Episode 21 – David and the Believer of Today

Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script Notes:

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

2 Samuel, Chapter 11, verses 1 through 3, New International Version

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man [who stole the poor man’s lamb]! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul ...I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed [Uriah] with the sword of the Ammonites.

2 Samuel, Chapter 12, verses 7 through 9, New International Version

{A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.} Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Psalm 51, verses 1 through 3, King James Version

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VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we want to wrap up the discussion that we have been having about the Biblical story of David and Goliath. RD, what’s on tap as we prepare to end this series of episodes and transition to another topic on Anchored by Truth?

RD: Today I want to talk about how the historicity and unity of scripture are an integral part of the Bible helping us with our daily lives today. David’s life beyond just his battle with Goliath provides us with an excellent example for the intersection of facts and faith.

VK: Hmmm. Facts and faith. Two things that should be important to us all. Well, for our final episode on David and Goliath here’s a humor piece about how even small differences in understanding can make a big difference in how we perceive things. Here’s RD and Jerry trying to cope with a clogged drain and the Tub Brothers.

---- David and Goliath, The Tub Brothers – Go, Light, and Bath

VK: Yikes. That’s quite a bit of hub-bub over the Tub - Brothers. But it does raise an interesting point. Goliath wasn’t the only member of his family mentioned in the Bible was he?

RD: No the Bible mentions that Goliath had a brother who was killed by Elhanan, one of David’s men. The Bible also indicates that Goliath had three sons named two of which were named Ishbi-Benob and Saph. The third is unnamed though some researchers have assigned him the name Exadactylus because he had an abnormal number of fingers and toes. And all of Goliath’s relatives were said to be very large men, indicating that whatever condition made Goliath so big was probably hereditary. All of this helps to demonstrate that when the Bible recorded the story of David and Goliath it was recording real history because when you examine the entirety of scripture you see that it contains numerous incidental details that are necessary if someone wanted to just concoct an allegorical or fictional account of a small Hebrew boy defeating a giant enemy.

VK: You have also noted that modern science has shed even more light on the details of the encounter. I mean we covered the fact that the History Channel empirically tested the possibility that a stone slung from a leather sling of the type David used could actually kill a man and the demonstration proved that that was possible. And you have said that modern medicine confirms that a pituitary gland problem could have resulted in both his large size and his vulnerability to David.

RD: Yes. It is well known that a benign tumor in the pituitary gland can result in Gigantism. But this same tumor might very well press on the point in the brain where the optic nerves cross and this would have made it difficult for Goliath to see the stone in his lateral vision. So the same medical anomaly that made Goliath so big also made him vulnerable. David wouldn’t have known that but providentially God gave David the exact tool he needed to bring down Goliath.

VK: Well, all that makes sense. And some causes of tumors in the pituitary gland are known to be hereditary, right? So that would explain not only why Goliath was a giant but also why his brothers and sons were so large. And it also might explain why they could be defeated in combat. Large size makes them formidable but impaired eyesight would have made them vulnerable.

RD: Exactly. And all this goes to demonstrate the credibility of the Bible’s narrative. But I think it’s also important to note that the Bible didn’t just record David’s triumphs. It also recorded what we might call his tragedies. And I think that this is further evidence that when the Bible records history – even the history of its great heroes – it doesn’t just record their successes. It also records their failures and this feature makes the Bible quite different from many of the ancient records we have about other kings, emperors, or famous warriors. That’s one of the reasons we opened our episode today with a few of the scriptures that are relevant to the Bible’s account of one of David’s best known – and dramatic – failures.

 

VK: You’re talking about David’s affair with Bathsheba. And again, you say that the details of the account are important. Not just to Bible history, but also for us today. Do you want to amplify a little about what you’re thinking?

RD: Well, most people know about the more salacious parts of the story. David had an affair with Bathsheba who was married to Uriah the Hittite. Bathsheba got pregnant which of course would have been a scandal so in trying to cover up the affair and stave off a scandal David ordered his army commander to deliberately expose Uriah to unnecessary danger in combat resulting in Uriah’s death. But as bad as that sounds it’s actually even worse. And this is where the unity and the entirety of scripture play such a vital role in providing us encouragement today. In 2 Samuel, chapter 23 Uriah is listed as being among David’s mighty 30 warriors. You could think of him as being a member of the royal guard. So let’s think about the enormity of David’s sin in detail, starting with where it began.

VK: You mean on the roof top of David’s palace. He looks over the parapet and sees a woman bathing. That means that Uriah and Bathsheba’s house isn’t too far away from the royal residence.

RD: Precisely. When David had an affair with Bathsheba it wasn’t with a random woman he came across in the marketplace. He asked his servants who the woman was and they told him that it was the wife of one of his royal guard. Uriah may or may not have been a good friend to the king but he had certainly distinguished himself as being a loyal and powerful warrior. Why else would he be numbered among David’s mighty men? So when David betrayed Uriah by the affair and later by getting him killed he was demonstrating a level of callousness beyond even the fact that he slept with a married woman. He knew Uriah. Uriah had served him faithfully. Uriah deserved rewards and honor, not betrayal and misuse.

VK: That is a terribly sobering thought. If someone who was as strong in the Lord as David was – he had killed Goliath, evaded Saul, and become a king who was subduing Israel’s enemies on every side – if someone like that can fall to the depths he did, all of us have to be careful. Every day.

RD: Absolutely. Every day before we leave the house we need to put on – as Ephesians 6 puts it – the full armor of God. Now of course if David weren’t the servant of such a holy God he might have gotten away with his perfidy.

VK: Now that’s a word you don’t hear every day. Perfidy. I like it.

RD: And unfortunately it fits David exactly because it means deceitfulness and untrustworthiness. And that’s what David had displayed. But God was not going to let escape. God sent a prophet named Nathan to confront David. And Nathan displayed a lot of courage himself to go and be God’s chosen instrument to confront David. As the king David could easily have reacted badly, including having Nathan killed. But at one of the very worst moments of David’s life – when his perfidy was at its height – we see again why God, despite David’s failings, called David a man after God’s own heart. To his credit David immediately understood that God had sent Nathan and accepted the rebuke from Nathan because he knew it was a rebuke from God. And, again, to his credit, rather than trying to cover up his crimes and sins – and run from God – David turns around an runs to God.

VK: And that’s why we used the King James Version of Psalm 51 today, right? Because the King James Version contains the parenthetical introductory note that Psalm 51 was composed after Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba.

RD: Exactly. Psalm 51 is the model psalm or prayer for how we are to express repentance when we have fallen short – which of course we all do. Psalm 51 may be the most profound expression of contrition in the Bible and it certainly contains some sentiments that I think all thoughtful Christians would agree with. David asks God “Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.” Who among us hasn’t felt the need to ask God for that mercy?

VK: I think most believers feel that there are times when we have done things that we regret so deeply that we’re afraid that God will no longer want to call His children. And David expresses those sentiments so well. But while expressing those sentiments David also offers some of the most comforting words in the entire Bible. He says to God, “You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” I like that. David knows that he has messed up royally – no pun intended – but despite his mess up David has the confidence that God won’t reject him if he’s truly repentant. What a great thought and lesson for us today.

RD: It is a great thought and lesson – but as a moral lesson and example it would lose almost all of its power if David wasn’t a real person. If David was just the subject of a series of pious fictional stories how could relate to the emotions he was feeling? Of course stories – even fictional ones have the power to create emotion. But for me and I think for most of us we’re far more encouraged by real people who have overcome difficulties – even when those difficulties are of their own making. That’s why stories like those of John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace are so encouraging. Newton was a former slave trader so when he wrote who “saved a wretch like me,” he knew exactly what it meant to be a wretch.

VK: In other words, if David wasn’t a real person who really fought a real giant and later really had an adulterous relationship, his story might be interesting but it wouldn’t have the same power when we know his story was real.

RD: Precisely. Today, a lot of us are engaged in fighting our own giants – whether they’re related to not having enough money, or fighting cancer or other major health challenges, or struggling with rebellious teen-ager or difficult bosses, whatever it may be. We all have giants we’re fighting. David’s story encourages us because we know that the same God who was by His side in the Valley of Elah 3,000 years ago is still in the valley with us today.

VK: And we know that unlike us God doesn’t decline with age. God is every bit as powerful as He was when He guided David’s arm to sling the stone. And we know that God is just as merciful today as when He heard David’s prayer of repentance. While God may not say to each us that we are people after His own heart – like He did for David – we know that, if we imitate David’s attitudes, we can still expect God to help us slay our own giants.

RD: Yes. The Bible can still help us today precisely because it is the Word of God. And as the Word of God it is uniquely powerful to inspire, encourage, comfort, and sustain us in our own trials. But if we don’t have the confidence that the Bible is the Word of God – if we don’t know that for ourselves, no matter how much it’s helped others it won’t help us. One of the most important things David said to Saul when Saul tried to put his armor on him was that he couldn’t use Saul’s weapons because he hadn’t tried them. He wasn’t used to them. Well, we all have to use the Bible enough that we have the same confidence in it David had in his sling. And look what he did with a piece of leather and a rock.

VK: Sounds like a great time for a prayer. Since it’s so important to be a faithful steward of the gifts that God has entrusted to us – today let’s pray that we would all be faithful stewards..

---- Prayer for Being a Faithful Steward (70) – Marcus

VK: Next time on Anchored by Truth we’re going to begin another series on Anchored by Truth. Even though we’re moving on from this series we want listeners to know that if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” We hope you’ll be with us then and we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show.

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(Bible Quotes from the New International Version and King James Version)

2 Samuel, Chapter 11, verses 1 through 3, New International Version

2 Samuel, Chapter 12, verses 7 through 9, New International Version

Psalm 51, verses 1 through 3, King James Version

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/the-tel-dan-inscription-the-first-historical-evidence-of-the-king-david-bible-story/