Chapter
2
How wise and humble David was
in asking God what his next move should be. It was decided that he would
go to Hebron, in Judah; he and his wives and household. The text reads as a
very modest new start for David. However, the men of Judah came
and
anointed him king over the house of Judah. We recall that Samuel had
already anointed him when he realised that Saul was not worthy of the
position. (See I Samuel 16.)
I like to get an idea of where
places are on the map. Dummelow ("One Volume Bible Commentary") says David’s Bethel was 14 miles from
Bethlehem. The Bible Dictionary says Bethel was 20 miles south-south-west
of Jerusalem. OK, I have it. It was a good place; the Bible
Dictionary has it “situated at one of the highest points (ca. 3,040 feet
above sea level) on the central mountainous ridge and is one of oldest
continually inhabited in Palestine. It is in an area with an abundant
water supply in the form of wells and springs, and is a regional center for
grape and olive production.”
The distances are so small in this
little area of the world! An area that has been so important and
prominent in our history and in our time somewhat dominates our news.
It comes as a bit of a surprise
that David was king of Judah, but Saul’s son Ishbosheth was king of
Israel. It is not long before the troops are fighting and killing each
other at the pool of Gibeon. David’s side won that battle.
The Bible Dictionary has a
description of the pool of Gibeon which is fascinating.
“A circular shaft identified as
the pool was found cut into bedrock at a point immediately inside the city
wall. It is approximately 36 feet (11m.) in diameter and 36 feet (11m.)
deep. Cut along its edge is a stairway that spirals down to the bottom of the
shaft. Thereafter the stairway continues to descend in the form a tunnel,
to a room whose floor is 1.5 feet (.5m.) below the modern water level.
The purpose of such shafts was to provide access to the water table or springs
from inside the city during times of siege.”
It is not easy to get a hold of
all the characters in this story. I like this snippet from Abner (Saul’s
side): “Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it
will be bitterness in the latter end?”
Joyce Voysey
1 comment:
I have never been able to quite understand the huge battles and violent animosity portrayed in the Bible, especially the Old Testament.
The story of a remarkable Somali woman ("Infidel - my life" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali), provides new insight into tribal wars. Ali's story reveals the importance given to one's ancestral "line" (she had to learn it by heart as a child) and the intense distrust of and contempt for those of other tribes. They were not taught to see their neighbours as fellow human beings, but rather as enemies. This educated hatred thus becomes ingrained.
This reminds me of a young man from Argentina. When he arrived at our home as an exchange student, he announced that he hated the people from neighbouring Chile. By the time he left Australia at the end of that year, however, he had a very best friend. You guessed it, he was from Chile.
Thought can change.
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