For David says concerning Him: "You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. . . ." Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne? .-Acts 2:25-31 (NKJV)
In addition to being a man after God's heart, David was a prophet. That's what we see in the passage above as the apostle Peter proclaimed what David prophesied concerning Christ's resurrection. Most of those familiar with the Bible will have no problem identifying David as a shepherd and king, but how many people think of him as a prophet? Yet David is responsible for some of the most important prophecies found in Scripture.
Most notably, Psalm 22 is a graphic depiction of the crucifixion. David predicted how Jesus would be mocked and scorned by those who passed by as He hung on the cross, even to the point of writing that they would taunt Him with the words, "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" (Psalm 22:7-8; Matthew 27:43). He then described how Jesus' hands and feet would be pierced and how those present would gamble for His clothing: They pierced My hands and My feet . . . . They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots (Psalm 22:16-18; Matthew 27:35). Keep in mind that David penned this psalm approximately 800 years before crucifixion became a familiar form of punishment!
Another example is found in Psalm 40, as David foretold how Christ's coming would serve to fulfill the Old Testament Scriptures (Psalm 40:7; Matthew 5:18). He also predicted that Christ would come to proclaim the faithfulness, salvation, loving-kindness, and truth of God (Psalm 40:9-10; John 1:17).
At first, we might not think of David as a prophet, and we may not envision Psalms as a "go-to book" for prophecy, but David's psalms are filled with prophetic riches. Those who take the time to dig for them will be all the wealthier when it comes to their walk.
Discuss what words come to your mind when you think of King David. Do you think of him as a prophet?
Dig into Psalm 22. What events are foretold here? How did David craft and create this amazing psalm?
Decide as a group to take time to write a love letter to God. Encourage each other to express your love for God through writing a letter. Offer those in your group an opportunity to share their letter if they would like to.
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