Is David the first King of Israel? why or why not?
David is the first king of Israel.
Saul,first “king” of Israel (c. 1021¨C1000 BC). According to the biblical account found mainly in I Samuel, Saul was chosen king both by the judge Samuel and by public acclamation. Saul was similar to the charismatic judges who preceded him in the role of governing; his chief contribution, however, was to defend Israel against its many enemies, especially the Philistines.
David,second of the Israelite kings (after Saul), reigning c. 1000 to c. 962 BC, who established a united kingdom over all Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital. In Jewish tradition he became the ideal king, the founder of an enduring dynasty, around whose figure and reign clustered messianic expectations of the people of Israel. He was a symbol of fulfillment in the future.
So David is the first real King of Israel, He establish a kingdom, and his government had a good organization. This is the symbol of a real kingdom, in 2 Samuel 8:15-18 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were royal advisers.
Saul, only he was called a king, but he was not a real king. he was similar to a judge, his “kingdom” didn’t have organization, just like 1 Samuel 13:1-2 Saul was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned over Israel forty two years. Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. He has no officialism, he was more like a tribe leader than a king. so he was not a real king, just was called a king.
Reference:Bible;Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
