065. XLIII. David’s Introduction To Public Life

§ XLIII. DAVID’S INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC LIFE 1 Samuel 16:14-23, 1 Samuel 17:1-58; 1 Samuel 18:6-16; 1 Samuel 14:49-50; 1 Samuel 18:20-29; 1 Samuel 19:1-17

1. David’s introduction to the court of Saul. Now the spirit of Jehovah had departed from Saul and an evil spirit from Jehovah tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from Jehovah is tormenting you. Let your servants who are before you speak and they will seek for our lord a man skilful in playing the lyre. Then, whenever the evil spirit comes upon you, he shall play with his hands, and you will be better. Then Saul said to his servants, Provide me now a man who plays well, and bring him to me. Thereupon one of the young men answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skilful in playing and a valiant man, a soldier, judicious in speech, a man of good appearance, and Jehovah is with him. Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son, who is with the flock. And Jesse took ten loaves of bread, and a skin of wine, and a kid, and sent them to Saul by David his son. So David came to Saul and entered his service; and Saul loved him so much that he became one of his armorbearers. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David enter my service, for he has found favor in my sight. And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the lyre and play with his hand and Saul would breathe freely and would feel better and the evil spirit would depart from him.

2. Goliath’s challenge to the Hebrews. Now the Philistines mustered together their forces for war, and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and encamped in the valley of Elah; and they drew up in battle-array against the Philistines. And the Philistines were standing on the mountain on the one side, and the Israelites were standing on the mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them. And there came out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was about ten feet. And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he was clad with a bronze breast-plate of scales, the weight of which was about two hundred pounds. And he had greaves of bronze upon his legs and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his iron spear weighed about twenty-four pounds; and his shield-bearer went before him. And he stood and cried out to the ranks of Israel and said to them, Why have you come out to draw up the line of battle? Am not I a Philistine and you Saul’s servants? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall you be our servants and serve us. And the Philistine said, I have insulted the ranks of Israel to-day; give me a man that we may fight together. And when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were terrified and greatly afraid.

3. David’s offer to fight with Goliath. But David said to Saul, Let not my lord’s courage fail him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are only a youth and he has been a warrior from his youth. But David said to Saul, Your servant was a shepherd with his father’s flock; and when a lion, or a bear would come and take a lamb out of the flock, I would go out after him and smite him and deliver it from his mouth; and if he rose up against me, I would seize him by his beard, and slay him with a blow. Your servant smote both lion and bear. Now this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has insulted the armies of the living God. David also said, Jehovah who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Therefore Saul said to David, Go, and may Jehovah be with you.

4. The arming. And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of bronze on his head and clad him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword over his coat and made a vain attempt to go, for he had not tried them. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not tried them. And David put them off him.

5. The preliminaries. And he took his club in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his bag, and took his sling in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him, for he was but a youth. And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with a club? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me that I may give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field. Then David answered the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, But I come to you in the name of Jehovah of hosts, And the God of the ranks of Israel whom you have insulted.

To-day Jehovah will deliver you into my hands, That I may smite you and cut off your head; And I will this day give the dead of the army of the Philistines To the birds of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth, That all the world may know that there is a God in Israel, And that all this assembly may know That not with the sword and spear doth Jehovah save, For the battle is Jehovah’s and he will give you into our hand.

6. The duel. Then when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David put his hand in his bag and took from it a stone and slung it and smote the Philistine on his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the earth. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head with it.

7. Flight of the Philistines. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and Judah arose and raised the battle-cry and pursued the Philistines to the entrance to Gath and to the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded of the Philistines fell down on the way from Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. And when the Israelites returned from pursuing the Philistines, they plundered their camp, but David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; and he put his armor in his tent.

8. David’s popularity. Now when they came back, as David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out dancing from all the cities of Israel to meet Saul the king with tambourines, with cries of rejoicing, and with cymbals. And the women sang to each other as they danced, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, But David his ten thousands.

9. Saul’s fear of him. And it made Saul very angry, and this saying displeased him, and he said, They ascribed to David ten thousands, while to me they ascribed but thousands, and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul kept his eye on David from that day forward. And Saul was afraid of David. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his commander over a thousand; and he went out and came in at the head of the people. And David acted wisely and prospered in all his ways, for Jehovah was with him. And when Saul saw that he acted wisely and prospered, he stood in dread of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in at their head.

10. Saul’s family. Now the sons of Saul were: Jonathan, Ishbaal, and Malchishua. And these are the names of his two daughters: the eldest, Merab, the youngest, Michal. And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz.

11. David’s marriage with Michal. And Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And when they told Saul, he was pleased. And Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him and that the hand of the Philistines may be upon him. So Saul commanded his servants, saying, Communicate with David secretly and say, ‘See, the king is pleased with you and all his servants love you; now therefore become the king’s son-in-law.’ And Saul’s servants spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, Is it an easy thing in your opinion to become the king’s son-in-law, when I am a poor man and of no reputation? And the servants of Saul told him saying, David spoke thus. And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, in order to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, David was well pleased with the prospect of being the king’s son-in-law. And the days were not yet expired; and David arose and went together with his men and slew of the Philistines a hundred men; and David brought their foreskins and paid them in full to the king, in order to become the king’s son-in-law. Therefore Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife. And when Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David and that all Israel loved him, Saul feared David still more.

12. Jonathan’s intercession. And Saul commanded Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, was very fond of David. And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you and because his conduct toward you has been exceedingly good; for he took his life in his hand and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great deliverance for Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, in slaying David without a cause? And Saul harkened to the voice of Jonathan; and Saul gave an oath, As Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan made known to him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, so that he was again in his presence as formerly.

13. Saul’s attempt to kill David. But when there was war again, David went out and fought against the Philistines, and slew great numbers of them, so that they fled before him. Then an evil spirit from Jehovah came upon Saul, while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing on the lyre. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he smote the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped.

14. David’s escape. And that night Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, so as to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your life to-night, to-morrow you will be slain. So Michal let David down through the window; and he fled away and escaped. And Michal took the household god and laid it in the bed, and put a cloth of goat’s hair for its head and covered it with the garment. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may put him to death. And when the messengers came in, there the household god was in the bed, with the cloth of goat’s hair for its pillow. And Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’

I. The Various Accounts of David’s Achievements. With the sixteenth chapter of I Samuel, the interest of the narrative passes from Saul to David. In a series of closely connected, graphic narratives the story of David’s rapid rise to the kingship is vividly told. This ancient Judean David narrative is paralleled or supplemented by certain popular stories, evidently taken from the lips of the people. One or two stories, which magnify the work of Samuel, come from the group of prophetic traditions which were probably treasured by the later guilds of the prophets.

II. David’s Introduction to the Court of Saul. As king of Israel, it was almost impossible that Saul should remain “among the prophets.” Later tradition suggests that early in his reign he alienated the prophets. One tradition of the war against the Amalekites states that the reason was because Saul failed to carry out Samuel’s demand that all the captive foes be slain. In a subsequent period, one of the sons of the prophets in the same way denounced Ahab, because he refused to slay the captive Aramean king, Benhadad. The narrative at least suggests the wide difference in point of view and policy between Saul, the war-like and patriotic king, and the sons of the prophets, who, in their religious zeal, did not hesitate to exterminate all of Jehovah’s foes. The harassing wars in which Saul was constantly involved evidently wore upon the stalwart, patriotic defender of his subjects. The sense of isolation, and of failure to unite all the varied elements in his kingdom also undoubtedly increased his malady. This disease has been diagnosed by modern medical authorities as either epilepsy or else acute melancholia. Suddenly, the strong, energetic warrior would become morose and malignant. In the popular thought of his day an evil spirit tormented him.

Following the advice of his servants, Saul consented to have them secure some one skilled in playing the lyre to soothe him, when these attacks seized him. It was thus, according to the earliest narrative, that David, the son of Jesse, was brought to the court of Saul. The picture which is given of him is remarkably clear and detailed. Far from being the stripling of the later popular tradition, David was already a famous warrior, who had won renown on the battle-field. To him the giant Saul was soon ready to intrust his life, as is shown by his making David one of his armorbearers. He was also as skilled in the use of his tongue as of his sword. Already he was famous for his tactful speech. These qualities and his attractive appearance constituted the charm which enabled David in time to win the affectionate regard of practically all the varied elements in Saul’s heterogeneous kingdom. This invincible winning power and his success on the battle-field were doubtless the basis of the popular conviction that “Jehovah was with him.”

III. David’s Contest with Goliath. In the Greek text of the seventeenth chapter of I Samuel only one account of David’s contest with Goliath is recorded. This version was apparently taken from the early David stories, and is the immediate sequel to the account of David’s introduction to the court of Saul. In the Hebrew text, however, a popular version of the story has been closely combined with the account given in the Greek text. This later account is the more familiar because it is the more dramatic. David is here represented as a mere shepherd lad, sent by his father with provisions for his brothers in the army. Volunteering to go out and slay the Philistine champion, he is brought into the presence of Saul and Abner, who, according to this popular story, had never before heard of David. In the popular account of the achievements of David’s warriors, the slaying of Goliath, the Gittite, whose sword was like a weaver’s beam, is attributed to one of David’s fellow-townsmen, Elhanan. It is evident however, that Goliath was not slain three times. The close connection of the Greek (and less familiar Hebrew) version of David’s victory with the preceding and following extracts from the early Judean David stories strongly favors the conclusion that it is the earliest and most authentic account of the event. Hence, there is good historical ground for believing that Goliath was slain by the hand of Saul’s valiant armor-bearer. In view of his important position in the army, it was natural that David should feel under obligation to champion the Hebrew cause. He must, like Saul, have been a man of gigantic stature, otherwise the king would not have suggested that he put on the royal armor. David refused to wear it, not because he was overpowered by its weight, but because he had had no experience in its use. He wisely employed the weapon with which he was most familiar. His gigantic opponent was armed with the sword and javelin with which men fought hand to hand. In fighting at a distance the two weapons commonly used by the Hebrew warriors were the sling and bow. A later tradition, preserved in Chronicles, states that the Benjamite warriors were famous for their effective use of the sling. In the trained hand of a skilled warrior like David, the sling and shot corresponded to the rifle of modern warfare. With this weapon of his childhood days David, the royal armorbearer, went out and slew the champion of the Philistines. According to the earliest version of the tradition, it was as the result of this valiant deed that David suddenly leaped into national prominence and popularity.

IV. Saul’s Jealousy of David. The slaughter of Goliath was followed by a signal victory over the Philistines. When the Hebrew warriors returned from battle, the women came out to greet them with a song of triumph. In that song David was exalted above Israel’s king. The situation was one to arouse jealousy, even in a better-balanced mind than that of Saul. The kingship was not yet a well-established institution. To maintain his position the king must be recognized as the strongest man in his realm. Saul’s authority rested almost entirely on his military achievements. Suddenly his glory had been eclipsed by that of another, who not only had the support of the powerful tribe of Judah but was also endowed with a unique personal charm.

It would appear that David at this time was innocent of any deliberate attempt to undermine the authority of Saul. His moderation at a later crisis (§ XLV), and Jonathan’s trust and devotion further confirm this conclusion. There was much, however, to arouse Saul’s suspicion. His pathetic position calls for sympathy rather than harsh condemnation. While under the malign influence of his malady, he plotted how he might put out of the way this dangerous rival, but in each attempt he failed. That divine Providence, which was guiding the fortunes of Israel, was also protecting and preparing the man who was destined to be its future deliverer.

V. The Importance of David’s Experience at Saul’s Court. David’s experience as a shepherd, following the flocks among the rugged Judean hills, developed a strong, rugged physique. His contest with the wild beasts trained him for the later contests with men. At the court of Saul he became acquainted with the forces and leaders who were determining the course of Israel’s history. He also gained an insight into the real needs of his nation. His brilliant achievements and fascinating personality won the favor of all ranks. It was also during this period that he attracted to himself certain adventurous souls, who followed him in his fugitive life and remained loyal to him through his many varied fortunes, until he finally became the head of a great and powerful empire. At the military court of Saul and in his numerous forays against the Philistines, he became acquainted with the military tactics of his day and learned not only how to lead, but also how to effectively direct large bodies of men.