The Text
2 Samuel 5:1-5; 6:1-5; Psalm 150
Last Time on Tales of Faith
Last time we heard of Ruth, the Moabite woman, who married Boaz. Their son, Obed, became the father of Jesse. The story is picked up in I Samuel, named after the Judge/Prophet who is called by God. The people of Israel ask Samuel to crown a king so that they can be like all the other nations. After reminding them that YHWH is supposed to be their king, and warning them of all the things that a king will do to them, they insist. Samuel anoints Saul son of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin. Despite looking like a king, Saul’s short temper and hubris leads to him to be rejected as king, and Samuel anoints the youngest son of Jesse, David, as the future king. David becomes a general in Saul’s army, and fast friends with Saul’s son, Johnathan. They are deeply intimate, but definitely only friends and nothing else at all, why do you ask? Saul is jealous of David, and tries to kill him several times. David spends years in the wilderness running away from Saul, and gathering an army of ‘Mighty Men’ who are loyal to him. Saul and Johnathan are killed in a battle with the Philistines, and David is crowned king by the southern Israelite tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The other ten tribes crown Ishbaal, the surviving son of Saul, and a civil war breaks out between the northern and southern tribes. David is crowned king of all of the tribes after the assassination of Ishbaal and his general Abner. David had nothing to do with either of these deaths at all, geez why are you being so weird?
Overview of Samuel
1 Samuel
1:1-7:17 Samuel, the Man of God
8:1-10:27 the people demand a king, and Saul is crowned
11:1-15:35 Saul’s descent and rejection as king
16:1-17:58 David’s anointing and rise in popularity
18:1-19:24 Strife in the royal family
20:1-26:25 Saul pursues David into the wilderness, David spares Saul’s life
27:1-31:13 Saul’s final conflict with the Philistines
2 Samuel
1:1-7:29 David’s early reign
1:1-27 David mourns the death of Johnathan (with a love that surpasses the love of women, no homo), oh and Saul too
2:1-7 David crowned King of Judah
2:8-11 Ishbaal crowned king of Israel
2:12-32 The battle of Gibeon (in which Abishai gets himself killed by Abner)
3:1-21 Abner has enough of Isbaal’s shit, and defects to David
3:22-39 Joab stabs Abner (literally) for killing his brother, Abishai
4:1-12 Ishbaal is assassinated in his sleep
5:1-5 David crowned king of a united Israel
5:6-16 David captures the city of the Jebusites, and renames it City of David
5:17-25 The Philistines try to attack, but are pushed back
6:1-23 The Ark of the Covenant and Tabernacle comes to Jerusalem (eventually)
6:1-5 The Ark of God on its way (take 1)
6:6-11 Uzzah touches the Ark and is killed, and they leave it at the house of Obed-edom (the Gittite)
6:12-19 Let’s try this again, David acts a priest, and a fool
6:20-23 Michal (Davids wife, daughter of Saul) is not happy
7:1-29 David wants to build a house (lit.) for YHWH, YHWH builds a house (fig.) for David
8:1-10:19 David’s military victories
11:1-12:31 The Bathsheba Incident
13:1-13:39 Sins of the Father: Amnon rapes Tamar, Absalom takes revenge
14:1-15:12 Absalom usurps the throne
15:13-17:29 David flees to the wilderness (reprise)
18:1-19:43 Absalom is defeated (Joab does the dirty work again), and David returns to Jerusalem
20:1-26 Sheba son of Bichri leads a rebellion (along civil war lines), and loses his head
21:1-24:25 Other shady things David did
Characters
Samuel (God has heard)
David (Beloved)
Saul (Prayed for)
Michal (Who resembles God?, Brook)
Johnathan (God has Given)
Today’s Story
Kingship
One of the themes of this Deuteronomistic histories is the descent of the people of Israel, including (but not limited to) the establishment of a kingdom. The basic idea is this, YHWH is supposed to be their only ruler. Just as the people are not to worship an idol (either of YHWH or another god), they are not to have an image of YHWH in a king. In the ancient world, kings were often considered images/incarnations of their patron deities. The shocking revelation of Genesis’ first creation narrative is that humanity itself is made to be the image of God. Part of the vision cast in Deuteronomy is a society who does not need a human ruler, because each person serves as their own ruler, following the instruction (torah) of their divine king. The purpose of these histories is not to simply give a historical account, but to explain how it could have been that God would have exiled the people to Babylon, how did they go so wrong?
This theme starts in the scroll of the Judges, in which the Judge Gideon is asked to be a king. He emphatically tells them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; YHWH will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). This theme is then explicitly brought back up then the tribes demand that Samuel crowns them a king “like other nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel initially refuses, but then YHWH tells him “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (8:7).
Samuel makes a big deal about all of the things that they are going to lose if they have a king. A king will:
take your sons for a standing army
enslave your sons for fields and to make weapons
enslave your daughters as ‘perfumers’ and cooks
take the best lands for the aristocracy
tax your harvests and flocks
take your property: enslaved people and livestock
“on that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but YHWH will not answer you on that day” (1 Samuel 9:10-18).
So the crowning of a king is itself an act of unfaith: they are unwilling to rule themselves and act with righteousness and they are unwilling to trust that YHWH will raise up a leader when and where they need them. This lack of righteousness is compounded with their choice of Saul (‘the one asked for’) as king because he looks like one “There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else” (9:2) and “he hasn’t got shit all over him” (Armaments 12:5). Saul starts out ok with uniting the tribes in a defeat of the Ammonites, but then quickly loses his street-cred when he makes a sacrifice Gilgal while he is waiting for Samuel (who was working on the move Gandalf would later perfect of showing up at the last possible second). The deal is sealed when he is told to kill a city full of Amalekites (we will leave the genocide alone for the moment), but spares the king for political leverage.
Saul’s lack of faith is highlighted by his son Johnathan’s willingness to take on an army by himself, declaring “it may be that YHWH will act for us; for nothing can hinder YHWH from saving by many or few” (1 Samuel 14:6). This same faith in the providence of YHWH is displayed by David in his defeat of Goliath. No wonder they became very very very good (but also super straight) friends.
David seems to be the pinnacle of the kingship (especially as far as the second temple period was concerned), but that does not mean that the entire institution is not broken. He is like a mild case of COVID: you may not be in full quarantine lockdown wishing you could die, but you are still sick and contagious. There is more written about and by David than anyone else in the Hebrew Scriptures, but it is certainly not all sunshine and butterflies. The second half of 2 Samuel charts David’s descent into unrighteousness with the rape of Bethsheba and murder of Uriah (her husband); the rape of one of his daughters by one of his sons, then that son’s murder by her brother; that brother politically out-maneuvers David, and usurps the throne. As the story continues in the Kings scrolls, David and Bethsheba’s son, Solomon, becomes king by deception, and then is instructed to take revenge on all of David’s political enemies. Solomon accumulates both material wealth and the acquisition of wives. This decadence leads to the final split of the nation along tribal lines that were drawn in Saul’s time. According to this telling of the history Israel (the northern tribes) have exclusively terrible kings, and Judah (the southern kingdoms) only have mostly terrible kings. This utter rot from top to bottom leads, so the writers of scripture claim, to the destruction of Israel by the Assyrian Empire and the exile of Judah by the Babylonian Empire.
A United Kingdom
Today’s paricape begins with David being named the king of all of the tribes of Israel. This is a major event because they have spent the last number of years in a civil war between the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin (who already had crowned David as their king), and the rest of the tribes who (who had crowned Ishbaal son of Saul). The war started after the death of Saul, and an argument on who will be the next king.
This crowning also occurs after a series of bloody events. Abner, the long-time general of Saul and the northern armies is accused by Ishbaal of sleeping with one of his concubines. Abner absolutely denies the allegations, and it is the final straw for him. Abner then goes to David to defect to Judah effectively ending the civil war. Abner pledges to get the support of the northern tribes and heads back. However, he is called back by Joab, David’s general (and all around scumbag), who calls him aside and stabs him in the stomach. Joab’s brother, Abishai, had been killed by Abner in the battle of Gilboa, and he is taking his revenge. After that, two guys from Judah assassinate Ishbaal in his sleep. The northern tribes, who seem only to have been backing Ishbaal because he was the son of Saul, now pledge their allegiance to David.
The narrative makes it conspicuously clear that David had nothing to do with either of these murders. He seems to have great respect for Abner, and certainly the timing of his murder is not ideal. However, Joab will remain a key player in the rest of the narrative (though he is often employed to do the dirty work). David is furious with the men who kill Ishbaal,
While the civil war is ended, the fault lines are still there. As we will see next week, the nation will split along the same tribal lines after the death of Solomon, David’s son.
Shepherd Over the People
It is interesting that this passage brings up the image of shepherd for a king. This is especially interesting to be used for David, who began his life as a shepherd, and wrote the famous ‘YHWH is my shepherd’ psalm. It is an apt, but also considerably less hierarchical image for a ruler than ‘King’. As the people note, it is David’s care and nurture of the people, in contrast to Saul’s, that they cite as a reason he should now be their king. “While Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in” (2 Samuel 5:2). While this language is definitely military in nature, there are other places which suggest a more nurturing relationship. In 1 Samuel 25, while Saul is pursuing David in the wilderness, David asks for assistance from a rich man named Nabal, who refuses him. However, his servants tell his wife about the request, and praise David and his ‘Mighty Men’ saying that, “the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we never missed anything when we were out in the fields, as long as we were with them; they were a wall to us both by day and by night” (1 Samuel 25:15-16). It seems that David and his men are serving as ‘a wall’ for the people. In the ancient world, walls were considered sacred because they were often the only defense that people had from the dangers (non-human and human), and this metaphor is used for David’s men. [The rest of the story is that Abigail, Nabal’s wife, brings a bunch of supplies to David (but definitely doesn’t give him anything else). David decides not to attack Nabal, but Nabal is struck down by God. Abigail ends up marrying David].
Of course, Jesus would later use this same imagery as the good shepherd in John 10. Shepherd is also an image used for leaders in the early church in Ephesians 4:11 (and in the Firefly/Serenity ‘verse). As the institutional church grew more powerful, this pastoral image was shifted to a hierarchical religious term (priest), and post-reformation the term ‘pastor’ has taken on more hierarchical overtones.
Jerusalem
In between our readings, David takes over the Jebusite city of Jebus (later named Jerusalem) as his capital city. As always, the city of the king is an important place. When Saul was first crowned, his own town of Gibeah was functionally the seat of power (1 Samuel 11:4). David’s first capital city, after the defeat of Saul by the Philistines, was Hebron. Hebron is 19 miles south of Jerusalem, and one of the oldest continually occupied cities on earth. However, it was also smack-dab in the middle of the territory of the tribe of Judah. This was fine for the seven years that he reigned over the tribe of Judah and the tiny tribe of Benjamin, but when he becomes the king of all the tribes, a more central capital city is needed. Instead of taking over a city already in tribal control (therefore avoiding the ‘which tribe’ question) David and his army takes over the Jebusite city on the northern border of the tribal lands of Judah, not far from the ‘northern’ tribal lands. This is an important (and savvy) political move to consolidate power in a new central city.
Of course, in talking about these ‘tribal lands’ we have to also recognize that these are the tribal borders (ostensibly) established by Moses/Joshua. There were already tribal and national entities in possession of the land before the Hebrew tribes arrived. This story explicitly states that this particular city was in the possession of the Jebusites at the time that David took it over. conversations about the historical importance of Jerusalem, and claims on possession are as old as the city itself.
Religio-Political Center
Having established a new political center to the united kingdom, David makes a new move that even Saul had not, he also makes Jerusalem the center of religious life, by bringing the Ark of the Covenant and Tabernacle there as well. Ever since its construction at Saini, the Tabernacle, Dwelling Place, Tent of Meeting, has been the central place for cultic practice. Inside of the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, is the Ark of the Covenant which marks the Mercy Seat, the earthly throne of YHWH. This Dwelling Place is purposefully movable, first so that it could be moved along with the people in the wilderness. A big deal is made in Exodus of YHWH’s presence being among the people. After the Golden Calf Incident, the narrative has YHWH threatening to only send an angel with the people, “but I will not go among you, or I will consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 33:3). Moses later convinces YHWH to go with the people, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (33:14). This presence among the people is exemplified by the position of the Dwelling Place in the camp. Numbers 2 gives the instruction on setting up camp, and the Dwelling place is the very center of the camp. Each time that the people would move through the wilderness journey, they would be reminded of YHWH’s centrality in their lives.
When the people entered the land of Canaan, the Tabernacle would continue to move from place to place. Throughout the Samuel Saga, there are a number of cultic sites. In 1 Samuel 1, the Dwelling place is set up in Shiloh, and there is a seemingly complex system of patronage to support the daily sacrifice required in Exodus 29. Elkinah and his wives Peninnah and Hannah (mother of Samuel) come to the Tent of Meeting on a yearly basis to provide for that sacrifice. Samuel is given to YHWH there, and grows up at the Dwelling place.
In chapter 4, the Isrealite army requests the Ark of the Covenant (presumably without the Tabernacle) to be brought to the battle field camp at Ebenezer (‘God has brought us this far,’ not Scrooge). This is not in itself surprising, since the ancient understanding of battle as a physical manifestation of divine conflict. The Israelites wanted to make sure that YHWH was with them (at least physically) so that they would be victorious over the Philistines, and Dagon. Well, that backfired, and the Ark is captured by the Philistines, creating a constitutional crisis of sorts, the Israelites’ god has been kidnapped. YHWH takes care of themselves, the Ark is returned, and is set up at Kiriath-Jearim (presumably with the Tabernacle?) where it remained for the next twenty years.
Samuel retires to Ramah after rejecting Saul (15:34), and this continues to be a place of refuge (19:18). While it is not explicitly a place of worship, it would certainly be conceivable that cultic practices would be taking place here as well.
In 1 Samuel 21, David goes to Nob, on his way out of Gibeah, where he is helped by the priests there. The presence of the Bread of the Presence may suggest that the Tabernacle was set up there at that time, but also could suggest that Nob was another place of worship. David and his men eat the bread, which makes a great sermon illustration for Jesus later. Saul kills the priests at Nob for their helping David.
In today’s paricape, The Ark is brought up from Baale-Judah (god of Judah?) to Jerusalem, and the beginning of a centralization of religious life. As with the overall story of David, and the Deuteronomistic histories in general, this is a song of celebration with a minor-key played underneath it. How wonderful it is that the Ark of YHWH, and therefore the presence of YHWH, is once again in the center of the people (both geographically and emotionally). However, there is also a darker side, with the centralization of power. The Samuel Saga has already clearly displayed the inherent problems with dynasties, and what happens when the sins of the father are passed to the sons (Eli and his sons, Samuel and his sons, Saul and Johnathan (reverse of the pattern) and Ishbaal (nope, pattern is restored again). Later, when the Temple is built it will further cement this centralization (and unique-ification) of Jerusalem worship. The fact that the Temple is built with slave-labor even gets some biblical shade (remarkable when it is pretty pro-slavery in many other places, (come on ‘the Bible’)). One of the challenges of the divided kingdom (a split that fires up due to that same enslavement, as we will see next week) is due to the fact that worship of YHWH was so tied to Jerusalem, which also happens to be the capital of one of those nations. This leads to the construction of alternative worship places in Dan and Bethel, which does not get high praise). This argument on proper places to worship will continue to Jesus’ day when the Samaritan woman questions him about which mountain is the proper one (John 4). The prophets will critique this Jerusalem worship, telling the religious elites not to treat the Temple of YHWH as a den of thieves (a critique that Jesus would later take up as well).
So in conclusion, the Ark of YHWH is coming to Jerusalem, yeah, and also oh no!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Jerusalem
I have got to mention the events immediately after our paricape. David and thirty-thousand men are bringing the Ark from the house of Aminidab (priest, formerly of Nob, who escaped Saul’s vengeance) on a new cart. Uzzaiah and Ahio, Aminidab’s sons, are leading the cart, and David is dancing up a storm. All is well until the cart shakes, and it seems like the Ark is going to fall off. Uzziah does what anyone would do, and tries to catch it. Unfortunately, this results in Uzzaiah being struck down by the power of YHWH. So, that’s a thing. There are a couple ways to take this:
The Holiness of YHWH: There has been a theme through the Torah about the holiness of YHWH. Because God is holy (meaning pure, but also ‘set apart’) human beings which are marked by finitude must be cleansed before they enter into YHWH’s presence. This is one reason for all of the sacrifices and ritual cleanings that the people, and even more so the priests, and even more so the high priest, must go through.
One great analogy for this concept is that of the Sun. If we shot a rocket at the sun, it would be destroyed. This is not because the sun hates rockets, it is because the relative finitude of the rocket is unable to deal with the power of a star (unless Dr. Crusher specifically designed it to, of course). Likewise, the purity and power of God overwhelms our human finitude.
Bad Omen: There are also those who look at this story as a part of the narrative shaping that tells readers that this move is not a good one.
Whatever the reason, David is angry at YHWH for this, and puts the Ark on a time-out at the house of Obed-edom, a Gittite (Hey buddy, I know you aren’t one of our people, but would you mind babysitting our god for a little bit? Oh, also, don’t touch the box, trust me). Three months later though, when Obed-edom’s household is super-blessed, David changed his mind.
Undignified
The last part of this section is the actual bringing of the Ark into Jerusalem (this time making an animal sacrifice every six paces, just in case). David is once again dancing before YHWH and the Ark. First he has an priestly ephod, then he doesn’t. This is nekkid dancing up the streets of Jerusalem gets some (reasonable) push back from Michal, one of David’s wives
Michal was the daughter of Saul, who was married to David for the price of a hundred philistine foreskins (Saul was hoping that the philistines would give more of a fight than they ended up doing). After Michal helped David escape from Gibeah, do to Saul wanting to un-alive him, she was married to Paltiel son of Laish (1 Samuel 25:43). David then demands Michal as the price for negotiating with Abner, citing that he paid the required amount of foreskins (still gross) for her. Paltiel follows behind her crying as she is handed over to David (2 Samuel 3:12-16). So perhaps her disdainful view of David (who has already married two other women) dancing nekkid in front of the servant girls is excusable.
David’s answer makes for a great worship song, that “I will be even more undignified than this” because it is all about God. Yeah, and oh no!
Pop Culture References
Perhaps a deep cut, but go with me. In Star Wars Episode III, the Republic is reorganized into the Galactic Empire. This is not a change of location, but a definite political reorganization. In the larger cannon conversation we learn that Emperor Sheeve Palpatine, who is also the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, makes his imperial residence out of the Jedi temple. So this location that was once the place where the Jedi council gathered, is his.
Sorry, that is a terrible reference, but its the only thing I can think of right now.
More Links
The Bible Worm Podcast 507; Episode 106 (2019)
Bible Project: 1 Samuel (Read the Bible Series)