- Jul 15, 2014
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It was interesting seeing the significance of Saul's growing jealousy and hate of David in chapter 20 this time around. For instance, until now I never thought anything of when Saul says to himself, when he notices David is missing at dinner, "Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean." Since the MEV refers this verse back to Leviticus, where a lot of the ceremonial laws are written, it takes on a new meaning for me as an indication of Saul's beginning to go mad with his irrational jealousy and fear. The way I see it, why Saul says to himself here "Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean", is Saul so out of his mind that he tries to possibly - for lack of a better term - justify his hatred of David and seeing him as an enemy who should be killed. God's laws for the Israelites are often struct, with strict consequences, as indicated in Leviticus and so on, so Saul immediately imagining that David must have broken a law to make himself unclean (and thus that is his reason for not being at the king's table) is to me possibly Saul trying to find reasons to believe David to be the enemy, the wicked wrong-doer, the subhuman villain who is filthy and icky to God, and so Saul's seeking to kill him is justified in Saul's eyes, even if David is innocent and non-aggressive every time Saul makes an attempt on his life.
.... That attitude sound familiar sometimes, Christians?
But it wasn't Saul's saying this that is the only occasion I found. See how he curses his own son Jonathan in verse 30 just for - at least as far as Saul knows - Jonathan's saying that he excused David from the New Moon festivities simply so that David could go back to Bethlehem to sacrifice with his brothers. "Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother's nakedness?"
I take this sentence to basically mean that Saul wishes his own son Jonathan were never born, merely because Jonathan tried to save David's life from his father. And then when Jonathan simply responds to this outrageous insult to him from his father, almost way too rationally here, "Why? What wrong has David done to you, Dad?" Saul throws a spear at Jonathan to kill him as well. The man just tried to murder his own son in jealous rage. ... Why the jealousy int he first place? Ultimately because the people used to sing in town that Saul has "only" slain thousands of Israel's enemies, and David ten times more than that. Apparently to know that, even in hyperbole, someone else out there has killed more people in battle than you when you are the king is an insult worthy of death.
But again, this is the ruler you asked for, Israel.
.... That attitude sound familiar sometimes, Christians?
But it wasn't Saul's saying this that is the only occasion I found. See how he curses his own son Jonathan in verse 30 just for - at least as far as Saul knows - Jonathan's saying that he excused David from the New Moon festivities simply so that David could go back to Bethlehem to sacrifice with his brothers. "Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother's nakedness?"
I take this sentence to basically mean that Saul wishes his own son Jonathan were never born, merely because Jonathan tried to save David's life from his father. And then when Jonathan simply responds to this outrageous insult to him from his father, almost way too rationally here, "Why? What wrong has David done to you, Dad?" Saul throws a spear at Jonathan to kill him as well. The man just tried to murder his own son in jealous rage. ... Why the jealousy int he first place? Ultimately because the people used to sing in town that Saul has "only" slain thousands of Israel's enemies, and David ten times more than that. Apparently to know that, even in hyperbole, someone else out there has killed more people in battle than you when you are the king is an insult worthy of death.
But again, this is the ruler you asked for, Israel.
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