David wanted to make a name for himself.
He wanted a city named after him and he wanted to head up a dynasty and have a ruling ‘house’ named after him. He wanted a name forever preserved by history.
David’s ambition is spelled out in the biblical record. No doubt the chronicler who assembled the history didn’t want to offend the reigning king, descended from David’s line. But it can be deduced from the scattered clues.
It’s very easy to become so invested in the vision of the marginalised shepherd boy and ‘man after God’s own heart’ that we fail to notice his high-soaring aspirations. We nudge aside the question of whether he actually remained in alignment with the heart of God.
The first clue comes right after David’s defeat of Goliath. We’re told in 1 Samuel 17:54 that David, having cut off Goliath’s head, took it to Jerusalem. That’s a very peculiar comment because, in those days, Jerusalem was a fortress of the Jebusites—Canaanites still living in the land—and it would be another quarter century before David himself conquered it. Why would he take the head there? The only possible answer is intimidation. It was like saying, ‘You’re next!’
But why would David want Jerusalem? Neither Joshua nor Caleb had bothered with it, even though it would have been extremely easy to conquer at one point. None of the judges had an interest in it. Saul didn’t either, despite the fact it was in his tribal territory. It wasn’t a prize worth the price: it was on the edge of the desert with an uncertain water supply.
So why did David want it? Because, apparently, conquering a city occupied by a foreign power was the only way you would be able to name it after yourself. Buying it didn’t qualify as we see when Omri purchased a hill for his new capital and named it Samaria after the former owner, Shomer. (1 Kings 16:24)
However we note that conquering a city is a different matter. We see evidence of this when Joab sends word to David, who is dallying with Bathsheba, telling him:
‘I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me.’
2 Samuel 12:27–28 NIV
When David took the fortress of Zion, the Jebusite stronghold, it was renamed the City of David. The legal ramifications of moving his capital from Hebron to Jerusalem are troubling: after all, this fortress was in the territory of Benjamin. If a woman couldn’t marry outside her tribe lest her inheritance be lost to the tribe, how could David rightfully keep the land? Shouldn’t he have handed it over to the leaders of Benjamin?
But I guess he couldn’t. Those leaders, Saul’s children, would not have kept the name ‘City of David’.
This is Grace Drops; I’m Anne Hamilton. May Yeshua cleanse your faithline of ambition for a name.
Thank you to Lorna Skinner of www.riversofmusic.co.uk for the background music.
Elijah’s mantle is discussed in The Elijah Tapestry: John 1 and 21: Mystery, Majesty and Mathematics in John’s Gospel #1.
Joseph’s mantle is featured The Summoning of Time: John 2 and 20: Mystery, Majesty and Mathematics in John’s Gospel #2.
Moses’ mantle—and Reuben’s mantle—will be featured in The Lustral Waters: John 3 and 19: Mystery, Majesty and Mathematics in John’s Gospel #3. Available late 2024.
David’s mantle will be covered in The Inviolable Kingdom: John 4 and 18: Mystery, Majesty and Mathematics in John’s Gospel #4. Available 2025.
Please get in touch through the contact form at Armour Books if you are in the US, UK or Australia and there are availability/price issues at the retailer for any of these volumes.