a type of Christ the King, David also was a prophet:

“People who approach the holy books in faith have no difficulty in understanding the stories about blessed David, for he was a prophet by his songs and also by the deeds through which he was made perfect. Who could fail to marvel at this man David, who from boyhood sketched the mysteries of Christ in his heart? Or who will not wonder at what he has shown us through the spoken word? He was chosen by God as a just king and prophet, and he has told us not only about this present time and past events, but about the future as well. To which should I give preference as I praise him: his courageous deeds or his prophetic words? For in both we find him to be a prophet, conformed to his LORD by deed as well as word. …who would not call them blessed, those holy patriarchs who not only foretold future events in words, but were made perfect by enduring in their own lives what was to be done to Christ? What happened in the case of the blessed prophets, whether in words or in events of spiritual import, is proposed to us that we may understand it in all its reality. For these types of events appear with reference to the future, for the sake of the one who was to come at the end of the ages as perfecter of the law and the prophets.”

ex libris—in the Psalms, the LORD is king
The Lord Reigns: A Theological Handbook to the Psalms by James L. Mays provides insight into the Psalms as an aid to understanding the importance of the ancient Hebrew view of one God who rules over all of time and space. Mays interprets the phrase “the LORD reigns” as the unifying concept underlying all of the Psalms, making them extremely relevant for those seeking to follow Christ the King in a secular world that generally doesn’t recognize this foundational belief of Christianity. Mays’ book, although somewhat scholarly in tone, offers clear rewards for anyone seeking to understand more about how the Old Testament concept of God as king applies to the present-day practice of the Christian faith. At ex libris—main bookshelf, you can learn more about this and other books related to in-depth Scripture study.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the Second Book of Samuel 22:1—23:7.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Second Book of Samuel 22:1—23:7 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

O God, you sent your prophets
to prepare men and women for the coming of your Son.
Open our minds and hearts to receive your message today
and teach us to live in accordance with your will  
so that we may be found worthy of the eternal life offered to us
through the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lesson 22 David Sins by Numbering the People—the Second Book of Samuel 23:8—24:25
Lesson 20 Dissension: Jacob’s Descendants Disagree—the Second Book of Samuel 19:41—21:20

you also may like our two-part study of the prophets
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided examines the prophets in their historical context using the First and Second Books of the Kings and other Old Testament passages written before the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption looks at the post-exilic prophets. This 51-lesson Catholic Bible study builds on The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the books’ covers to view a sample lesson from each volume.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.