In general, King David is recognised as the second king of Israel, who succeeded the throne of King Saul, the first king, who was anointed by Samuel, the last Judge. However, according to the Old Testament, the anointment of David for becoming the king of Israel actually took place for three times and there was another candidate for the succession.
The story surrounding the first anointment of David rather belongs to a background story of his early life. According to the Old Testaments, David was ‘the youngest of the eight sons of Isai, or Jesse… a small proprietor, of the tribe of Juda, dwelling at Bethlehem, where David was born’ (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04642b.htm). In his young years, David worked as a shepherd helping his father while Saul was ruling the country as the anointed King of Israel. One day, however, ‘Samuel, the Prophet and last of the judges, had been sent to anoint him in place of Saul, whom God had rejected for disobedience’ (ibid). Although this first anointment had either religious and political significance due to the fact that it was performed by Samuel, the same person who had anointed the current king, nobody around him did ‘seem to have recognized the significance of this unction’ (ibid) and David simply went back to his work.
For reading the text in full: http://wrex2009.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/how-did-king-david-succeeded-the-throne/
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