As we continue to the end of 1 Samuel, we don't see a lot of continuity. In spite of everyone making up and becoming pals again at the end of chapter 24, chapter 25 sees David back in the wilderness near Carmel, on the lam. Here he encounters a couple named Abigail and Nabal, the former of whom is "a beautiful and intelligent woman" (1 Sam 25:3) but the latter of whom has inherited the biblical asshole gene. One day David sends him a polite request for a protection payment -- since David had helped out with his flocks and shepherds -- and Nabal flips a shit. At first David gets really mad and makes an oath to kill Nabal, but Abigail tracks him down and begs him not to. He realizes that if he kills a bunch of people it will hurt his campaign to be king, and refrains from committing the crime. David is becoming quite the politician! And since God likes him so much, he takes the killing into his own hands anyway, causing Nabal to get so drunk at a banquet that he has a seizure, and "ten days later the Lord [strikes] him down" (1 Sam 25:39). With the buttface Nabal out of the way, David proposes marriage to Abigail and they continue on their way.
Chapter 26 is essentially another version of chapter 24: David is faced with an opportunity to kill Saul and refrains, because of the sanctity of the "Lord's anointed" (1 Sam 26:9). In this story, David enters Saul's camp while he is sleeping, rather than Saul inadvertently finding David's hiding place, and the coolest part is when David leaves the camp and starts yelling stuff from a mountain. He condemns Abner, the king's second-in-command, for being asleep in a moment where David could have easily killed Saul, and pleads that Saul make peace with him. As in chapter 24, the king responds with an apology and blesses David.
However, these two chapters don't seem to have left a huge impression on Saul, since he resumes his manhunt in chapter 27! David is forced to flee from Israel to the Philistine territory, where he becomes a "vassal" for Achish of Gath, the king. Because of his efficiency and skill as a soldier, he is very popular among the Phillies.
The narrative shifts in chapter 28, and we return to Saul's point of view. Concerned about his waning power, he sneaks off in disguise to meet with a seer -- although he "had banished from the land all who trafficked with ghosts and spirits" (1 Sam 28:3). She summons Samuel's ghost, who tells Saul for the millionth time that his kingship is no longer legitimate and he needs to make way for David. However, as we have seen, Saul is pretty delusional and this doesn't make much of an impression on him.
In chapter 29, the Philistines and Amalekites go to war... again... David, who is serving as a vassal for Achish of Gath, is prepared to fight for the Philistine cause, but the army commanders mistrust him because of his origins and the king sends him home. Upon arriving in his town of Ziklag, he discovers that it has been raided and the populace abducted. Not only are his wives and children gone, but "the troops, embittered by the loss of their sons and daughters, [threaten] to stone him" (1 Sam 30:6). Oh no! Luckily, David is great pals with God, who tells him to track down the raiders and rescue everyone. On the way, the troops encounter an escaped slave, who directs them to the Amalekite kidnappers. As per usual, Dave and company triumph over the enemy, and everyone is happy.
This chapter provides us with further evidence of what a true champ David is; apparently, not all of the troops participated in the rescue mission, and one of the soldiers suggests to David that those who didn't go should not share in the spoils of victory. David scoffs at this idea, saying that God has delivered the raiding party into their hands and that "all must share and share alike" (1 Sam 30:24). What a great guy!
In spite of these happy occurrences, 1 Samuel ends on a bitter note. After fighting the Amalekites, the Philistines go to war with Israel, and Saul's three sons are killed in battle. Fearing that the "uncircumcised brutes may...come and taunt [him] and make sport of [him]" (1 Sam 31:4), Saul kills himself! Oh dear.
The second book of Samuel is a direct continuation of the first, and begins with David finally assuming the kingship. His respect for Saul is demonstrated once again when he receives news of the former monarch's death from one of his servants, who claims to have delivered the final blow to relieve Saul from the "throes of death" (2 Sam 1:9). David flips a shit that anyone would dare kill the "Lord's anointed" and sentences the servant to death. Kind of a jerk move, but I think he's just upset that his boy-toy Jonathan is also dead.
Chapter 1 continues with a lovely dirge that David writes himself, mourning the deaths of Saul and his sons. Jonathan gets special mention: "My brother...you were most dear to me; your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of a woman" (2 Sam 1:26). Whoa! Let's keep this rated PG, Dave. After all, we have to teach it in Sunday Schools.
In chapter 2, Saul's second-in-command Abner appoints the only surviving son, Ishbosheth, to be king of Israel. David, meanwhile, has assumed his role as king of Judah, and a very weird battle between the two groups ensues. During the fighting, Abner kills the son of one of David's military leaders, a man named Asahel, causing his brothers to swear vengeance. This will be significant in a moment!
Chapter 3 introduces us to David's shockingly poorly named children; among them we have Haggith, Shephatiah, and Ithream. These aren't even names! They're just words! Aside from Absalom I didn't recognize any. Solomon, as we know, will be born eventually, and I am curious how he will come to power when he has so many older brothers.
Meanwhile, back at the Israelite camp, Abner gets in an argument with Ishbosheth over a concubine, which causes him to shift loyalties. In order to prove his new found allegiance to David, he brings David's first wife Michal back to him as a gift. This is a pretty funny incident, since Michal had remarried since David went on his lam, and "her [new] husband follow[s] her as far as Bahurim, weeping all the way, until Abner order[s] him back" (2 Sam 3:16). Hah! Sucks for you, new hubby.
Abner has influence among most of the tribes, because of his connection to Saul, and David recognizes how valuable he will be as a political ally. However, not long after he arrives in the Judahite camp, Asahel's brothers murder him in revenge. Here, we really see David's prowess as a politician -- because he makes a huge stinking deal about the death, publicly cursing Abner's killers (although not sentencing them to death!) and freeing himself entirely from any blame in the eyes of the populace.
In chapter 4, the path to kingship is completely cleared for David, because Ishbosheth is murdered. In his weirdly just manner, David sentences Ishbosheth's killer to death, since apparently he saw his political rival as "an innocent man" (2 Sam 4:11).
Finally, in chapter 5, David becomes the king of Israel! He makes a covenant, differentiating his kingship from that of Saul -- who was king by conquest -- and moves the capital to Jerusalem. Jerusalem at this point was a Jebusite city, but he conquers it with ease, and settles down to have a ton more kids. Solomon is born in Jerusalem, as well as a slew of other weirdly named children like Shobab, Nepheg, and Eliphelet.
All is well in the biblical world! More tomorrow.
David is indeed a great politician.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite line from today's reading was "And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled." (1 Samuel 30:17)
Not a man of them escaped!!!!!Ohexceptforfourhundredofthem.