1 Samuel: David and the Harp, and Goliath

1 Samuel 16-17

It’s time for King David to appear on the scene. Saul has failed as Israel’s first king, and David will eventually replace him. As always, the way the Bible introduces characters is packed with meaning.

We hear nothing about David’s birth, which is interesting. Isaac, Jacob, all of Jacob’s sons, Moses, and Samuel, all have birth stories. Why not David? David is already old enough to tend the flock when he first appears in the story. Samuel goes to David’s father’s house, in Bethlehem, because God told Samuel he would find a new king there. David is the youngest of eight sons, not noteworthy enough to be considered in Samuel’s initial search. He’s the last one Samuel looks at, and God says “he is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12). Apparently, David is handsome, but not like a king. Definitely not a large man like Saul. But God says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Samuel anoints David with oil, like he did for Saul.

Then, there are two stories about David meeting Saul. They seem contradictory. In the first story, David becomes Saul’s personal music therapist. In the second story, David slays Goliath, and Saul asks who the hero is. Surely he would recognise his therapist, wouldn’t he? Saul’s mental state is declining, but he’s not losing his facial recognition skills. I think this is yet more evidence that the Bible is more than just a historical account of events. We need two stories to encapsulate all that David is. If that means Saul meets David in one story, then suddenly doesn’t recognise him in the next, so be it.

The Harp

Let’s dive into the first story. God doesn’t approve of Saul anymore, but he is still acting as king. As soon as Samuel anoints David, God sends an evil spirit to torment Saul. Saul’s servant suggests getting a musician to soothe him (Saul seems to need servants to tell him to do everything). The musician they hire is David. David’s music is effective, and Saul grows fond of David.

Why did God send an evil spirit to Saul, only to have David heal him? Is David working against God when he plays music for Saul? I wondered if other parts of the Bible could help explain this. What other curses has God sent? He sent the first curse to the snake, and to the ground, which caused pain for Adam and Eve. Then he banished them from the Garden. This was necessary to prevent humans, in their corrupt moral state, from achieving eternal life. But the goal has always been to return to Eden and reverse the curses. That’s what God wants. David can potentially reverse God’s curses using music. That’s something to ponder.

This is also like Moses interceding to prevent God from destroying Israel. Moses prevented God’s wrath after the Golden Calf incident. When David soothes God’s wrath for Saul, we can wonder if he can play this role on a larger scale.

Goliath

The story of David and Goliath is very popular. We like a good underdog story, and it’s no wonder. We often feel inadequate, so we love a story that says we can succeed even though we’re smaller, weaker, and less armed than the next guy. That’s a great message, but we’re only scratching the surface. Ready to follow a Biblical trail of bread crumbs?

Who is Goliath? He’s a giant from Gath.

What’s Gath? In the book of Joshua, Joshua destroyed all the Anakites in Israel. Joshua says “No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive” (Joshua 11:22).

Who were the Anakites? Deuteronomy says that the Anakites were “strong and tall,” “with large cities that have walls up to the sky” (Deuteronomy 9:1-2). In Numbers, we learn that “the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim” (Numbers 13:33).

Who were the Nephilim? In Genesis, we learn that “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days... when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them” (Genesis 6:4). The sons of God are spiritual beings, kind of like angels. When they took human wives, the Nephilim were born.

What’s going on here? Seems like Goliath is descended from the Nephilim, who were part of the reason for the Flood in Noah’s time. They were brutal warriors who filled the earth with violence.

God doesn’t want the sons of God taking human wives. Perhaps because it led to violence, or perhaps the sons of God were trying to give humans immorality. Just like the snake (also a spiritual being?) tried to give humans god-like knowledge. God specifically created these spiritual beings for a purpose, and they are going outside of this purpose to subvert God. Just like Adam and Eve subverted God’s purposes by trying to become like God, knowing good and evil. Humans are supposed to care for the earth, and spiritual beings are supposed to care for the heavens. When they stray from their roles, bad things happen. So bad that God started creation over again.

So, back to David. By killing Goliath, a descendant of the Nephilim, David stakes his proper claim to be a ruler (caretaker) of earth, like all humans should be. He destroys the remnants of the attempts of spiritual beings to rule earth, and also human’s attempts to rule heaven (the lineage of giants were the ones who built the tower of Babel).

Take these two stories together, and David is portrayed as someone who could reverse the curse and restore everything to its proper place. He could reverse the original curse, the one that banished humans from Eden, and restore humans to their place in the garden, unmolested by rebellious heavenly beings. High expectations!