Beacon Lights of History, Vol 2: Jewish Heroes and Prophets — David, Part 2
We read of no further backslidings which seemed to call forth the divine displeasure, unless it were the census, or numbering of the people, even against the expostulations of Joab.
Why this census, in which we can see no harm, should have been followed by so dire a calamity as a pestilence in which seventy thousand persons perished in four days, we cannot see by the light of reason, unless it indicated the purpose of establishing an absolute monarchy for personal aggrandizement, or the extension of unnecessary conquests, and hence an infringement of the theocratic character of the Hebrew commonwealth.
The conquests of David had thus far been so brilliant, and his kingdom was so prosperous, that had he been a pagan monarch he might have meditated the establishment of a military monarchy, or have laid the foundation of an empire, like Cyrus in after-times.
From a less beginning than the Jewish commonwealth at the time of David, the Greeks and Romans advanced to sovereignty over both neighboring and distant States.
The numbering of the Israelitish nation seemed to indicate a desire for extended empire against the plain indications of the divine will.
But whatever was the nature of that sin, it seems to have been one of no ordinary magnitude; and in view of its consequences, David's heart was profoundly touched.
"O God!"
he cried, in a generous burst of penitence, "I have sinned.
But these sheep, what have they done?
Let thine hand be upon me, I pray thee, and upon my father's house!"
If David committed no more sins which we are forced to condemn, and which were not irreconcilable with his piety, he was subject to great trials and misfortunes.
The wickedness of his children, especially of his eldest son Amnon, must have nearly broken his heart.
Amnon's offence was not only a terrible scandal, but cost the life of the heir to the throne.
It would be hard to conceive how David's latter days could have been more embittered than by the crime of his eldest son,--a crime he could neither pardon nor punish, and which disgraced his family in the eyes of the nation.
As to Absalom, it must have been exceedingly painful and humiliating to the aged and pious king to be a witness of the pride, insolence, extravagance, and folly of his favorite son, who had nothing to commend him to the people but his good looks; and still harder to bear was his rebellion, and his reckless attempt to steal his father's sceptre.
What a pathetic sight to see the old warrior driven from his capital, and forced to flee for his life beyond the Jordan!
How humiliating to witness also the alienation of his subjects, and their willingness to accept a brainless youth as his successor, after all the glorious victories he had won, and the services he had rendered to the nation!
David's history reveals the sorrows and burdens of all kings and rulers.
Outward grandeur and power, after all, are a poor compensation for the incessant cares, vexations, and humiliations which even the most favored monarchs are compelled to accept,--troubles, disappointments, and burdens which oppress both soul and body, and induce fears, suspicions, jealousies, and animosities.
Who would envy a Tiberius or a Louis XIV.
if he were obliged to carry their load, knowing well what that burden was?
Then again the kingdom of David was afflicted with a grievous famine, which lasted three years, decimating the people, and giving a check to the national prosperity; and the Philistines, too, whom he thought he had finally subdued, renewed their ancient warfare.
But these calamities were not all that the old king had to endure.
A new rebellion more dangerous even than that of Absalom broke out under Sheba, a Benjamite, who sounded the trumpet of defiance from the mountains of Ephraim, and who rallied under his standard ten of the tribes.
To Amasa, it seems, was intrusted the honor and the task of defending David and the tribe of Judah, to which he belonged,--the king being alienated from Joab for the slaying of Absalom, although it had ended that undutiful son's rebellion.
The bloodthirsty Joab, as implacable as Achilles, who had rendered such signal services to his sovereign, was consumed with jealousy at this new appointment, and going up to the new general-in-chief as if to salute him, treacherously stabbed him with his sword,--but continued, however, to support David.
He succeeded in suppressing the rebellion by intrigue, and on the promise that the city should be spared, the head of the rebel was thrown over the wall of the fortress to which he had retired.
Even this rebellion did not end the trials of David, since Adonijah, the heir presumptive after the death of Absalom, conspired to steal the royal sceptre, which David had sworn to Bathsheba he would bequeath to her son Solomon.
Joab even favored the succession of Adonijah; but the astute monarch, amid the infirmities of age, still possessed a large measure of the intellect and decision of his heroic days, and secured, by a rapid movement, the transfer of his kingdom to Solomon, who was crowned in the lifetime of his father.
In all these foul treacheries and crimes within his own household may be seen the distinct fulfilment of the punishment foretold by Nathan the prophet, as prepared for David's own "great transgression."
God's providence is unerring, and men indeed prepare for themselves the retribution which, in spite of sincere repentance, is the inevitable consequence of their own violations of law,--physical, moral, and spiritual.
God gave David the new heart he longed for; but the evil seeds sown bore nevertheless evil fruit for him and his children.
Aside from these troubles, we know but little of the latter days of David.
After the death of Absalom, it would seem that he reigned ten years, on the whole tranquilly, turning his attention to the development of the resources of his kingdom, and collecting treasure for the Temple, which he was not to build.
He was able to set aside, as we read in the twenty-second chapter of the Chronicles, a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver,--an almost incredible sum.
If a talent of silver is, as estimated, about £390, or , it would seem that the silver accumulated by David would have amounted to nearly two billion dollars, and the gold to a like sum,--altogether four billions, which is plainly impossible.
Probably there is a mistake in the figures.
We read in the twenty-ninth chapter of Chronicles that David gave to Solomon, out of his own private property, three thousand talents of gold and seven thousand talents of silver,--together, nearly ,000,000. His nobles added what would be equal to ,000,000 in gold and silver alone, besides brass and iron,--altogether about ,000,000, which is not incredible when we bear in mind that a single family in New York has accumulated a larger sum in two generations.
But even this sum,--nearly two hundred million dollars,--would have more than built all the temples of Athens, or St. Peter's Church at Rome.
Whether the author of the Chronicles has exaggerated the amount of the national contribution for the building of the Temple or not, we yet are impressed with the vast wealth which was accumulated in the lifetime of David; and hence we infer that the wealth of his kingdom was enormous.
And it was perhaps the excessive taxation of the people to raise this money, outside of the spoils of successful wars, that alienated them in the latter days of David, and induced them to rally under the standards of usurpers.
Certain it is that he became unpopular in the feebleness of old age, and was forced to abdicate his throne.
David's premature old age presented a sad contrast to the vigor of his early days.
He was not a very old man when he died,--younger than many monarchs and statesmen who in our times have retained their vigor, their popularity, and their power.
But the intense labors and sorrows of forty years may have proved too great a strain on his nervous energies, and made him as timid as he once was bold.
The man who had slain Goliath ran away from Absalom.
He was completely under the domination of an intriguing wife.
He showed a singular weakness in reference to the crimes of his favorite son, so as to merit the bitter reproaches of his captain-general.
"Thou hast shamed this day," said Joab, "the faces of all thy servants; for I perceive had Absalom lived, and all of us had died this day, then it had pleased thee well."
In David's case, his last days do not seem to have been his best days, although he retained his piety and had conquered all his enemies.
His glorious sun set in clouds after a reign of thirty-three years over united Israel, and the nation hailed the accession of a boy whose character was undeveloped.
The final years of this great monarch present an impressive lesson of the vanity even of a successful life, whatever services a man may have rendered to his country and to civilization.
Few kings have ever accomplished more than David; but his glory was succeeded, if not by shame, at least by clouds and darkness.
And this eclipse is all the more mournful when we remember not only his services but his exalted virtues.
He was the most successful and the most admired of all the monarchs who reigned at Jerusalem.
He was one of the greatest and best men who ever lived in any nation or at any period.
"When, before or since, has there lived an outlaw who did not despoil his country?"
Where has there reigned a king whose head was less giddy on a throne, or who retained more humility in the midst of riches and glories, unless it were Marcus Aurelius or Alfred the Great?
David had an inborn aptitude for government, and a power like Julius Caesar of fascinating every one who came in contact with him.
His self-denial and devotion to the interests of the nation were marvellous.
We do not read that he took any time for pleasure or recreation; the heavy load of responsibility and care never for a moment was thrown from his shoulders.
His penetration of character was so remarkable that all stood in fear of him; yet fear gave place to admiration.
Never had a monarch more devoted servants and followers than David in his palmy days; he was the nation's idol and pride for thirty years.
In every successive vicissitude he was great; and were it not for his cruelty in war and severity to his enemies, and his one great lapse into criminal self-indulgence, his reign would have been faultless.
Contrast David with the other conquerors of the world; compare him with classical and mediaeval heroes,--how far do they fall beneath him in deeds of magnanimity and self-sacrifice!
What monarch has transmitted to posterity such inestimable treasures of thought and language?
It is consoling to feel that David, whether exultant in riches and honors, or bowed down to the earth with grief and wrath, both in the years of adversity and in his prosperous manhood, in strength and in weakness, with unfailing constancy and loyalty turned his thoughts to God as the source of all hope and consolation.
"As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God!"
He has no doubts, no scepticism, no forgetfulness.
His piety has the seal of an all-pervading sense of the constant presence and aid of a personal God whom it is his supremest glory to acknowledge,--his staff, his rock, his fortress, his shield, his deliverer, his friend; the One with whom he sought to commune, both day and night, on the field of battle and in the guarded recesses of his palace.
In the very depths of humiliation he never sinks into despair.
His piety is both tender and exultant.
In the ecstasy of his raptures he calls even upon inanimate nature to utter God's praises,--upon the sun and moon, the mountains and valleys, fire and hail, storms and winds, yea, upon the stars of night.
"Bless ye the Lord, O my soul!
for his mercy endureth forever."
And this is why he was a man after God's own heart.
Let cynics and critics, and unbelievers like Bayle, delight to pick flaws in David's life.
Who denies his faults?
He was loved because his soul was permeated with exalted loyalty, because he hungered and thirsted after righteousness, because he could not find words to express sufficiently his sense of sin and his longing for forgiveness, his consciousness of littleness and unworthiness when contrasted with the majesty of Jehovah.
Let not our eyes be fixed upon his defects, but upon the general tenor of his life.
It is true he is in war merciless and cruel; he hurls anathemas on his enemies.
His wrath is as supernal as his love; he is inspired with the fiercest resentments; he exhibits the mighty anger of Homer's heroes; he never could forgive Joab for the slaughter of Abner and Absalom.
But the abiding sentiments of his heart are gentleness and magnanimity.
How affectionately his soul clung to Jonathan!
What a power of self-denial, when he was faint and thirsty, in refusing the water which his brave companions brought him at the risk of their lives!
How generously he spared the life of Saul!
How patiently he bore the rebukes of Nathan!
How nobly he treated the aged Barzillai!
His impulses were all generous.
He was affectionate to weakness.
He had no egotistic ends.
He forgot his own sorrows in the sufferings of his people.
He had no pride in all the pomp of power, although he never forgot that he was the Lord's anointed.
When we pass from David's personal character to the services he rendered, how exalted his record!
He laid the foundation of the prosperity of his nation.
Where would have been the glories of Solomon but for the genius and deeds of David?
But more than any material greatness are the imperishable lyrics he bequeathed to all ages and nations, in which are unfolded the varied experiences of a good man in his warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil,--those priceless utterances which portray every passion that can move the human soul.
He has left bare to the contemplation of all ages all that a lofty soul can suffer or enjoy, all that can be learned from folly and sin, all that can stimulate religious life, all that can console in sorrow and affliction.
These experiences and aspirations he has embodied in lyric poetry, on the whole the most exquisite in the Hebrew language, creating a new world of religious thought and feeling, and furnishing the foundation for Christian psalmody, to be sung from age to age throughout the world.
His kingdom passed away, but his Psalms remain,--a realm which no civilization can afford to lose.
As Moses lives in his jurisprudence, Solomon in his proverbs, Isaiah in his prophecies, and Paul in his epistles, so David lives in those poems that are still the most expressive of all the forms in which the public worship of God is still continued.
Such poetry could not have been written, had not the author experienced in his own life every variety of suffering and joy.
The literary excellence of the Psalms cannot be measured by the standard of Greek and Roman lyrics.
It is not seen in any of our present forms of metrical composition.
It is the mighty soaring of an exalted soul which makes the Psalms so dear to us, and not their artificial structure.
They were made to reveal the ways of God to man and the life of the human soul, not to immortalize heroes or dignify a human love.
We may not be able to appreciate in English form their original metrical skill;
but it is impossible that a people so musical as the Hebrews were kindled into passionate admiration of them, had they not possessed great rhythmic beauty.
We may not comprehend the force of the melodic forms, but we can appreciate the tenderness, the pathos, the sublimity, and the intensity of the sentiments expressed.
"In pathetic dirges, in songs of jubilee, in outbursts of praise, in prophetic announcements, in the agonies of contrition, in bursts of adoration, in the beatitudes of holy bliss, in the enchanting calmness of Christian life," no one has ever surpassed David, so that he was called "the sweet singer of Israel."
There is nothing pathetic in national difficulties, or endearing in family relations, or profound in inward experience, or triumphant over the fall of wickedness, or beatific in divine worship, which he does not intensify.
He raises mortals to the skies, though he brings no angels down.
Never does he introduce dogmas, yet his songs are permeated with fundamental truths, and are a perpetual rebuke to pharisaism, rationalism, epicureanism, and every form of infidel speculation that with "the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."
As the Psalter was held to be the most inspiring poetry in the palmy days of the Hebrew commonwealth, so it proved the most impressive part of the ritual of the mediaeval Church, and is still the most valued of all the lyrics which Protestantism has appropriated in the worship of God.
And how potent, how lasting, how valued is a good song!
The psalmody of the Church will last longer than its sermons; and when a song stimulates the loftiest sentiments of which men are capable, how priceless it is, how permanently it is embalmed in the heart of the world!
"Thus have his songs become the treasured property of mankind, resounding in the anthems of different creeds, and carrying into every land that same voice which on Mount Zion was raised in sorrowful longings or ecstatic praise."
What a mighty power the songs of the son of Jesse still wield over the affections of mankind!
We lose sight at times of Moses, of Solomon, and of Isaiah; but we never lose sight of David.
Such is the tribute which all nations bring, O warrior, prophet, bard, and sainted king, From distant ages to thy hallowed name, Transcending far all Greek and Roman fame!
No pagan gods thy sacred songs invoke, No loves degrading do thy strains provoke.
Thy soul to heaven in holy rapture mounts, And joys seraphic in its bliss recounts.
O thou sweet singer of a favored race, What vast results to thy pure songs we trace!
How varied and how rich are all thy lays On Nature's glories and Jehovah's ways!
In loftiest flight thy kindling soul surveys The promised glories of the latter days, When peace and love this fallen world shall bind, And richest blessings all the race shall find.
