NL 207: David Anointed King

image: wikimedia [Public domain]

Rebroadcast.

Original aired October 20, 2019

2 Samuel 5:1-5; 6:1-5

Initial Thoughts

  • Last week was with David’s Great-grandmother Ruth and next week the United Monarchy ends

Bible Study

  • Part 3 in the “Let’s Make David King narrative”

    • 1 Samuel 16 - the anointing of David by Samuel

    • 2 Samuel 2:4a - David made King over Judah

    • 2 Samuel 5:1-10 - David made King over the 12 Tribes of Israel

  • David is chosen to be King because of how he had led the people even when Saul was King

    • Conquering of Jerusalem- very wise as Jerusalem did not belong to any one of the tribes- neutral ground (like Washington DC)

    • Military and infrastructure- but mostly faith and nurture of the people

    • History is important- all we hear is that the Northern tribes make David king- to understand why- you need to read the history 2 Sam 1-5

  • Shepherd of My People Israel

    • David, the shepherd who was called from the field to be anointed and to fight Goliath, is now called to continue his ministry as a shepherd by taking care of Israel

    • Shepherd is a common image for Kings and rulers in the Ancient Near East

    • About using one’s power to protect the vulnerable (sheep) from that which would destroy them (especially seen in David’s testimony to Saul in his fight with Goliath)

    • Many great Hebrew leaders began as Shepherds:

      • Rebekah, Joseph, Moses, David, and Amos

  • Covenant

    • Interesting choice of words. Covenant describes the Holy relationship between God and God’s people (Gen 9, Gen 15, Exodus 19)

    • David is set up as a kind of earthly reflection of God or the incarnation of the Ark of the Covenant

      • “LORD, the God of Hosts, was with him”

    • This Covenant would not be upheld - David’s own son, Absalom will lead the Northern Tribes in revolt (2 Sam 16-19) as well Sheba (2 Sam. 20)

  • The Ark

    • From The Common English Study Bible, p. 428: “The Hebrew word translated here is ‘chest,’ (traditionally ‘ark’) appears over 200 times in the Bible, and all but a handful refer to a gold-covered box symbolizing the presence of God in the midst of Israel… Israelite tradition observed that the chest was built under the direction of Moses in the time of the wilderness. From that time throughout the biblical story, the chest symbolized the presence of Israel’s God, Yahweh. Later Jewish tradition believed the chest also contained a jar of manna and the rod of Aaron… The concept is that Yahweh (the Lord), who is Israel’s king, sits invisibly enthroned above the winged heavenly creatures on the top of the gold chest. This enthroned God is also the commander of heavenly forces… In 1 Samuel 4-6 the chest is captured by the Philistines [but things don’t go well for them when they have it, so they send it back.]”

  • This story is told very similarly in 1 Chronicles 13-15. While Chronicles usually ‘cleans up’ the story of David, the delay is actually much more extended.in this telling. Chronicles is largely understood to be a less authoritative historical source, but reading these chapters could help understand the theological understanding of what David was trying to accomplish.

  • Ark establishes some important things about David.

  1. David as Warrior. The manifestation of the fact that God is on David’s side. The ark was the symbol of Israel’s victories and holy wars. By controlling the ark, David controls the heavenly army.

  2. David as Priest. By removing the ark from the custody of a priestly line (and one of the priests dies in the transfer) David becomes the spiritual custodian of the people’s relationship with God.

  3. David’s City as Capital.

    • Moving the capital Jerusalem was a shrewd political step, since it was in neither Israel nor Judah, but an independent, and not very prominent, city that he could conquer and mold.

    • Moving the ark was an important step in consolidating power in the capital.

    • “David was rightly concerned that his Jerusalem-based administration be understood as their to the political and cultic traditions of both Israel and Judah, and more specifically as a linear continuation of Saul’s kingdom. His most obvious step to achieve this was the transfer of the Ark.” (Maxwell Miller and John Hayes, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, p. 171.)

  4. David as devoted follower of God. This story has a personal as well as public aspect. David reveals himself to be an enthusiastic worshiper of God. Though he is not a perfect servant, he makes it clear that he understands that his source of strength is God, not the other way around.

  5. David as Divinely Ordained King. David is not just the King of Israel and Judah, he is God’s anointed. The procession is seeped in sacrifice and ritual, and helps establish the relationship between David and God.

  6. David as provider for the people. The worshipful procession was not complete until every man and woman was given meat, bread, and raisins.

  • The sad story of Michal

    • Michal is depicted as little more than a pawn in the political machinations of men.

    • “Michal had boldly dared to love David and to make that love known. Yet, David is never said to have loved her, although marriage to her was politically advantageous to him. Three times Michal is given to a man as wife for political reasons (to David in 1 Sam. 18:27; to Paltiel to spite David in 1 Sam 25:44, and to David again as price of alliance with Abner in 2 Sam 3:14-16). In all of this we lose sight of her love, for love was not allowed a role in such political matters.”

    • Michal is Saul’s daughter, and that is remembered. By the end of this passage there is no longer love for David, only distaste. She is dispatched at the end of the passage in v. 23, and it is clear that Saul’s line ended with her.

Thoughts

  • Shepherds are called to both nurture and lead. They must care for the most vulnerable, but most also guide them if the flock is to flourish. How are you both nurturing and leading? Comforting and challenging? Protecting and holding them accountable?

    • How does your church shepherd its greater community?

  • In his Kingship David ends up healing and forming the nation of Israel. He is able to overcome the division (albeit temporarily) because he had 1) already built a foundation of relationship; 2) shown a history of good leadership; 3) put the needs of the greater community before himself and his own tribe (Judah). How are you and your church building a credible foundation in your community? Too often we want to jump straight to healing without having done any of the hard relationship building work.

  • What voice can we give to Michal other than that of traditional reading of “nagging wife getting in the way of the man having fun”? Is this a redeemable story? Lift up that Michal once saved David’s life, taking his side in the battle against her father. Statement that Michal had no children doesn’t square with 2 Sam 21:8. Some manuscripts say that David had five sons of Saul’s daughter Michal, others say Merab (all were killed by David to officially end Saul’s line). By calling her “Saul’s daughter,” instead of “David’s wife,” the writer reveals the extent to which Michal was little more than a pawn in the political games. Although she once “loved David,” that love was never returned. And by this time, her love was gone as well. Despite being an important player in the saga, she is basically removed in this passage. “In readings Michal’s story, we do well to examine our own refusals of love for the sake of power, our own disregard of women’s interests as irrelevant to the public interest, our own efforts to honor the Lord while not fully honoring the priorities to which the Lord has called us” (Bruce Birch, New Interpreter’s Bible, v. II, p. 1252)

  • “It is plausible that the dance of David expresses the ambiguity we have already articulated. David’s dance, on the one hand expresses a genuine act of religious vitality, of genuine worship, making himself available to Yahweh’s power, purpose, and presence. On the other hand, the extravagance of David, even personal, bodily extravagance, may be a political act to express profound solidarity with Yahweh in the new establishment. The foundation of the new regime and the founding of the new shrine around the ark most likely share in the ambiguity,” (Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation: 1 and 2 Samuel, p. 250-1). Brueggeman goes on to point out that the day is both one of wonder and joy and despisement. It is this ambiguity that marks the whole of David’s career. It is an ambiguity which often makes people uncomfortable. It is an ambiguity that needs to be revealed.

Year 2Eric Fistler2 SamuelComment