Young Characters in History: David, King of Israel

YOUNG CHARACTERS IN HISTORY, BY PROFESSOR WILLARD DONE, PRESIDENT OF THE LATTER-DAY saints' COLLEGE, SALT LAKE CITY. VIII. DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL. Diverse elements are sometimes gathered together to make up a singularly united life, like the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and other chemical elements which enter into the composition of that perfectly unified organism, the human body. Their very diversity it is, which renders their union and interaction possible. In the life of a man, these elements are gathered up and formed in the laboratory of youth, where activity is greatest and unions most easily formed, and from thence they develop into the stable compounds of man- hood. In the case of David the first king of united Israel this diversity of elements is very marked. The task of tracing them through the retorts and crucibles of experience is hesi- tatingly undertaken, for the reason that it is so difficult to treat in history's necessarily cold and critical way, a character possessing the many marks of inspiration shown in the life of David. For to doubt that in many of the critical periods of his life, no less than in his divine poetry, he was blessed with a heavenly inspiration, is to doubt not only the statements of the sacred record, but the evidences of history as well. Every one is familiar with the beautiful romance of Ruth, the Moabitish widow, and Boaz, the prosperous land owner of

"716 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Bethlehem. The marriage of these two, toward the close of the rule of the judges, produced the royal line of Judah. Their grandson Jesse was living a peasant life at Bethlehem during the troublous period of the reign of Saul, the Benjaminite, over a portion of Israel. It is during this reign that Jesse's son David comes into the Bible narrative. The boy was leading the lowly life of a shepherd, no doubt on the same hills where, more than ten centuries later, the birth of his great descendant was announced by angelic heralds to shepherds as humble as himself. In this sequestered life he could develop, unretarded by undue outward influence, traits of character which stood him in good stead during the troubles and emergencies of his adult life. Some of them are particularized in the history itself; we are left to judge of others by the events which called them forth. His shepherd's pipe, with which he gathered the wander- ing flocks; his lyre with which he accompanied his boyish songs, brought forth within him a musical gift of inestimable value in the development of his later life. Dangers lurked about the lonely shepherd which could not be charmed away by the tones of pipe or harp, dangers requiring bravery and strength. The wild beasts inhabiting what was then a lonely desert region (the hills and plains off to the west and south of Bethlehem), were not prone to leave unmolested the tempting flocks under his care. Nor is it at all improbable that his single-handed conflicts with these denizens of the wilderness were frequent. His bravery and strength in these unequal contests are well attested by his own statement, not boastingly made, on the eve of his combat with Goliath: "And David said unto Saul, thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock; and I went out after him and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear." Steadiness of nerve, herculean strength and unflinching courage are implied in this single in- cident, multiplied by the many similar dangers through which he must have passed. Rugged, manly strength and hardi- hood were thus developed, to fit him for the duties of a

YOUNG CHARACTERS IN HISTORY. 717 warrior, as his pipe and lute prepared him to be "the royal musician." Another benefit derived from his shepherd life must not be overlooked. He became thoroughly conversant with nature in all her aspects, especially her sterner ones. That this knowledge was of the greatest worth to him in the days of his adventurous outlawry, the history will show. The cliff became his bulwark, the cave his hiding-place, the desert his protector. But he also read a kindlier lesson from nature, a lesson of beauty and sympathy which entered into the songs of his manhood. The cliff had its mantle of green, the cave its calcite crystals, the desert its vases. To the poetic sense of David these no doubt appealed as much as their rugged side to his sense of safety, and mingled with all these elements, there grew up within him, tempering all other qualties of his nature, an implicit trust in God and the ultimate justice of all his providences. We shall have occasion to see how his trust sustained him in the midst of difficulties, and found expression in some of his grandest psalms. It was while engaged in this lonely occupation and re- ceiving these lasting impressions, that a great crisis arose in Israel, and turned the whole current of David's life. Saul had proved himself unworthy of the great trust reposed in him as king of Israel and his successor was to be chosen. This task was entrusted to Samuel whose prophetic eye was turned to the house of Jesse, the Bethlehemite. Thither his steps turned also, and the stalwart sons of Jesse passed in succes- sion before him. But, a cause of mutual chagrin, none of them filled the prophetic eye. To Samuel's surprised inquiry if these were all his children, Jesse made the apparently in- different reply that the youngest, a mere boy, was out herding the sheep, a task considered at that time most menial. In obedience to the prophet's command, David was brought in. Impressed with the appearance of the boy, who was "ruddy and withal of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look upon," Samuel instantly obeyed the command of God, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." His first two interviews with king Saul were singularly

718 IMPROVEMENT ERA. romantic and well illustrated the two sides of David's character. Already the avenging hand of God was upon the king and the evil spirit sent to afflict him had wrought its in- fluence upon his mind. The once manly, generous spirit had degenerated into alternate ferocity and childishness. To soothe and tame him a skilful musician was required and the future king of Israel was chosen. The gentle, manly youth infused his own spirit of calm strength into his harp, playing when the fit was on the king and expelling the evil influence from him. Calmness of another sort was required in the conflict with Goliath. The Philistine giant had for days terrorized the armies of Israel by stalking before their lines in all the majesty of his huge size and challenging to deadly combat any champion they might name. The youthful David had left his "fleecy charges," somewhat surreptitiously, we may suppose, to view the conflict. Incensed by the lack of courage of the Israelites, no less than by the boasting of the Philistine, David indignantly asked who it was that dared defy the armies of the living God, and then offered to slay the giant with his own hand. In reply to the wondering doubt of Saul, he courageously but modestly told the incident of the lion and the bear, and expressed the thought that God would as willingly help him protect the armies of Israel as the flocks of his father. Then refusing the proffered armor of Saul because he "had not proved it," and taking only sling and pebbles, he did the deed of courage which caused the women to sing on meeting the victorious army, "Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands." This aroused Saul's jealousy and opened the way for a new epoch in David's life, the period of outlawry. This is the picturesque, romantic period of David's life, bridging the time from youth to full manhood, and therefore carrying him beyond the province of the first part of this sketch. Before proceedmg to a necessarily brief treatment of this important epoch, I cannot forbear calling attention to one element of David's character, which remained a prominent trait to the end—his power of winning hearts. It is well il- lustrated in the love for him of two of Saul's children, Jona-

YOUNG CHARACTERS IN HISTORY. 719 than and Michal. This affection sprang up and developed into the strongest form, at the time of their father's bitter hatred for him. Indeed Saul's whole purpose in giving Michal to David as a wife seems to have been to use her as a tool to entrap him. Yet so great was her love for him, that she aided in his escape at the time of his greatest danger, thereby in- curring the risk of her father's disfavor. The friendship of David and Jonathan has passed into a proverb: it "exceeded the love of a woman." Yet this affection developed when Saul was thirsting for David's life, and found expression in Jonathan preserving that precious life from his father's wrath. Through all these incidents, the enjoyment of new honors and the encountering of new dangers, David passed with a most becoming modesty and dignity, which angered well for his powers when they should be fully matured. His outlawry commenced with the two incidents of the "dummy" placed in his bed by Michal, his wife, and the shoot- ing of the arrows by Jonathan. By the first his life was saved, by the second he was warned to flee from the increasing wrath of Saul. As this period, especially in its early incidents, be- longs properly to his youth, its leading events will be treated here. As he fled for his life, there rallied around his standard the men who are always ready to take advantage of such con- ditions—spendthrifts, bankrupts, and others who were under the ban of the law. They were men who had everything to gain and nothing to lose—men who had fled from society to prey upon it, from the law, to break it No scruples could be expected here, no respect for the rights of others, none of the refinements of even a rude civilization. Murder, robbery, ra- pine, vengeance for past wrongs, could be perpetrated without compunction. We can imagine what a weak man, unskilled in controlling the minds and winning the hearts of men, would have done under such circumstances. Outlawry would have been outlawry indeed, without redeeming features. Not so with David. He took the rude, native material presented to his hands (in which he had no choosing), and shaped it into a band of men noted for bravery, chivalry, and regard for the rights of others. True they were mere outlaws; but their war was not waged on society, but merely on outlaws worse than themselves.

720 IMPROVEMENT ERA. At that time the extreme frontiers of Israelitish territory were at the mercy of the lawless peoples surrounding the twelve tribes. All the products of the field or the pasture were in danger of being swept away without warning. So far from taking vengeance on society for real or fancied wrongs, by assisting these plunderers, David and his men protected the tribes against them. All that they levied upon their countrymen by way of payment for these inestimable services, was a mere subsistence, as rude and insufficient as their own lives. True when this was denied, such vengeance might over- take the ungrateful one, as would bring him to a realization of his obligations, for, speaking in a paradox, the law of out- lawry is severe. This is well illustrated in the incident of Nabal, "the fool- ish one," and his beautiful wife Abigail, which is worthy of being related. After many romantic adventures and narrow escapes, David had taken up his stronghold in the mountains of Carmel, south of Hebron, where he had acted "as a wall" to preserve Nabal's property from theft. At the time of shear- ing, David sent to Nabal for provisions, to remunerate his men for their services in Nabal's behalf. But not only did he refuse the compensation, but he went so far as to accuse David of being an imposter, and an outlaw like the rest, de- claring that he owed the "son of Jesse" nothing. In anger, David formed an expedition against Nabal, intending to ex- terminate his household, and thus avenge the insult to the future king of Israel, and the slight perpetrated on his men. But Abigail, wiser than her husband, met David with rich gifts and diplomatic words, and he generously promised that in return for her intercession, the life and property of her hus- band should be spared. The sequel to the story is reached in the early death of Nabal, and the marriage of Abigail to David. But the double climax to his life as an outlaw was reached, and his generosity fully illustrated in his twice saving the life of Saul, who was seeking his destruction. Though fallen from his high estate, Saul was still "the Lord's anointed," and to him no evil must come through David. Even the cut- ting away of a portion of the king's robe was reported, and

YOUNG CHARACTERS IN HISTORY. 721 humbly apologized for. Nothing could exceed this high sense of honor, this manly chivalry for an enemy. The benefits which David carried out of these experiences into his later life, were invaluable. Control over men, no matter how uncontrollable; the use of materials, no matter how refractory; taking advantage of circumstances, no matter how adverse; familiarity with hardships the most severe; and an implicit trust in his ultimate triumph through present humil- ity and gentleness;—these were a few of the lessons with which his life was enriched. We shall now see how he was fitted by these experiences of his youth, for the weighty responsi- bilities of later life. What did such a youth not promise! At the period when he was to step from behind the scenes of his outlawry to the stage of his kingship over Israel, we can look at this noble young man, and adapt to him with emphasis, Antony's praise of Brutus: "His life was gentle, and the elements So mixed in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, 'This was a man!' " The tragic death of Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa, not only gave the kingdom to David, but subjected him to the difficult task of gaining the Benjamites and the other tribesmen to allegiance to a descendant of Judah. This task was rendered all the more difficult by several unfortunate cir- cumstances which crowded after one another at this critical time. The first of these was the death of Saul. Had David rejoiced at it, he would have alienated Saul's tribesmen. But he expressed his unfeigned horror by slaying the Amale- kite who boasted of having killed Saul; and gave a special reward to those who rescued the remains from the Phil- istines. Then came the killing of Abner, Saul's military officer, by the jealous Joab. David overcame the evil effects of this by ordering public lamentation, and the burial of Abner under the mourning eye of the king. The last of these circumstances was the murder of Ishbosheth, the son and heir of Saul. With true tact and manly feeling, David ordered his murderer to be slain, and his head to be buried in the tomb of Abner. Then to cement this friendship, and 53

722 IMPROVEMENT ERA. requite the love of his dead friends, David took Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, into his own household, and kept him there during the remainder of his life. These acts of kind- ness and diplomacy brought about the union of the tribes, and fully vindicated the wisdom promised by David's youth. For the first time a king ruled over united Israel, and stood ready for defensive conquests over her enemies. These conquests were extended. At the head of his army, David braved the dangers of desert and mountain, forest and wilderness, driving back his enemies, and "break- ing the Philistine horn." How fully were the promises of his youth realized! Bravery, abstemiousness, strict justice, morality, wisdom, firmness, kindness—all were manifested in perfect measure. The apex of his power and joy was reach- ed when after the conquest of Jerusalem's Mounts, Zion and Moriah, from the Jebusites, he ordered the ark of the Lord carried to Moriah, and followed it with joyous songs and dances of praise. A new "city of David," commensurate with his power and dominion, was established in the mountain fastnesses of Judea. Jerusalem was from henceforth, "the city of the great king." But not in all the acts of his manhood did David fulfill the promise of his youth. His one great sin, the case of Uriah, the brave self-sacrificing Hittite and his beautiful wife, Bathsheba, is too familiar to need a recital. David had begun to copy after other kings, of his time, in remaining at home while his captains fought his battles; and it was but another step to imitate their despotic immorality. Rest is sure to be followed by enervation and weakness, and these by disaster. And what calamities can be directly or indirect- ly traced to this one sin! The death of David's child; the crime of Amnon against Tamar; the revenge and flight of Absalom; his subsequent rebellion and grossness; the flight of David from his wrath; the civil war, resulting in Absalom's death; and the attempted usurpation of Solomon's kingdom by his brother Adonijah. Truly the wages of sin is death. Had it not been for the deplorable weakness displayed by David in the case of Bathsheba, an act so contrary to all the promises of his youth, this long train of evils would have been

YOUNG CHARACTERS IN HISTORY. 723 much less likely to vex his old age; the cry of anguish would perhaps never have been heard from him "O my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" This weakness added to his own fatherly affection, led to another failing though an amiable one, favoritism for his own children. This rendered him incapable of the strict justice in dealing with their offences against him, which he displayed in the case of others. His failure to deal with Amnon led Absalom to take his sister Tamar's wrongs into his own hands; this in turn led at least indirectly, to Absalom's treason; and when the rebellion was put down David narrowly escaped alienating the hearts of all his people by mourning so bitterly at Absalom's death. Therefore the decline in David's influence and the going down of the sun of his power, dated from the time when he began to consider himself a king, with self-vested rights, rather than a servant through God, of the people. But if, for one hour, he forgot the virtue, humility, bravery, and manliness of his youth he paid for it in years of suffering and sorrow. His degeneracy was produced alone through sin and its con- sequent weakness. I had intended giving considerable attention to David as the "sweet singer of Israel," but space will not permit. Therefore I content myself with a brief quotation from Kitto: "David's compositions (Psalms) are generally distinguished by sweetness, softness, and grace; but sometimes, as in Psalm XVni, they exhibit the sublime. His prevailing strain is plaintive, owing to his multiplied and sore trials, both before and after his occupation of the throne. How often was he beset with dangers, harassed by foes and chastised of God! And under these circumstances, how was his spirit bowed down and gave vent to its plaints and sorrows on the saddened chords of the lyre! But in the midst of all he generally found relief, and his sorrow gave place to calm confidence and joy in God. What wonder that a soul so susceptible and devout as his should manifest emotions so strong, so changeful and so various, seeing that he passed through the greatest