The King David Foundation was formed purely on the will of the Heavenly Father. This foundation will act on behalf of His every instruction, to care for the sick, provide shelter for those without a home, protect and defend those in need, feed the hungry, nurture and give back to the earth. All instructions from the Heavenly Father will be honoured. It is our assignment and calling.
Like blessed King David, we will fight ferociously to defend and protect our Heavenly Father’s people!
HISTORY OF KING DAVID
In the year 1089, King Giorgi II abdicated, designating his sixteen-year-old only son, David (later known as “the Restorer”), heir to the throne. It is written that the Heavenly Father said: I have found David My servant, with My holy oil have I anointed him (Ps. 88:19).
The newly crowned King David took upon himself an enormous responsibility for the welfare of the Church. During King David’s reign, the government’s most significant activities were carried out for the benefit of the Church.
Foremost among King David’s goals at the beginning of his reign was the repatriation of those who had fled Georgia during Turkish rule. The king summoned his noblemen and began to reunify the nation.
It was August 1121. Before heading off to battle, King David inspired his army with these words: “Soldiers of Yeshua! If we fight bravely for our Faith, we will defeat not only the devil’s servants but the devil himself. We will gain the greatest weapon of spiritual warfare when we make a covenant with the Almighty God YHUH (silent) and vow that we would rather die for His love than escape from the enemy. And if any one of us should wish to retreat, let us take branches and block the entrance to the gorge to prevent this. When the enemy approaches, let us attack fiercely!”
None of the soldiers thought of retreating. The king’s stunning battle tactics and the miracles of God YHUH (silent) terrified the enemy. As it is written, “The hand of Almighty God empowered him, and the Great-martyr George visibly led him in battle. The king annihilated the godless enemy with his powerful right hand.”
One victory followed another, as the Heavenly Father defended the king who glorified his Creator. In 1106 King David had begun construction of Gelati Monastery in western Georgia, and throughout his life, this sacred complex was the focus of his efforts on behalf of the revival of the Georgian Church. Gelati Monastery was the most glorious of all the existing temples to God YHUH (silent). To beautify the building, King David offered many of the great treasures he had acquired as spoils of war. Then he gathered all the wise, upright, generous, and pious people from among his kinsmen and from abroad and established the Gelati Theological Academy. King David helped many people in Georgian churches both inside and outside his kingdom. The benevolent king constructed a primitive ambulance for the sick and provided everything necessary for their recovery. He visited the infirm, encouraging them and caring for them like a father. The king always took with him a small pouch in which he carried alms for the poor.
The intelligent and well-lettered king spent his free time reading the Holy Scriptures and studying the sciences. He even carried his books with him to war, soliciting the help of donkeys and camels to transport his library. When he was tired of reading, King David had others read to him, while he listened attentively. One of the king’s biographers recalls, “Each time David finished reading the Epistles, he put a mark on the last page. At the end of one year, we counted that he had read them twenty-four times.” King David was also an exemplary writer. His “Hymns of Repentance” are equal in merit to the works of the greatest writers of the Church.
This most valiant, powerful, and righteous Georgian king left his heirs with a brilliant confession when he died. It recalled all the sins he had committed with profound lamentation and beseeched the Heavenly Father for forgiveness.
King David completed his will in 1125, and in the same year, he abdicated and designated his son Demetre to be his successor. He entrusted his son with a sword, blessed his future, and wished him many years of good health and service to the Heavenly Father. The king reposed peacefully at the age of fifty-three.
St. David the Restorer was buried at the entrance to Gelati Monastery. His final wish was carved in the stone of his grave: “This is My rest forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have chosen her” (Ps. 131:15).
LINEAGE OF KING DAVID
“24 My servant David will be king over them, and they all will have one shepherd. They will also walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.”