David the believer - I Samuel

David was a man of war, the great king, whose life was full of drama and triumph, who lived in palace and caves, had eight wives and countless concubines. Violence and sex filled his worldly life enough for a library of R-rated films, yet his hallmark achievement were Tehillim, divinely inspired songs praising the living God. Compare this to Spinoza, a peaceful secular saint, who denied himself all pleasures of the world to focus on his work, who proved the existence of universal God of philosophers through the means of sheer logic. Which book would you reach for when you life is in danger, which God would you call upon when in excruciating pain?


The personality of David is both complex and familiar. It is so easy to get disappointed in people when we see their darker side, when we witness their weaknesses. It is also easy to assume that once you’ve seen a person at his worst, you know their true nature. I know about so-and-so, I’ve seen or heard of him or her doing this-and-that! What do you know? You don’t know anything! All human beings have a basic physical nature, this is not the news. Chaos is the natural state of the world, destruction is woven in the fabric of cosmos. What is the news, what is truly amazing, is that there is order and beauty in the world, that people are capable to rise above their nature, sometimes, even though it is temporary, even if for a moment long enough to compose a song. And that was the greatness of king David, that he was able to rise above his nature, to dedicate his energy to the service of God, that he valued his connection to God more than anything else in life.

The worst thing a parent can say is “I am disappointed in you, because I’ve seen your bad behavior, I got to know the negative aspects of your character”. This disappointment defines the person by his worst traits and negates the good, the chesed, that is always present in a human being, although it may be well hidden. Instead, say “I know that this is not who you are. You are much more than this.”

The life of king David was full of struggle, intrigue, victories, triumphs, love and death, kingship and exile, friendships and betrayal, but all passions of his life paled compared to his love of God, all of his struggles were trifle compared with his desire to serve God, all pleasures and triumphs were nothing compared to the bliss of being in His presence.

Both David and Saul were anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king, each in his time. It was said about each of them that ‘the spirit of God passed over him’. But the difference is that Saul was embarrassed to carry that spirit, he was shy of his greatness, even when he was with the prophets (I Samuel chapter 10).

Chapter 15 Saul disobeyed God’s word and let go the Amalikite king Agag. Samuel admonishes him 15:17 Though you may be small in your own eyes, you are the head of the tribes of Israel; and Hashem has anointed you to be king over Israel

To which Saul replies: 15:24 I have sinned, for I have transgressed the word of Hashem and your word, for I feared the people and I hearkened to their voice.

David on the contrary fully accepts the spirit bestowed upon him. David the teacher.

Chapter 17 Soon after David was secretly anointed by prophet Samuel to be the king, he confronts the mighty Philistine giant Goliath with the slingshot, few smooth stones and these famous words: 17:45-47 ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin – but I come to you with the Name of Hashem, Master of Legions, the God of the battalions of Israel that you have ridiculed. On this day Hashem will deliver you into my hand. …Then the whole earth will know that there is a God in Israel, and all this assembly will know that not through sword and spear does Hashem grant salvation; for unto Hashem is the battle, and He shall deliver you into our hands!”

Chapter 22 Fleeing from murderously jealous and revengeful king Saul, David becomes the leader of the outcasts in the cave of Adulam: 22:2 They gathered to him – every man in distress, every man with a creditor, and every man embittered of spirit – and he became their leader. 22:5 Gad the Prophet told him not to stay in the fortress but go to the land of Judah. Then the unthinkable happens – cold murder of the Kohanim of Nob: 22:17 The king (Saul) said to the footmen who stood around him “Surround and kill the Kohanim of Hashem, because their hand is also with David…” 22:18 Doeg the Edomite circled around and he killed the Kohanim; on that day he killed 85 men, wearers of linen robes. Saul, the enemy of David became the enemy of God.

Chapter 23 Everything that David did he attributed to Hashem, he was seeking God in every step of his way. 23:2 David inquired of Hashem, saying ‘shall I go and strike down these Philistines” and Hashem replied to David, ‘Go, strike down the Philistines’ His men told him that they were too weak, and will be even more exposed if they go to fight, 23:4 so David inquired again of Hashem, and Hashem answered him ‘Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am delivering Philistines into your hand’. First it was just ‘Go’, but when David asks again God answers ‘Arise, go’, as in ‘Arise above your doubts, arise above your dependency on the opinion of others, arise above external influences and follow my lead’.

Chapter 24 David is in the wilderness of Ein-gedi, Saul chases after him, walks into a cave where David stayed with his men, David could have killed Saul, but instead only cuts off a corner of his coat, saying;

24:11 ‘I shall not send my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of Hashem.

24:13 May Hashem judge between me and you, and may Hashem avenge me from you – but my hand will not act against you.

Chapter 25 I wrote long commentaries about Abigail before, as female characters in Tanach will never stop to fascinate me, but re-reading the book again what struck the cord was the phrase that Naval uttered in refusal to help David and his men: "Who is David and who is the son of Jesse?" just as Pharaoh replied to Moshe and Aaron in Exodus 5:2 “Who is Hashem that I should heed his voice to send out Israel?”

Chapter 26 Saul is again pursuing David in the wilderness of Ziph. David and Abishai son of Zeruiah steal Saul’s spear and water bottle while he was sleeping. They could have killed Saul, but in the repeated scenario David refuses for the second time to raise his hand against the anointed of Hashem.

God gives a person the same test two or more times– if one are truly righteous he’ll pass it a thousand times, but yetzer hara, evil inclination, makes a weaker person regret having passed up the opportunity to sin in the past, and it is harder, much harder, to withstand the temptation each subsequent time, because it feels like you are given your last chance at success, and the doubtful means seem less objectionable.

So David says to Saul: 26:18-19 Why is this, my lord pursuing his servant?... If it is Hashem Who has incited you against me, then He will be appeased with an offering – but if it is men, may they be cursed before Hashem, for they have driven me away this day from attaching myself to the heritage of Hashem, as if to say “Go worship the gods of others!” This last phrase is very important – whoever drives away his fellow Jew from attaching himself to the heritage of Hashem is the same as to push them to worship idols.

Not a moment passes in David’s life without him praising God. He says more to Saul: 26:23 May Hashem repay every man his righteousness and his faithfulness, for Hashem delivered you into my hand today, but I had no desire to send forth my hand against the anointed one of Hashem. 26:24 Behold, just as your life was important to me this day, so may my life be important in the eyes of Hashem, and may He save me from all misfortune.” Jewish law of karma in a nutshell.

Chapters 27-29 David goes to live with Achish king of Gath, king of Philistines. Achish gave the town of Ziklag to David, to serve as his base. David and his men raid Amalekites and other pagans, while telling Achish that they raided the towns of Judah and Kenites. Saul summoned the spirit of Samuel with the help of a necromancer, to hear his fate sealed, as Samuel tells him 28:18 Because you did not obey the word of Hashem and did not carry out His wrath against Amalek, therefore Hashem has done this thing to you this day. And Hashem will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines; tomorrow you and your sons will be with me...

Achish considers David his loyal ally and invites him to join the battle against Saul and the army of Israel, saying to him29:9 … In my eyes you are as good as an angel of God – but the Philistine officers have said ‘He shall not go up with us in battle’.

Chapter 30 David and his men return to Ziklag, to see the town burned by Amalekites, and all women and children, including David’s family, are taken away.

30:6 David was very distressed, for the people were ready to stone him, for the soul of all the people was embittered, each over his sons and his daughters; but David drew strength from Hashem, his God.

David pursued the Amalekites with 400 out of his 600 men – while two hundred men remained, who were too exhausted to cross the Besor Brook… They found a starved Egyptian youth, fed him 30:12 and his spirit returned to him, for he has not eaten bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. The youth said 30:13 I am … the slave of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me because I became ill, three days ago.

Compare Amalekite’s treatment of the ill and weak with how David treats the two hundred exhausted men who remained behind:

30:21 David then came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to go follow after David…David approached the people and inquired after their welfare.

30:22 Every mean-spirited and base person of the men who had gone with David spoke up and said, “Since they did not go with me, we will not give them of the spoils that we rescued, except to each man his wife and his children, let them take them and go.

30:23 But David said“Do not act so, my brothers, with that which Hashem has given us, for He has watched over us and delivered into our hands the band that had come upon us.

30:24 Who could hearken to you to such a thing! Rather, like the portion of the one who went into battle, so is the portion of the one who remained with the baggage; they shall divide equally. 30:25 And it was from that day on, that David made this a decree and a law in Israel, until this day.