Wednesday Bible Study: All the Kings, men, part 6

 

And now it's time, having learned as much from fallen Saul as we might, to touch on the Great Transition from him to David.  And the first thing you need to understand here is that the trip from 'dummy' to prideful had left Saul mentally ill- and those around him tried desperately to understand...

1Sa 16:1  The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 

And not only Samuel, who felt like a mentor who had let him down, but David and Jonathon as well, who despite his cruelty, remained faithful to him...

1Sa 18:10  The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand.
1Sa 18:11  And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David evaded him twice.
1Sa 18:12  Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul.
1Sa 18:13  So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.
1Sa 18:14  And David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him. 

How many of you would still be there to have the second spear thrown at you?  And how many would still take a job from him?  And how many of you would put up with this from your father?

1Sa 20:28  Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
1Sa 20:29  He said, 'Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."
1Sa 20:30  Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
1Sa 20:31  For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." 

Now here is one of the many curiosities of the David/Saul story:  What did he mean by this?  I want to point out a couple of things here.  From wiki:

There are two references in the Bible to people; who bear that name;

• A daughter of Ahimaaz; who became a wife of Saul and the mother of his four sons and two daughters, one of whom is Michal, David's first wife.
• A woman from Jezreel, who became David's second wife, after he fled from Saul, leaving Michal, his first wife, behind, and the mother of Amnon, David's first-born.

Some scholars suggest that the two may be, in fact, one person. In 2 Samuel 12:8, God tells David through the prophet Nathan, "I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms." Jon Levenson suggests that this implies David took Ahinoam from Saul. However, Diana V. Edelman disagrees, “Such a presumption would require David to have run off with the queen mother while Saul was still on the throne, which seems unlikely. In view of the possession of the royal harem as a claim to royal legitimacy, Nathan’s comment can be related to David’s eventual possession of Saul’s wives after he ascended the throne in the wake of Eshbaal’s death...”

 

All we really have to go by is context, and if Levenson is right, David would have been married simultaneously to to a woman and her daughter.  One commentator mentioned that insulting the mother is far worse than insulting the person, so this may have been just an unfortunately misinterpreted expression.  Jonathon being at Saul's side when they fell together further corroborates this view.

 

Which is off our point- that those who loved Saul continued that love- even to their harm, even to having to remove themselves from his ability to harm them, and help others to do the same.  Which truly adds another layer to the tragedy of Saul's character.

 

Now Saul had been offered three things by God, as we have mentioned- provision, mercy, and power from God- all of which he rejected in order to provide from his own ability.  David, however, chooses from the start the Lord's gifts:

- He rejects the armor of Saul to fight Goliath, a monster fully 3 feet taller than the tallest Hebrew, and is provided with 'five smooth stones'- and they are enough.

-His understanding and mercy is evidenced by what we've already talked about- and have yet to talk about- in his dealings with Saul.

- and his conviction of God's power is evident in the Goliath scenario:

1Sa 17:26  And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" 

 

This is what God means by 'a man after His own heart'- someone who recognizes the three things God wants to give.  I'm going to go slightly off course here to show you all something that I have noticed...

 

 Pro 3:19  The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;
Pro 3:20  by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.
Pro 3:21  My son, do not lose sight of these-- keep sound wisdom and discretion,
Pro 3:22  and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.

I have found that there are three attributes that Solomon continually admonishes us to seek- Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom.  Not only are these very similar to what God offered Saul and David, but I think if you read Proverbs over and over (as I do), you find you can substitute 'Knowledge' for 'God the Father'; 'Understanding' for Jesus; and 'Wisdom' for the Holy Spirit.  In that vein, it is easy to see why Samuel told Saul he had rejected God himself.  Next time, we'll dig more into how David made the connection.