Two hundred years after Moses led his people to the Promised Land (and Joshua helped bring it withing their grasp) a young boy named David came forward to enter his own name into Biblical history. While the young shepherd may be most well-known for striking down the giant Goliath – and gave every future battle between differing opponents a new nickname – it’s what happened to the man after his first victory that we’re most interested in.
No victory comes without a price, and for Saul, the ruler of the Israelite forces, making David one of his top soldiers afforded the young man immediate fame, power and influence. Following David’s rise from soldier to leader following Saul’s death would make for a dramatic enough story on its own. But the controversial and brutal acts that followed David’s rise to power are too good to resist.
With the help of his ‘Mighty Men’ – a hand-picked group of fighters – the Biblical hero set out to remove (read: kill) Saul’ successors as rivals, and while The Bible views his actions as good in the long run, seeing the brutality of it up close, and just what it took to remain in the budding Israel, would flesh out a character who is far more interesting than many give him credit for.
David’s victory in wiping out entire peoples is impressive enough, but even the small scale drama is worth attention. Take for instance Bathsheba; the young woman spied bathing by the King, who he decided to romance (and dealt with her husband as any ruthless king does). The fact that Bathsheba was also the daughter of one of David’s elite guard, and granddaughter to one of his closest advisors gives a sense of just how tangled a web David tended to weave.
Historians and theologians can debate whether King David’s actions were justified or out of control, but the undisputable fact is that he was a far more interesting and complex figure than most realize. If Noah is deserving of extra attention, then David more than warrants a closer look.
