David - episode 2

We continue with David’s story; we are in chapter 17 and following of the first Book of Samuel. The Philistines, Israel’s sworn enemies that Saul faced before, decide to challenge again the Chosen People. Among their ranks fights a mighty warrior named Goliath, outstanding in size and strenght. Here is the appeal that he makes to his enemies «“Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then you will be our servants, and serve us.” The Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day! Give me a man, that we may fight together!” When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid». Goliath dares Israel for forty days, but no one has the courage to accept his challenge. Only the young David, who is bringing food to his older brothers who are in Saul’s army, asks the king his permission to fight. «Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” David said to Saul, “Your servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. Your servant struck both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them [Should I not go and smite him, and remove this day a reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one], since he has defied the armies of the living God?” David said, “The LORD who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go; and the LORD shall be with you.”». Saul offers to David his armor and his sword, but they are too heavy for him. He will face Goliath armed only with his faith, his staff, a sling and a few pebbles. «The Philistine came on and drew near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him. When the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair face. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field.” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today, the LORD will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD doesn’t save with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”».

 

 

That will truly happen; David hits Goliath in the forehead throwing a stone with the sling and then cuts off his head with Goliath’s own sword. When they see that their hero is dead, the Philistines run away and Israel gets an easy victory. Returning from the battle, David meets one of Saul’s sons, who will become his lifelong friend. «It happened, when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him, and gave it to David, and his clothing, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his sash». Besides starts Saul’s murderous jealousy towards his young warrior. «It happened as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music. The women sang one to another as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands.” Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands. What can he have more but the kingdom?” Saul eyed David from that day and forward. It happened on the next day, that an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. David played with his hand, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul threw the spear; for he said, “I will pin David even to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and had departed from Saul». The king appoints David captain over a thousand, to keep him far from the court, but the situation is likely to go bad soon. We will continue David’s story in the next post.