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SERIES I --- THE NATION UNITES --- LESSON 21

HIDE!

THE IDOL ON A GOATS’ HAIR PILLOW

From 1 Samuel 19

As time passed, King Saul became more and more anxious to have David killed, but he didn’t want to do it himself. Before long, he began to encourage his son Jonathan and the palace servants to do it. But Jonathan was David’s best friend, so he told David what the king was trying to do. ‘My father Saul wants to kill you,’ Jonathan warned, ‘Hide in the fields tomorrow morning. I will bring my father to the same field to talk with him. Then I will tell you what he says.’ The next morning Jonathan and Saul went to the same field where David was hiding. But of course, Saul did not know that David was there. Jonathan reminded his father of all the good things David had done for him. ‘You must not harm David, for he has never tried to harm you,’ said Jonathan. ‘He has served you well and even risked his life to kill Goliath the Philistine. You recognized that as a great victory from Adonai and were delighted with it. Why are you trying to sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?’ Saul listened carefully to Jonathan and swore with an oath that he would not kill David. ‘As Adonai lives,’ said Saul. ‘David will not be killed!’ After Saul left Jonathan called David from his hiding place and told him what Saul had said. David went back home with Jonathan and lived in the palace as he had before. But war with the Philistines came again and David led his warriors to battle, winning a great victory over the enemy. The victory was so complete that the entire Philistine army ran away. The evil spirit came upon Saul again one day while David played the harp for him. Saul was holding his spear in his hands when suddenly without warning he hurled it at David. David jumped aside and escaped, leaving the spear stuck in the wall. David was not even safe at home now, for that night Saul sent men to watch for David at his house, hoping to have him killed as he left in the morning. ‘You had better leave tonight or you will be dead by morning,’ Michal warned David. Michal helped David escape through a window, then put a large idol in David’s bed and covered it, placing its head on a goats’ hair pillow. When the men came in to take David, Michal wouldn’t let them in David’s room. ‘He’s sick!’ she told them. ‘Then carry him here in his bed!’ King Saul ordered, after his men told him what had happened. But when they returned to David’s house they discovered Michal’s trick, that it was nothing but a large idol in the bed with the goats’ hair pillow at its head. ‘Why did you trick me this way?’ Saul demanded. ‘He said he would kill me if I didn’t,’ Michal lied. Meanwhile, David escaped to Ramah where he told Samuel all that Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to live at Naioth. David’s hiding place was soon discovered and messengers went to Saul with the news. ‘David is living at Naioth with Samuel,’ they reported. Saul immediately sent some messengers to capture David. But as they approached Naioth, there was Samuel with a band of his prophets. The Spirit of YHVH came upon the messengers and they began to prophesy in the same way that Samuel’s prophets were doing. When Saul heard about this, he sent another band of men to capture David, but the same thing happened to them. Then he sent a third band, but they also began to prophesy. At last Saul himself came to the countryside at Ramah and inquired about David and Samuel at the great well in Seca. ‘Where are David and Samuel staying?’ he asked. ‘At Naioth in Ramah,’ the people answered. But as Saul approached Naioth, the Spirit of YHVH came upon him and he too, began to prophesy. At Naioth, he took off his clothes and lay there all that day and all that night, prophesying with Samuel’s prophets. This started a saying in Israel, ‘Is Saul among the prophets, too?’”

COMMENTARY

BEDS AND BEDCLOTHES OF BIBLE TIMES

King Saul wanted to kill David. Jonathan tried to reason with his father. David was innocent of any wrong: why should he be harmed? In spite of Saul’s promise to Jonathan not to hurt David, Saul tried to murder him. While David played his lyre to comfort Saul, Saul held his spear in readiness to kill David. In ancient Israel, only the rich could afford their own private beds. Most people simply slept on the smooth dirt floors of their homes. For cover they wrapped up in the thick woollen cloaks worn as outer robes during the day. Some houses had mud-brick benches built around the walls of the main room. These low benches served as couches during the day and as sleeping platforms at night. If the family could spare the extra wool, the women often dyed bright covers to spread across the hard surface. Those who wanted softer bedding spread thin mattresses on the floor. They might contain wool or felt, but straw was much cheaper and much more common. In the morning the sleepers folded their beds in a corner or set them outside in the sun. Beds were much more luxurious in the homes of the prosperous. Built with wooden or metal frames, they were very similar to beds today. Hand-woven rope or leather webbing stretched across the frame served as an ancient version of bedsprings. Linen sheets and colourful bedspreads smoothed across the mattress made up the rest of the bedding. Some people even stuffed leather to create pillows. Since homes of the poor were very small, the whole family slept together in the same room. The main work area became the sleeping area at night. But luxury furniture such as a bed was much too cumbersome; and too prized; to move aside during the day. Instead, wealthy homeowners, built rooftop chambers and private rooms in order to have bedrooms. Beds of royalty and the very wealthy were extremely lavish. Fragrant cedar headboards were often set with ivory animals or decorative gold and silver designs. Perhaps the most beautiful beds were those with headboards carved of solid ivory. Extravagant rulers like Solomon slept on mattresses held by solid gold and silver frames. Covers for these elaborate beds consisted of silk pillows and richly embroidered spreads piled over linens scented with myrrh. Even when beds became commonplace, the Israelites regarded them as marks of pride. Possession of a bed implied that the owner could rejoice over his good fortune. Because of this attitude, people in mourning always humbled themselves by eating and sleeping on the floor. Some Jews in mourning still follow this custom today.

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