60.The Playboy King

David is Anointed

Naturally one would think that biblical history recorded in the books of Chronicles would follow the history in the books of First and Second Kings.   That, however, is not the case. First Chronicles, together with a lot of genealogy, follows the history of Israel till the death of King David in First Kings ch. 2; 

Second Chronicles echoes First and Second Kings, repeating the history of Israel up to the point where the Israelites are allowed to return from their Babylonian captivity.  Because this is so, bits and pieces from Chronicles will be inserted into our studies of the books of Samuel and Kings.

Long before King Saul ceased being king of Israel, Samuel anointed a young lad, David, to be the next king of Israel.  And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers.1 Sam. 16:13.  This story has the background taste of the Cinderella story. Jesse, David's father, brings his sons, one after the other, starting with the oldest, to stand before Samuel.  The oldest is not chosen.  The next also is not chosen.  So, down the list of seven sons, all are rejected.  Finally, Samuel asks, Is this all the sons you have? Jesse replies, There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep. 16:11.  Samuel responds, Well, bring him in, for we will not sit down until he comes here. That one, of course, was "The Cinderella", the one least likely to be chosen.

As "fate" would have it, King Saul needed a harpist to dispel his bad moods, and David was the one chosen to play the harp.  And it happened when the spirit from God was on Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand. And there was relief for Saul, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him. 1 Sa 16:23.  Because of this turn of events, David became accustomed to palace living and kingly duties.

Several times when King Saul, in his evil moods, tried to kill David, David had the opportunity to kill the king.  One time was when David and his soldiers hid, from Saul, in a cave.  King Saul went into that same cave to cover his feet; this phrase is a Hebrew euphemism which means, he went to relieve himself.  At that point, David could have made a decisive move, but he never took advantage of such an opportunity.  He always respected the king's position and authority as one who had been anointed by Jehovah.

From the story of Goliath, it seems clear that we have not received the written word in the same order as the events happened. Note in 16:18 we have these words, David was a mighty warrior and a man of battle.  However, in chapter 17 we read, 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 is a man of war from his youth. 1 Sa 17:33.  

It would seem that chapter 17 should have come before chapter 16.  Some Bible scholars even suggest that this story probably was not even in the original manuscript.  Some suggest that this story, which paints David as an unbeatable hero, is much like the story of Robin Hood who is much greater in folklore than in real life.

Because David plays such an essential role in the history of Israel, and even in the folklore of the Church, we need to be properly introduced to him.  Samuel gave unto David that which Saul had not received—long and careful training; and David profited by it, ... not only in reading and writing, but in poetry and music. Saul and David were both men of extraordinary natural ability; but the one is always shy, awkward, and with all the defects of an uneducated man; while David is altogether the contrary. But Samuel gave his youthful pupil something better than accomplishments—he carefully educated him in the law of God, and led his mind onward to all that was good. The Pulpit Commentary.

Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?  But, this is what the Bible says about David.

The Other Aspect of David

Before David killed Goliath The young David was told, the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter. 1 Sam. 17:21.  

After David killed Goliath Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 1 Sam. 18:27.  She never became the mother of any of David's children.

These were the sons of David: 

The first-born, Amnon of Ahinoam. 

The second, Daniel, of Abigail. 

The third, Absalom* the son of Maachah. 

The fourth, Adonijah* the son of Haggith. 

The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital. 

The sixth was Ithream by Eglah his wife. 

Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon*, four of Bathsheba. 

and Ibhar, and Elishama, and Eliphelet, and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.  The mother's names are not given for these nine sons.

These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines. 1 Ch. 3:1-9.

* We will hear more about these later on.

Not only did King David have an extramarital affair with Bathsheba, a married woman, but, worse luck, she got pregnant by him.  So David tried to entice her husband to come home from the army so that it would seem as if the husband was the father of the baby.  

However, the husband was too loyal to his country to leave the army.  King David was disgraced in Israel for what he had done, and he had Bathsheba's husband killed so that she would be a widow and consequently be available to him. 2 Sam 11:1-27. 

What a national hero!  What a Church hero!

59. The Fallen King

Saul - Israel's first king

1 Samuel 13:1 becomes an interesting verse when it is compared in different translations.  

• Saul was a young man when he became king, and he ruled Israel for two years. 1 Sam. 13:1.  Modern King James, (MKJV), 
• Then, look at the Douay-Rheims (DRB), Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel. 1 Sam. 13:1.  
• The DRB seems to be the closest to the Hebrew text, but it is illogical because before he is anointed as king we read that from his shoulders and upward he appeared above all the people. 9:2.  
• Furthermore, before he was anointed his father said to him, Please take one of the servants with you and rise, and go look for the asses. 9:3-5.   It seems a bit far-fetched to believe that a father would send his less than one-year-old to go and look for lost donkeys.

Of the various explanations of this verse, I thought this made the most sense.  As if the writer had said, These things (related in 1 Samuel 12:1-25) took place in the first year of Saul’s reign: and then he proceeds in the next place to tell us what took place in the second year, the two most remarkable years of Saul’s reign. Clarke's commentary.

Here is another thought worth noting: The text of this verse, omitted by the Septuagint, is held to be corrupt, and the numerals denoting Saul’s age at his accession as well as the duration of his reign, are thought to be omitted or faulty.

Another interesting comparison is: 

• Agag came to him daintily, MKJV.  
• Agag was presented to him very fat, and trembling. 15:32.  the DRB,
• Agag came to him cheerfully. World English Bible. (WEB).  
• Agag came in chains. Contemporary English version. (CEV).  

In spite of variations such as this, or spurious additions (as noted above), in different Bibles, some would tell us that the Bible is "word perfect", and must be believed exactly as it is written.

The End of Saul's Reign

Saul's instructions from the Lord were, Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys. 15:3.  

King Saul was not totally obedient, Saul and the people spared Agag (the king) and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not completely destroy them.15:9.

Speak of a king "passing the buck"!  He said, But the people took from the spoil, of the flocks and herd, the best of the things devoted to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in Gilgal. 15:21. Come on, king, aren't you in a position to tell your subjects what to do? 

We also note that King Saul did not claim Jehovah as his God, he said to Samuel, Jehovah your God.

Samuel said, "Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To listen is better than the fat of rams! For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship". 15:22-23. 

Moral conduct is more than ceremonial form. So often we would rather be religious than holy; we would rather play the saintly game than do the will of God. Expositors Bible Commentary.

The following two verses turn the doctrine of predestination on its head.  Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” 15:10-11. 

To reiterate a question which I have asked a number of times already; did the Lord not know the outcome of this situation?  If He did, why did He follow through with a plan which He knew would backfire on Him?

Concerning the beginning of Saul's reign: Samuel said, "When you were little in your own sight, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed you king over Israel." 15:17.

Concerning the end of Saul's reign: Samuel said to Saul, "Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king!" 15:23

And Samuel did not see Saul again till the day of his death, for Samuel mourned after Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.15:35.

But the spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah terrified him. 16:14.   Jost, in his History of the Jews ... says that Saul suffered under that form of madness called hypochondria. The Pulpit Commentary.  Some consider the disease (hypochondria) as a punishment for past misdeeds. Wikipedia.

And the battle went sorely against Saul. And the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. And Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and pierce me with it. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was very much afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell on it. ... And Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together. 1 Chron. 10:3-6.

This is really a sad end for one who had such an illustrious beginning.

  

58. "The Shrimp" Versus "The Giant"

In our Biblical studies, we now return to the book of First Samuel.

The Size of Goliath

The Philistines were arrayed for battle on the level ground on one side of the valley.  The Hebrews on the other side of the valley, also ready for battle.  Neither side was willing to take the initiative because the attacking army had a distinct disadvantage; In the middle of the broad, open valley we found a deep trench with vertical sides, impassable except at certain places—a valley in a valley, and a natural barrier between the two hosts. The Pulpit Commentary.

The attacking army would be caught in the ravine and the defending army would have a natural advantage.   To overcome that obstacle Goliath offered a "one on one" combat.  The agreement was that whichever soldier lost that fight, that soldier's country would be servants of the country whose soldier won.

Goliath was no ordinary man!   In our measure his height was eight feet five and one-third inches; for the cubit is sixteen inches, and the span (really the hand-breadth) is five and one-third inches. The Pulpit Commentary.

Or, try these on for size: Bishop Cumberland has made it out that the scripture-cubit was above twenty-one inches ... and a span was half a cubit, by which computation Goliath was ... eleven feet and four inches, a monstrous stature.  Matthew Henry.

He was armed with a coat of mail. Literally, "clothed in a shirt of scales".  The weight of which was "Five thousand shekels of brass".  Really copper, as brass was then unknown. ... the shekel is equal to two-thirds of an ounce. This would make the corselet (coat of mail) weigh at least two hundred weight. The Pulpit Commentary

The weight of his coat of mail is estimated at more than one hundred and fifty pounds. Expositors Bible Commentary.

The coat is said to weigh 5000 shekels, and a shekel was half an ounce avoirdupois, (that is, 16 ounces per pound, or about 156 pounds). Matthew Henry.

Little David

The youth, David, was willing to take him on. 1 Sam. 17:33.  His reason was that Goliath had defied the armies of the living God. 17:36.  David was suited up in a regular soldiers armour.  However, it was just too heavy and awkward for his slight build.  He removed the armour and gathered five smooth stones, probably from the stream in the ravine at the bottom of the valley. 17:39.  The sides and bed of this trench are strewn with rounded and waterworn pebbles, which would have been well fitted for David’s sling. The Pulpit Commentary.

Just before the contest began Goliath ridiculed David, and this humiliation simply served to galvanize David's mettle.  He replied to that insult by saying, Jehovah will deliver you into my hand today, and I will strike you ... so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 17:46.

David's sling is often called a slingshot, but that is a misnomer.  It had no rubber bands which he could stretch to "fling" the stone.  Rather, after putting the stone into the sling he twirled the sling, to work up speed, and at exactly the right instant he let go one end of the sling, and after that, it was up to the stone to do its work.

Goliath was dead and the promise was that the country that lost "the one soldier" would be servants to the winning side.  It is only 46 verses later that he have these words recorded, And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter. And they fled from him. 19:8.  That sounds a lot like the peace treaties we hear about in our day.

Here you see jealousy in the extreme.  David, the leader of the army, had just "pulled off" an incursion, for Israel's sake, into enemy territory and right after that Saul, the king, tried to kill David.  This happened because, while Saul was still on the throne, the populace chanted things like, Saul has killed a thousand enemies but David has killed ten thousand enemies. 21:11.

Jonathan, Saul's son, tried to reason with his father, saying, Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause? And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. And Saul swore, As Jehovah lives, he shall not die. 1 Sam. 19:6 -7.

That promise, however, did not last; only two verses later we read, And the evil spirit from Jehovah was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David played the harp, with his hand. And Saul thought to strike David even to the wall with the spear. But he, David, burst forth from Saul's presence, and he, Saul, struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 1 Sa 19:9-10.

We have all heard of a man and his son-in-law not getting along, but this is really taking it to the extreme. 

57. When Christ Returns!

Carefully Chosen Texts

We now continue with Mr Martin's chosen Bible verses.

3. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Phil. 1:21-23

My best response to the meaning of this Bible verse is to quote from Seventh Day Adventist literature. Of course it will be better to be with Christ, but why, it must be asked, should we conclude that the Apostle expects immediately upon death to go at once into the presence of Christ? The Bible does not say so. One might reason that the implication is to the effect that being with Christ would be immediate on his departure. But it must be admitted that such is not a necessary implication, and it certainly is not a definite statement of the text.

4. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.          1 Thes. 4:14-17.

It seems that a lot of confusion about this whole topic comes from exactly these four verses of Scripture.   Mr Martin makes a big issue of the fact that in Greek the words, together with, are used three times in these four verses and thereby he seeks to prove that there are no Christian souls (only dead bodies) left to be resurrected when Christ returns. 

He assumes, as the Evangelical church at large does, that when Paul wrote, God will bring with Him, Paul meant that the souls of the dead will be coming with Christ from heaven.  That is an unfounded assumption.   

Paul meant that the dead in Christ will rise first (v.16) and God will bring those dead saints, who were still in the grave till then, with Him to meet the living saints, in the air, when Christ returns.

That there are no souls, of the dead, left to be resurrected at the time of Christ’s return is a direct contradiction of the words of Paul in v.14, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  Paul did not write, those who did sleep in Jesus and are now in glory; he wrote, God will bring with Him (from the grave,) those who are now dead, in Jesus! (to meet the saints who are still alive when Christ returns). 

This is a very strong argument for the doctrine that no one goes to heaven at death.  Yet, Mr Martin chose this verse to teach the exact opposite.

5. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:11-13.

About these verses, Mr Martin writes, in the grammar and context of this passage eternal life is the present possession of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and if the term eternal life does not include conscious fellowship than the whole New Testament meaning is destroyed.  One must agree with Mr Martin in this viewpoint, but the idea that the dead are unconscious, from their death to the resurrection, as Mr Martin infers that we believe, does not agree with what the "the intermediate state" infers or the teachings of the New Testament.  

Just because we do not "go to heaven" at death does not mean that our eternal life comes to an end.

In Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at his coming. 1 Cor. 15:22-23.  Here St. Paul distinctly stated that at Christ's coming all will be made alive which means that no human, except Christ, is alive now in heaven.

The whole of our Western tradition has contrived to give death an altogether inflated significance. There has been a vastly exaggerated focus on death and the moment of death. It began when the pages of the New Testament were hardly dry, and it is one of the most remarkable silent revolutions in the history of Christian thought…The whole of our teaching and our hymnology has assumed that you go to heaven — or, of course, hell — when you die…This proposition is in clear contradiction with what the Bible says…The Bible nowhere says that we go to heaven when we die, nor does it ever describe death in terms of going to heaven.  The Coming Kingdom of the Messiah by Sir Anthony F. Buzzard.