The one thing Saul valued most was the love and admiration of his subjects. He had already proven this mattered more to him than obeying God. He thus allowed the people to rule him. As he begins to lose even this, Saul shows himself a desperate man.
1 Samuel 17:1-3 -- The Valley of Elah makes several sharp bends near the City of Sochoh, on its way down to the flatlands and the Mediterranean. The Philistine-Israeli border was in flux, and this may have represented disputed territory. At any rate, the presence of the Philistine army is a provocation. They take up the high ground on the north side of the valley, but because of the sharp twisting, find themselves looking down on the village of Azekah almost from the east.
Saul mobilizes his troops, and takes up a strategic position on the opposite hilltop, almost due west of the Philistine, cutting off their direct route home, but exposing their backs to Philistine territory. Thus, both armies are in effect isolated from support. In the ancient ways of war, this would set the battle to take place on a rather flat valley floor, right out in front of the little village of Azekah.
17:4-11 -- For the Philistines, it was quite a gamble, having suffered defeat a great deal against Saul. They brought out a champion, someone probably known to Saul. Goliath was one of the refugee Anakim, which Joshua had driven from the hill country of Judah. They had settled in several of the Philistine cities, and this one had joined their army. Saul knew him to be a veteran of battle. As one of the tallest fighters in the camp of Israel, and as king, it would be his responsibility to face Goliath himself. This challenge to decide the battle one-on-one was not something Israel could easily turn aside. While the two sides faced off just outside sling and arrow range, this giant -- something over nine feet tall (nearly 3 meters) -- issued his challenge as an insult to Jehovah. Yet there was no Israelite with enough faith in the Lord to face Goliath. From a human perspective, there was no hope of fighting him in single combat. Just the weight of his combat gear was enough to stagger most men: a coat of plates down to the knees weighing roughly 110 pounds (50kg), not to mention the helmet, greaves and shin guards; a spear whose head weighed 13 pounds (6kg); and an assortment of other weapons. His defense weapons were all bronze, the offensive were iron. All told, this approximates to a 600 pound (270kg) human juggernaut. People rode animals smaller than that.
17:12-19 -- David is brought back into the picture. David was not yet old enough to go to war, which was traditionally 20 years. Thus, he couldn't be drafted for any official duty as a man. So ostensibly a full-time member of Saul's court, he occasionally returned to the family home to take his turn at shepherding. While thus occupied, Jesse asks this youngest of his sons to take food to the battle front for his three eldest brothers. Jesse was too old to go himself, but was eager for news. Not every confrontation of ancient armies resulted in an immediate clash. Negotiations might take place, minor skirmishes, or various contests of honor, all before a major battle, or even without one. This ties up lots of bodies and somebody has to feed them. While Saul should have had no trouble demanding taxation-in-kind, what Jesse sends represents the best of home food. Parched grain was roasted on a pan the same day it was harvested, and is still a favorite today in that part of the world. The bread would be flat disks of pita, and the cheese would be the soft, white sort, kept in a cool cellar. All these would be in short supply to troops in the field.
As always, the phrase "forty days" is not to be taken literally. Still, this was quite some time, and the face-off was dragging on interminably, with no resolution in sight. To say they were "fighting with the Philistines" means simply that they remained on full alert, ready to fight, and within sight of the enemy.
17:20-27 -- At 17 miles (27km) by air, but considerably more by ancient roads, it took David all day to get from Bethlehem down to Azekah. He would have left the onager loaded with food with the baggage stewards, somewhere to the rear of the battle formation. In obedience to his father's wishes, he met with his brothers. Then while observing the situation, Goliath made his daily appearance. The forward pickets would flee as he strode boldly within hailing distance, and shouted his defiance. The troops standing nearby mentioned the terms of the challenge and Saul's offer to anyone daring enough to even try facing Goliath: instant wealth, the hand of the king's daughter, and his family property becomes tax exempt.
17:28-30 -- As David asked a few others to confirm the story, his brother Eliab lashed out at him. He knew David was just the sort of fellow to respond to any insult against God, regardless how improbable it might be. He obviously feared being upstaged by his youngest brother. If Eliab were such a real man himself, he would have already volunteered, and David's question branded him a coward. David's response was a subtle reminder he was there in obedience to their father's command, and indicates the two had shared harsh words often in the past: "What did I do now? As if you needed any excuse..." David ignored his brother and continued his conversation with the troops nearby.
17:31-37 -- Surely everyone was looking for a way out of this impossible situation. As soon as David inquired about Saul's promises, it was reported to the king. Was there a volunteer at last? Indeed, David made it clear he was quite ready to fight on God's behalf. Saul said more than he realized, when he warned David that Goliath had been a warrior at least as long as David had lived. David described how his faith in Jehovah had seen him kill many predators of the flock. Bad as the cougar-sized lions of that area were, the Syrian bears were even worse. He saw this situation in the same light. If the soldiers of Israel were going to act as sheep, then they needed a shepherd, and David was as good as any, regardless of age. The same God who delivered bears and lions into his hand would do the same with this Goliath.
17:38-39 -- Saul gave David his armor. It was a high honor, marking David as his personal champion. It was also the only edge he could give David against a warrior he probably had met in battle before. But David had not trained in armor -- any armor, much less this armor. Whether David was anywhere close to Saul's size would make no difference, though it appears he was close enough. David opted to wear his faith as his only armor.
17:40-47 -- David took up his shepherd's staff, and selected good round stones from the wadi bed running across the battlefield between the armies. Many commentators make much of his taking 5 stones, given that Goliath had four brothers. While that may be true, it's more likely the standard load for a slinger. In typical battle conditions, a slinger would have time to launch only a few missiles before the confusion of mass melee would make it too hard to select a target. Samples of these stones have been found in piles by archaeologists. They ranged up to a 4-inch (10cm) and weighing two pounds (1kg), and we have already seen how the Benjamites were deadly accurate with them. Still in use some today, the maximum range is about 600 feet (180m) and terminal velocity exceeds 146 feet per second (45m/sec). Altogether deadly, with or without armor.
Goliath did his utmost to insult David, even cursing him by his pagan gods. David responded that his faith in Jehovah was more than enough armor and weaponry to defeat any foe. David then promised to carry Goliath's head away as a trophy, and the whole Philistine army would be left as carrion for birds and beasts. The God of Israel could do this with anyone, even a shepherd boy.
17:48-54 -- The two mismatched combatants approached. As a slinger, David had one natural advantage: he could strike first, well before any of Goliath's weapons could be useful. Indeed, Goliath never had a chance to use them, because David's first shot was fatal, striking Goliath on the head and crushing his skull at the exposed forehead. Before the watching armies, David used Goliath's own sword to behead the carcass. The Philistines melted in confusion, and Israel stormed down the hillside in attack. The pursuit pushed the Philistines to their very city gates. Returning from the pursuit, Israel plundered the Philistine camp. Each time this happened, more iron weapons passed into Israeli hands. David's share of plunder as the champion was everything Goliath owned. The value of the metal alone was considerable. Goliath's head was displayed at Jerusalem, the city outside the Jebusite stronghold. Perhaps this was David's way of warning the Jebusite garrison their days were numbered.
17:55-58 -- Saul had never really known much about the young man who often played the lyre in his court. He asked his general, Abner, to find out. Since Saul had promised to make Goliath's killer his son-in-law, and was going to make his family tax exempt, he had to know who that would be. Abner went down to the celebrating troops and escorted David to the king. In front of official witnesses, David identified the household to receive this bounty.
18:1-4 -- Saul decreed that David was now a man, and could no longer be called home by his father. Jonathan knew immediately that he and David were the same sort, the same kind of faithful servant of Jehovah. It's only too natural there would be a powerful bond between them. In the Presence of the Lord, they made a covenant that essentially places each in the highest position of the other's life. Among humans, there would be no higher loyalty for these two. Though David had nothing to offer except his sling, Jonathan exchanged armor with David -- I will protect you as my own skin; my life for yours.
18:5-9 -- David was the type of fellow who seldom made mistakes that mattered. His wisdom was beyond his years, and his insight into human nature made him everyone's favorite. As was common in ancient Semitic culture, wives and daughters would celebrate their soldiers' homecoming with dancing, including mimicking their warfare, as a means of praising their exploits. They would typically chant a simple refrain, and if there were a known hero, he would be the subject of the chant. While Saul was quite a warrior, David was praised as even better. Saul instantly regretted the whole thing. He had made extravagant promises, and someone had taken him up on it. Now he was stuck with a protégé whom, he felt, was also his worst enemy, a rival for the one thing that mattered to him: the people's affection, and his throne.
18:10-11 -- The next time Saul came under attack from the demon, David began performing his regular duty of playing the lyre. As many ancient kings, Saul held a spear or javelin as his scepter. He still operated as the warlord-king. Seized by this demonic fear of David's threat to his position, he attempted to pin David to the wall by throwing the spear. This happened twice, but David escaped both times.
18:12-16 -- The writer reminds us that Saul was not blind to the spritual issues involved. He knew full well that the royal Spirit of God had left him and rested on David. To alleviate the nagging reminder, he gave David a job that would keep him away from the court. David became a troop commander, and was frequently on various missions with his soldiers. He came and went in full view of the public, and they loved him. His leadership was flawless, and troops and elders loved him. As usual, David acted in the wisdom of the Lord, and this made Saul all the more worried. David acted like a king, more noble than Saul.
18:17-21 -- Finally, it was time for Saul to make good on his promise to marry David to his daughter, Merab. This would be a promotion for David, and the news would surely come to Philistia. Thus, Saul could legitimately let David take his place as the primary leader in war, and as the Philitine's number one target. David resisted, giving the excuse he was a nobody, and too poor to pay any dowry. When it came time for the wedding -- probably in connection with a birthday -- David was still not ready, so the girl was passed to another. However, Saul had another daughter that was deeply in love with David. When Saul heard of her affections, Saul was tickled. Here was another chance! Once more, Saul announced his intention to make David his son-in-law.
18:22-27 -- This time, Saul got his servants in on the effort. They whispered to David about how Saul really did want David as his son-in-law, and to turn him down was quite an insult. David complained he just couldn't afford the dowry. When they reported this back to the king, Saul saw his chance. He didn't have any use for a dowry of money or property. All he really wanted was the death of 100 Philistine men. Since Philistines didn't practice circumcision, the best symbolic proof of this feat would be to bring back their foreskins. This mutilation of the dead would also be a gesture clearly understood by any Philistines finding their bodies -- Israel had killed these men they considered filth. Thus, David and his men could keep any battle plunder for themselves.
When the servants relayed this to David, the whole idea seemed splendid. Kill some Philistines, rub their leader's faces in it, and bring glory to God. The next morning, David took his troops out. As usual, he went in faith; he brought back twice the prescribed number of trophies, and insisted they be counted out before the king. While Saul gained either way, it was not what he really hoped wanted. Still, he married his daughter Michal to David.
18:28-30 -- And so it went for Saul. He looked ever more the crazy fool, and his new son-in-law ever more kingly. His own family was turning one by one in favor of David. When the Philistine lords dispatched their troops for raids on the Israeli grain harvest, David was there and frustrated them to no end. He frustrated Saul as well, but for different reasons. David was God's man, and quickly became Israel's man.
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Ed Hurst
17 April 2004
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