Lesson 6: The David Story
I come away with a different impression of King David every time I read his story. I imagine that is because current events draw my attention to one of the many layers of historical interpretation we find in the Bible.
This time, I kept seeing similarities with Donald Trump. Although the texts are doctored up, it is evident he was a warlord who used power to get what he wanted. That went beyond his mighty men slaying significant numbers in battle for him. When he uses his authority to seduce Bathsheba, they arrange for the death of her husband to cover up his adultery. And you have to suspect that his general, Joab, murdered one rival after another because David told him to do so. Even though the text says David opposed it, Joab did this repeatedly throughout David’s life, and he was never removed or even reprimanded.
When you deal with David at this level, you have to wonder why the people saw him, a murderer like Moses, as a model for the Messiah. Again, one reading is because, like Trump, he was a gifted politician. He united the tribes by defeating their enemies. He enriched them by providing the spoils of war. But he was also shrewd enough to make Jerusalem, which was not part of any tribal territory, the capital of the unified nation. And he supported its choice by bringing the Ark of the Covenant there. In other words, he gave the people what they wanted.
Having said all this, I want to acknowledge that there was much more in the Messiah model. The text presents David as a warm and caring person. His friendship with Jonathon, his opponent’s son, has become an example of brotherhood extended beyond biological relationships. His grief for his son Absalum endears him to all who have lost children and others who have any empathy.
Perhaps even more important, he is pictured as a real believer who asks for forgiveness when he realizes he has gone against God’s will. That is a far cry from Trump, who says he cannot think of anything he has done wrong.
However, sticking with what the text says to us in our present situation, it certainly calls for speaking truth to power. The picture of the prophet Nathan accusing the king of adultery is central to any reading of the story.
Finally, we should remind ourselves the Messiah concept is much more about God’s promise than human model. As we saw in rhe Joseph story, God uses evil for good in his love for sinful people. In the end, Jesus, not David, is the model.
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I like the way you capture David’s complexity here, Fritz – not to mention the contrast you draw between him and Trump. One of the things about scripture that never ceases to astound me about the historical books in the Hebrew scriptures is their incredibly blase attitude towards practices like herem that (rightly) horrify us on the one hand and their sometimes brutal honesty about the moral failings of pivotal characters like David on the other. Saul is another such figure, one whose personal inadequacies for the role thrust on him by curmudgeonly Samuel almost elicit my sympathy. In their own way, both Saul and David strike me as tragic figures who serve as warnings to the rest of us. Perhaps that’s what the ancient authors at least partially intended. Anyway, thanks for this series. You make me think more deeply about these things than I otherwise would.