David: Man of Prayer, Man of War

by Walter J. Chantry

We love this man for showing us how to pray from every point of life's compass. We love him for showing us how, in the midst of spiritual failure, we too can draw near to the Lord again in trust and devotion. Perfectionists will not be comfortable with David. Those who stumble often, but who always turn with melted hearts to God for pardon and help, will find in him a brother for all situations. Such people will love the sacred history of his life and find it totally engrossing.

Genres: Biography, Christian, Nonfiction, Theology

294 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Walter J. Chantry was born in 1938 at Norristown, Pennsylvania, raised in the Presbyterian Church; graduated B.A. in History from Dickinson College, Carlisle in 1960, and a B.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1963, from which time he has been pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle. He is married with three children.

Rev. Walter J. Chantry served as pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, Pa., for thirty-nine years. Following that he edited The Banner of Truth magazine for almost seven years.

Reviews

[Drew Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Part biography, part commentary on David’s chapters of 1-2 Samuel, Walter Chantry reminds us of how exceptional, how faithful, how penitent, David's life was. He was a true hero, a man, flawed though he was, of exceptional integrity, devotion, strength, feeling, and humility.

"David lived through the most diverse conditions of human experience, and this alone calls forth our deepest feelings of sympathy. For a time he enjoyed the solitude of a pastoral scene. Yet, suddenly he was transported to the royal court and called into service as a balladeer. This in turn was only a stepping-stone to his becoming the champion of the armies of Israel, the subject of young women's songs and old men's toasts. . . Soon after being heralded as a hero, the young man became a hunted refugee, a dashing figure as he led a band of outlaws in the deserts. Again with suddenness David became king of Judah and a few years later of Israel as well. He vanquished all of his and his people's foes, establishing a kingdom that would last for four hundred years. But no sooner was this accomplished than he was plunged into a foul sin, even though he had arrived at a mature age. Never again would he have peace. Thence-forth his family life proved to be filled with rebellion and murder."

[Kelly Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

David is such a contradiction. A young shepherd who wasn't afraid of anyone or anything. He was hand-picked by the Lord to be the King of the people of God. David was a loyal soldier to a King that was so jealous of him he wanted David dead. He was a man who was acutely sensitive to the whisperings of his God. And, he was a murderous, adulterous wretch. If we ended it there this would be a tragedy. However, in Chantrys' book, we see the side of David that is not often considered at first glance. He knew exactly who he was, and he knew exactly knew who God is. If you are looking for something scholarly on the life of David this will not fill the scholarship expectations, It is, however, a basic treatment of the reality of David according to the bare naked scriptures. This is a very good introduction the man that God said was a man after his own heart,

[Alexander Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but I couldn't make out the purpose of it. It covers the life of David very deeply but not very broadly. The chapters are probably too long for most peoples morning devotion tastes. Maybe for someone leading a small group? But that a might be a tad ambitious. Still it's good and worth a read and definitely can be read here and there on a chapter by chapter basis.

I found out when I finished reading it and put the dust jacket back on it that this is a collection of articles he wrote for Banner of Truth Magazine. Which makes a lot of sense and I wish I read the dust jacket before the book.

[Tim Suffield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of this is good, but it's mostly fairly pedestrian, not very devotionally written (though I felt it was presenting itself as a devotional - this could be an issue of misplaced expectations), and frequently misses the great mines of personal insight and application within the stories that he relates.

There are much better books on 1-2 Samuel or on David out there.

[John Vanty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every page of this book. So many little applicable insights not only to David, but God.

[Danielw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Chantry writes a solid book on the life of David. There were no huge revelations for me in reading this book, but there were small things that I appreciated. He takes the text and applies them to life, much as we all should do as we read scripture. Chantry is solid Reformed, so know that going in. Its a very solid but not spectacular book but I do recommend it.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book on the life of David. It's highly informative, but isn't merely a list of facts. It is very passionate and Chantry does a fantastic job of weaving application into factual information.