Walt Whitman famously said that he contained multitudes.
We all do. It’s great.
But what happens when a beloved or at least respected leader shows off sides that are not just colorful but criminal?
How do we handle ancient or modern heroic figures who turn out to be so much more complex and evil than we’d like to ever believe?
This week in Below the Bible’s Belt’s continued exploration of King David we are exposed to sides of him that are plain awful and have challenged biblical readers for generations. They challenge us now.
David is a king who has all he wants but he wants more. He spots a woman on a roof and summons her, and gets her pregnant, and maneuvers battles so that her husband who fights for the nation is killed and out of the picture. And the pregnant widow enters the palace to become known as Queen Bathsheba, the future mother of King Solomon.
Now what? How do we handle the legacy of David? The royal house of Israel? It’s not just flaws, it’s systemic structural violence turned against the king’s own subjects and guess what - it’s now happening, again. The bible meets today’s news as patterns repeat and emerge, the David who fought giants becomes a giant monster himself.
In his excellent book on King David, Rabbi David Wolpe writes:
“David is the first person in history whose tale is complete and vital, laced with passions, savagery, hesitation, betrayal, charisma, faith, family—the rich canvas of a large life. He is capable of great acts, expressions of lasting piety, and of startling cruelty. David’s failings are not slight or endearing…Long before Whitman, the Bible’s premier poet had a soul so large that thousands of years of interpretation have not exhausted its landmarks and byways.”
How to handle this saga that is about to get way worse? Breath deep, keep a critical eye on the storytelling and let’s remember we are reading this together to know where we come from, what we want to change and what kind of leaders we want to celebrate, support, raise and resist.
Our journey with David’s dynasty continues next week.
Thank you for joining me Below the Bible Belt.
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David's Descent to Dictator