The Life and Witness of David

Larry R. Helyer

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781532691324, 9781532691331
• eBook ISBN: 9781532691348
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

The Life and Witness of David introduces the general reader to the remarkable career of David son of Jesse. This man streaked across the skies like a meteor and could rightly be called a Hebrew superstar. The stories about him are among the most beloved and captivating in Scripture. The author distills this amazing story in thirteen chapters and adds a fourteenth to sum up David's legacy in history, liturgy, and worship.David transformed the land of Israel from an insignificant federation of tribes into a Middle Eastern power, an extraordinary feat unparalleled in Israel's history. His importance, however, lies less in his military and political accomplishments than in his spiritual and theological contributions. In his action-packed life and in the book of Psalms, David, the man after God's own heart, speaks through the Spirit of God to our hearts in all the vicissitudes of life.At numerous points, the author draws attention to moments in David's story that reecho in the pages of the NT. David's story prefigures the story of David's greater son, Jesus, Son of God. The typological links connecting David and Christ in redemptive history are a key emphasis in this book.

1

Climbing into David’s Family Tree

It’s good to know where you come from. It makes you what you are today. It’s DNA, it’s in your blood.

—Alexander McQueen

To fully appreciate and understand a superstar personality, one must investigate his or her roots. Ancestry and family history play important roles in shaping us, even if we are quite oblivious to their influence. Heredity silently but powerfully influences who we are. Though unaware of it at the time, David was destined for greatness. Not because he was born into an aristocratic and wealthy family like Alexander the Great; he was not. Nor was his father one of the movers and shakers of his day—he wasn’t even on the radar of the powers that be at the time. In fact, we learn that when David went out to confront Goliath, neither King Saul nor his commander, Abner, even knew who David’s father was.1

Jesse’s Genealogy

So, who was David’s father? Jesse was an Ephrathite landowner who lived near the village of Bethlehem and, like his neighbors, owned sheep.2 But Jesse also descended from one of the most powerful tribes in the ancient federation of Israel, the tribe of Judah. In fact, one of Jesse’s direct ancestors, Nashon, served as a distinguished Judahite civil and military leader, being the first to offer contributions for the newly installed tabernacle.3

Caleb ben Jephunneh

Also found in the family tree was a certain Caleb ben (son of) Jephunneh,4 a man with remarkable faith and courage.5 His complete trust in the Yahweh’s promises and power is narrated in the story of the twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan and report back their findings to the people of Israel.6 Caleb and the celebrated Joshua were the only two spies to urge the people to proceed with the invasion. When the majority report emphasized the formidable opposition they faced, Caleb “silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it’” (Num 13:30). But the people were disheartened and rebelled. They refused to believe that Yahweh could or would enable them to conquer the Canaanite inhabitants.

Caleb and Joshua tried valiantly to dissuade them from their refusal: “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Num 14:9). Their impassioned plea fell on deaf ears: “But the whole assembly talked about stoning them” (Num 14:10). Caleb’s courageous confidence re-echoes in young David’s challenge to the Philistine champion Goliath: “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” (1 Sam 17:46). Another interesting connection is the fact that both Caleb and David were threatened with stoning by their dispirited kinsmen following devastating setbacks.7

The stories of Caleb ben Jephunneh don’t end with the aborted invasion of Canaan. Yahweh promised Caleb and Joshua that because of their faith they would live to enter the Promised Land. That promise was kept. Remarkably, at age eighty-five, Caleb led the attack on the dreaded Anakites (giants) of Hebron and drove them out. He then enlarged his inheritance by taking the city of Debir lying south of Hebron.8

Oral traditions were an essential aspect of life among middle eastern peoples (they still are among traditional, non-westernized families). The exploits of their ancestor Caleb were almost certainly recited and celebrated among the clans and families of Judah. I can easily imagine Jesse regaling his sons around the fire with the heroic deeds of Caleb ben Jephunneh, consciously and subconsciously influencing their thinking and behavior.

In fact, David probably imitated the fearless warrior Caleb while tending the family sheep in the Wilderness of Judah. Recall how young David described his exploits to Saul: “When a lion or bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it” (1 Sam 17:34–35). In short, young David acted the part of the mighty warrior Caleb from the tribe of Judah.

Judah the Patriarch

But there is more to David’s ancestry than that; in fact, a lot more. Climbing higher into David’s ancestral tree reveals more surprises. Today, the unraveling of the genetic code and its DNA sequences has opened a new day in genealogy. Each somatic cell of our bodies contains the total genetic information unique to us, enabling the tracing of one’s ancestry into the mists of antiquity. I recently submitted a saliva sample to the genographic project of National Geographic. The results traced my regional ancestry back five-hundred to ten-thousand years ago, with about 72 percent of my DNA coming from northwestern Europe. If David’s DNA could be analyzed, I think a sur...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• List of Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Climbing into David’s Family Tree
• Chapter 2: Romance in a Barley Field
• Chapter 3: Precursors to the Rise of David
• Chapter 4: David Enters the Story
• Chapter 5: A Star is Born
• Chapter 6: From Favorite to Fugitive
• Chapter 7: Cat and Mouse Game in the Wilderness of Judah
• Chapter 8: Saul’s Suicide on Mt. Gilboa
• Chapter 9: When a Plan Comes Together
• Chapter 10: The House of David
• Chapter 11: The Bathsheba Affair
• Chapter 12: Family Troubles
• Chapter 13: More Troubles for the House of David
• Chapter 14: Legacy of David
• Bibliography