The Majesty of God

Chapter 303 – David the Boy

Samuel told Saul that God had torn the kingdom from his hand and now would give it to one who was better than him. He was speaking of David, the son of Jesse. How old was David when this was prophesied of him? [1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 15:28]

To figure out David's age, or at least get a general idea of it, I looked at Saul and his family, comparing their timeline with when the Bible cites David's age at various events in his life.

When this prophecy was given, Jonathan was an adult, a young warrior. He had to be older than twenty, which is the age when Israelite men were conscripted into the army. [Numbers 1:3] He might have been made an officer right away, as he was the kings's son, but only two years later, he proved that he was a competent strategist and leader of men, as well as a skilled and determined warrior. [1 Samuel 13:2 – 3]

Jewish history describes Jonathan as having the IDF's ideal body type for a warrior. He was slim and lithe, could run like a deer, and he was an expert archer.

Jonathan's exploits are described in the previous chapter, entitled Embracing the Thorn. He was probably present at the confrontations between Samuel and Saul, and reported about them later to David. As the king's son, he stayed close to his father to learn kingship, as he was next in line to the throne.

The tragic mistake Saul made of presuming to perform a priest's duties occurred after Jonathan's first major victory, but before he attacked the Philistine garrison on Seneh. Jonathan was at least 22 years old at this time.

Several years later, his father made another major mistake that confirmed the loss of having a dynasty. 1 Samuel lists the enemies that Saul had to fight, which took time, and it took even more time for him to vanquish the Amalekites.

The Amalekites had an empire that was the equal of the Roman empire, in their day, stretching from North Africa to India, according to Immanuel Velikovsky in his book Age in Chaos. Their capital was Auaris, in the Egyptian territory, located on the northwest of the Sinai peninsula. It was located by a river that dried up in summer, which helped Saul when he attacked the city and conquered it. Saul was instrumental in returning Egypt to its own kings and sovereignity, after having suffered for 430 years under the Amalekites' cruel tyranny.

No mention is made of David participating in these battles, so they probably happened before the Philistines amassed themselves at the valley of Elah and presented Goliath as their champion. By that time, Jonathan was at least in his mid–twenties, but more likely in his thirties.

It is much to his credit that Jonathan, a valiant warrior and expected heir to his father's throne, submitted to the prophecies that God had chosen someone who was not of his father's family to be Israel's king. Jonathan was a hero in Israel and would have had a lot of support from his people, but his love for God and for Israel took precedence with Jonathan over his ego's needs.

So let's take a look at a list of ages the Bible gives us during major events in the lives of Saul and his family and compare them to David's age at these times.

• Saul was forty years old when he was made king of Israel. [Acts 13:21]
• Saul reigned two years over Israel when he fought with the Philistines at Michmash. [1 Samuel 13:1]
• Jonathan, his eldest son, was at least 20 years old at at that time, possibly older, as he was an experienced and successful combat leader. [1 Samuel 13:3]
• Saul's other sons were Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. [1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39]
• Jonathan, Malchishua, and Abinanab were slain with Saul. [1 Chronicles 13:7]
• Eshbaal was also known as Ishbosheth and as Ishui.
• Ishbosheth was 33 years old when his father died, old enough to have gone to the battle, if he was a warrior.
• Ishbosheth did not inherit his father's crown right away.
• David was 30 when Saul died.
• David was 30 years old when he became of the king of Judah. He reigned in Hebron for 7 1/2 years.[2 Samuel 2:11]
• David was the king of Judah for 5 and a half years before Ishbosheth was crowned. There must have been a lot of jostling for the crown of Israel before Abner settled the matter and made Ishbosheth the king.
• Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he inherited his father's crown. [2 Samuel 2:10]
• Ishbosheth was 42 years old when he died. [2 Samuel 2:10]
• David was made king of Israel when he was 37 years old. [2 Samuel 5:4]
• David was only a youth when he killed Goliath; probably 15 or 16 years old. [1 Samuel 17:42]
• Ishbosheth was five years older than David.
• Ishbosheth would have been 20 or 21 years old when David killed Goliath.
• David was immediately taken into the army after he killed Goliath, and was soon promoted to captain. [1 Samuel 18:13]

Ishbosheth means "man of shame." His name change from Eshbaal means that he was a coward. He probably deserted from battle, possibly from the valley of Elah before David showed up. He was undoubtedly trained to handle weapons as a youth, but some men are not cut out to be soldiers. This is why he was not with his brothers when they went to fight the Philistines with their father. It is probably why it took so long before he was crowned king. The Israelites wanted a king who could lead them in battle. David did not hold Ishbosheth's lack of ability to deal with high levels of stress against him. When Ishbosheth was assassinated, David described him as a righteous person and avenged his death. [2 Samuel 4:11]

There is a son of Saul named Ishui listed in 1 Samuel 14:49, between Jonathan and Malchishua. Abinadab was not yet born. Ishui was also Eshbaal, and Ishui means "level". He was the second oldest after Jonathan, but his name is listed last in 1 Chronicles because of his shame, and also because he lost his place in line to inherit the crown due to running from battle. He did not become king until after all his brothers were dead and his nephew was too young to rule, and crippled, as well. There may have been a faction that wanted to put Jonathan's son on the throne; hence the delay.

Jonathan's son was five years old when his father died. The child's nurse was paranoid that David would harm him, not knowing that Jonathan was in league with David and had David's promise that he would be kind to his children. When she ran with Mephibosheth to find a safe place for him, she accidentally dropped him and broke his feet, which did not heal properly. [2 Samuel 4:4]

David was five years younger than Saul's second oldest son. Jonathan, the oldest, was an adult and a seasoned warrior when he met David, yet Jonathan treated David as an equal. He probably mentored David in regards to court protocol, domestic politics, and foreign relations, getting him ready to be king.

Merab amd Michal were born before Abinadab, as they are listed in 1 Samuel 4:49 before his name was entered into the lineage. Abinadab would have been at least 20 years old when he died, possibly older.

Merab, Michal's older sister, married and had five children before David became the king of Israel. At that time, Michal was raising her sister's children. David demanded that Michal be taken from her current husband and returned to him, as Saul had declared Michal divorced from David and gave her to Phaltiel. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 21:8 that Michal had five sons whom she raised for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. Adriel was Merab's husband. Michal was their foster mother.

Twenty–one years between the slaying of Goliath and David becoming king of Israel would be enough time for Merab to marry and have five children, then die, and for Michal to become very attached to them when she and Phaltiel took them into their home. Merab's sons were probably at least in their teens, when they were handed over to the Gibeonites for execution.

David spanned fourteen years, first as an officer in Saul's army, then as a fugitive from Saul's jealous rage. Seven years after that were spent ruling Judah, holding his small territory against incursions from the rest of the Israelites and other tribes, and steering clear of the wrestling for Israel's throne. He waited until God gave him that throne.

When Samuel prophesied to Saul that God had chosen a man better than him to be the king of Israel,¹ David may have been about five or six years old at that time, but God saw the man he would become.

So what was David like as a boy? His family history is interesting and has a lot of bearing on how he was raised. His older sister Zeruiah played an important role in his early life, if I am not mistaken.

Zeruiah was the mother of three of David's mighty men, David's nephews Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Amasa, another of David's nephews, was also a mighty man, the son of Abigail, Zeruiah's sister. [2 Samuel 17:25] The Bible says also that she was David's sister in 1 Chronicles 2:16. She was said to be the daughter of Nahash. In 2 Samuel 19:13, David confirms to Abigail's son Amasa that he is of his bone and flesh.

This seems to indicate that David's mother was married to a man named Nahash before she married David's father. She would have been a widow. Perhaps Nahash's father was Zeruiah's, as well. His name meant "snake", and if he lived up to his name, Joab may have inherited his agressive and treacherous character from his maternal grandfather.

Eliab is named as Jesse's firstborn, [1 Chronicles 2:13]. Abigail and Zeruiah were the oldest in the family, half–sisters to Jesse's sons. Oddly, in that genealogy, David is listed as the seventh son, but 1 Samuel 16 says David had seven brothers and he was the youngest. 1 Samuel 17:12 says that Jesse had eight sons. One of his brothers got missed in the chronology that came later.

Asahel had a son who inherited his post after he was killed by Abner. Zeruiah's sons were probably close to David's age. David was 37 years old when Asahel died, and shortly after that, he was made the king of Israel. David died when he was seventy years old, having reigned for forty years, counting from when he began to reign in Judah.

If I know anything about little girls, it is that they usually want to be a "mommy" to younger siblings. My sister Pat is the oldest of my siblings and I was born a year and a half after her. I can remember her playing that role with me when we were little. She was very protective. She was the most mommy and the most protective with the youngest in the family, our brother Johnny. Pat was eight years old and I was six when he was born. He adored her when he was a little guy and said that, when he grew up, he was going to marry Mom and Pat. She was bossy to the rest of us, to me in particular because I gave her the most resistance, but never to him. Four girls in our family, and the three oldest treated him like he was our live baby doll.

I think that David was sickly child, probably born premature, hence his small size. It would be natural for Zeruiah to look after the new baby the most, leaving her mother more time to attend to running the household. Zeruiah and David would become very attached to each other.

Why do I think that David was sickly? I read somewhere that he was, but I don't remember where because I read so many articles. Also, because God took a prophet named John Paul Jackson into the past on a mission where he met David.

This might seem waaaay out there, but God is not bound by the limits of human imaginations or abilities. If He wants to take someone into the past, or the future, that's His right and He is able to do it.

The story goes like this: John Paul Jackson led a tour group to Israel. One night, he was awakened and taken to the past. It totally freaked him out. He was set down on a street in Jerusalem in David's time, when David was an officer in Saul's army. John Paul was dressed like the people around him, in a long robe belted with a rope. He could understand the language and people understood him when he spoke.²

He said that he was surprised at how badly the place smelled and how dirty the children were who played in the street, as well as how dirty the merchants' hands were. He was concerned about how he could survive in this place. His hobby was carpentry, so he supposed he could do that, then he remembered that he knew how to do it only with electric tools. He worried that his wife would not know what had happened to him and not be allowed to collect his life insurance.

But he put these worries aside because he had a mission. He was supposed to tell these people that David was going to become king. So he went along the street, saying to one person after another, "Did you know that David is going to be king?" He got varying responses. Some said of course, David will be king. Other said they didn't believe it. Some said that they didn't care if it was Saul or David who was king.

Further down the street, John Paul saw David and knew it was him right away. David watched John Paul as he spoke to the people, and eventually he beckoned him with his hand. John Paul approached him and he described David as being under five feet tall, with little bitty hands like a ten year old's. He said he had red hair that was so dark it almost looked black and hung in waves to halfway down his back. His eyes were blue–green, his skin was ruddy, and he was so incredibly handsome that, if he had been tall, he could have been a super model.

David said to him, "I know who you are and we will meet again." Then a donkey loaded with baskets passed between them and John Paul found himself back in bed, gasping with shock over what had just happened. His wife woke up briefly and said drowsily, "John Paul, I feel the presence of God. Do you feel that?" Then she went right back to sleep, while he still was in shock.

He decided he wasn't going to tell anyone about this adventure because they would probably think he was nuts. The next morning at breakfast, though, he found himself telling the tour group about what happened, but he started off framing it as a dream. That wasn't honest, though, so he admitted that he actually time–travelled into the past. After he told the story, describing the street with its paving stones and the buildings painted green, his heart sunk. He thought, "What have I done?" He figured that the group was probably worried now that they were stuck in Israel with a madman who was holding all their airline tickets.

Their tour guide entered the room and informed them that a new exhibit had just opened up in Jerusalem, which no tourists had seen so far. He asked if they wanted to see it, rather than go on the scheduled tour. John Paul said no, but the rest of the group said yes. So, off they all went to see the street that had been excavated.

They had to go through tunnels to reach it. John Paul paused to read a sign that explained what the exhibit was about while the rest of the group went on ahead. A minute later, they rushed back and told him to come with them to see the street. He said, "Wait until I finish reading this." They emphatically said no, grabbed his hands, and dragged him along with them.

They stopped when they came to the street and John Paul looked in astonishment. It was the street where God took him the night before. It looked almost the same, except the pavement stones were no longer flat. They were rounded with centuries of wear, and the buildings were painted almost the same shade of green that he saw in David's time.

I believe John Paul's story. It fits with the Bible's description of David. He was handsome, ruddy, and skinny when he confronted Goliath. I was amazed, but also delighted, to learn that he was so short. No wonder Goliath was furious. He wanted Israel to send him a champion. He probably expected that it would be either Saul or Jonathan, Israel's mightiest warriors, and then he would kill either the king or the crown prince. But they sent this little shrimp out to challenge him. He was grossly insulted, which is why he asked if they thought he was a dog and all they needed was a stick to defeat him.

David had a Samson anointing. How else would such a small teenager be able to kill a bear and a lion and a giant? How else would such a small warrior with little hands be able to lead his army, battling right in their midst and inflict great slaughter on their enemies? How else could he have lifted Goliath's huge sword to cut off his head, take off after the Philistines with it, and then later on take it when he was on the run from Saul?

The Bible is way more interesting and exciting than what most people realize, until they start to dig into it and picture it in their mind, with details.

Back to David's boyhood. I think that Zeriuah, who had a bold, fierce nature that she passed on to her sons, stood up for David against his older brothers when they picked on him, as older brothers have a tendency to do to younger siblings, especially if the sibling is a boy. David lamented his nephews' fiery, stubborn nature, attributing it to their mother in 2 Samuel 3:39.

If I am right about Zeruiah's role in David's childhood, she was like a tigress defending her cub, which annoyed the David's brothers when they accused him of playing pranks or swiping goodies from the kitchen or failing in his duties. They probably opposed her all the more, since she was "only" a girl, but could not make her back down, until David became a thoroughly spoiled rotten little brat. I would not put it past him to make mischief, knowing that Zeruiah wouldn't believe he was responsible and would take his part. The brothers likely got thumped around by Zeriuah on David's behalf, which would make them resent him even more.

I am not basing this suggestion on my own little brother's behaviour. Johnny was a darling who rarely got up to any kind of mischief when he was a child.

I propose that David got so out of hand that his brothers could bear it no longer and appealed to their father to do something about the kid. Jesse obviously agreed and exiled him to the fields to look after sheep and learn responsibility.

What a blow that must have been to David. He was terrifically intelligent, a musical genius, an extrovert who loved the spotlight, and he needed to be around people most of the time, but he was sent away with only sheep for company. And God. Sheep were not enough. He turned to God and developed an intimate relationship with Him. He realized that he had been a brat, repented, and was very serious about taking good care of the sheep to prove to his father and brothers that he had changed.

Siblings are hard to convince on that score. They often still believe that what a sibling was like when they failed is what they still are decades later, though one's friends may know differently. This is why Eliab accused David of being irresponsible, of having abandoned the sheep so that he could see the battle. He probably did not believe that David killed a bear and a lion, though David had an observer who believed it and recommended him to Saul as a musician, saying, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him." [1 Samuel 16:18] David was in his early teens when this was said about him.

His character change probably started before Samuel anointed him, but the exploits came afterwards. David was so little regarded by his father and brothers that he wasn't even called from the field when Samuel instructed Jesse to assemble his sons. They likely figured he'd do something that would embarrass them in front of the great prophet. At last, though, he was fetched and he entered the room hot, sweaty, and flushed from running to see the prophet and find out what he wanted.

The brothers all saw Samuel anoint him with oil, but Samuel did not say what he was anointing him to be. He only said he was chosen of the Lord. David's brothers apparently did not believe that any more than Joseph's brothers believed his dreams that they would bow down to him. Maybe they resented him because Samuel singled him out, wondering why they were all passed over and the "twerp" was picked for a special destiny.

He went to court and played the harp for Saul, but probably behind a screen, just music in the background, which would explain why Saul did not recognize him when David offered to kill Goliath. Not even David getting to go to court impressed Eliab, his bossy oldest brother. There was no doubt that the kid had musical talent, but who knew what mischief he might be getting into at court? None. He was sent home only because the king and his entourage left Gibeah to go to battle with the Philistines and were away for a long time. David was sent back to the field to keep him in his place, lest he thought too much of himself for having entertained the king.

The three oldest brothers went to the valley of Elah, which means that they were in their twenties. Shammah, the third oldest son was probably only twenty, the age when young men were obliged to join the army. There were four more brothers between him and David. David might have been only fifteen when he killed Goliath.

David's other brothers were busy taking up the slack, doing the usual work of their three eldest brothers who were at Elah with the army. Jesse was worried about those boys being away so long. He had to find out how they were doing, but he could only spare David, who was doing the least important work, sitting down half the time playing his harp or flute under a tree, no doubt. An old shepherd in his employ, semi–retired and doing odd jobs around the place, could manage those sheep for a while. Jesse loaded David up with provisions for the army and sent him on his way with a donkey to carry the stuff.

David eagerly hurried off to find out what was happening to his brothers and the rest of the army. He arrived at the encampment and left the provisions with a quartermaster, then hurried to find his brothers. But before he met up with them, Goliath came forward and started his bellowing. David asked some soldiers standing around what this was about and he was appalled that their army was doing nothing to take down that giant. Did they not know that God was on their side?

The soldiers told him that whoever killed the giant would be rewarded by the king. David wanted to know how. He and his family would not have to pay taxes. Wow! His family sure would think a lot more of him, if he set all of them free from taxation. Whoever killed the giant would also be given great riches and get to marry the king's daughter. David wanted to know where to sign up.

His bold speech drew a crowd, which attracted his brothers' notice. They went over there to see what was going on. They were not happy to see him. As usual, their little brother was causing them embarrassment, so bent on being the centre of attention, which is how they always perceived his stories of adventure and zealous declarations.

Eliab regarded him with disdain and accused him of deserting the sheep, so that he could come and watch the battle. Did the child not realize that war is for men? That it is a horrifying display of gore and blood, some men howling in fear and pain, and others with lust to kill? Lives get snuffed out and souls go to either Sheol or Paradise, and many are not eligible for Paradise. They leave behind widows and orphans, if they had a chance to marry and beget children to carry on their name. Parents are bereaved of sons to take care of them in their old age. Survivors will have nightmares for years about the carnage in which they participated or witnessed. The battleground is not a playground.

It's embarrassing to be put down by an older brother, treated like a punk kid in front of amused warriors, but David was up to answering back, asking Eliab why he was picking on him. He boldly repeated his statements that Goliath shouldn't be allowed to blather on with his threats, and that he was not the big deal he pretended to be. God was more than able to bring him down and David was eager to be the instrument of His justice.

Someone listening to this hurried to Saul to tell him about the bold boy in the camp who wanted to take on the giant. Saul sent for David and listened to him, and figured, "Why not? Something has got to happen. We have to make a move, especially now that this youngster has come among us, speaking so boldly. It would shame us more than ever as men, if we still don't do anything, after hearing him say he's willing to take on the giant."

To soothe his conscience about sending this beautiful youth to this death, Saul offered David his armour. It was a ridiculous offer. Saul was very tall and David was very small. David looked and felt like a dope in it, but he saved face for both himself and the king by diplomatically saying he could not wear it to the battle because he wasn't used to it.

David took off the clumsy armour and strode out of the tent in his simple tunic and sandals, a belt with a pouch at his waist, a sling in his hand, his step jaunty, and his mop of red curls bouncing as he confidently went forth to meet the giant.

No doubt, David's brothers were horrified when they learned that Saul was actually going to send David to confront Goliath. There was no way they were going to submit to the Philistines, if Goliath killed David. That was the Philistines' terms, but the Israelites would never accept them, just as the Philistines had no intention of becoming the Israelites' slaves if their champion won. It would seem to most of the army that David was sent forth to start the battle, that they would soon be racing down the mountainside into the valley and trampling over his dead body after the giant killed him.

The brothers loved the little squirt, even if he had been a pain in the neck to them. Their hearts must have pounded and their throats closed up as they watched the lad hurry down to the creek and choose five smooth stones, then approach the giant. His fierce speech to the giant would, to them, sound like David's typical cheek. There was no stopping the kid from committing suicide, seeing as it was sanctioned by the king.

The rest of Israel's army watched with trepidation, also. They had endured forty days of listening to Goliath's taunts and trembling in their sandals. This was it! Today they were finally going to fight and that poor kid's death was going to be the start of it.

But it turned out wonderful! David felled the giant with a single stone and cut off Goliath's head with the giant's own sword, then he took off like a comet towards the Philistine host, sword raised, fire in his blue–green eyes. Israel's army rose up with a yell and raced after the fleeing Philistines. It was a grand day. Jesses' three eldest sons never imagined that they would follow their youngest brother into a battle like he was their captain, especially not when he was still in his teens.

David's brothers probably all fought along with David in his battles, but none of them ever made the grade to be among his elite warriors or close counsellors, though they enjoyed the perks of being related to the king. David's boyhood is a lesson to never underestimate what God can do with a troublesome child.

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¹1 Samuel 15:28

²The Jebusites occupied only a section of Jerusalem, where there was a citadel. They must have become more aggressive later, which is why David attacked them and took over their advantageous position.

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The Majesty of God, Chapter 304 (Not ready yet.)