SERIES L --- THE NATION DIVIDES --- LESSON 02

DAVID DIES

THE DEATH OF KING DAVID

From 2 Samuel 5:4-5; 23:1-7; 1 Kings 2:1-11; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 29:26-30

As the time came for King David to die, he challenged his son Solomon in this way: [I am about to die and leave this earth, as all men must. As you rule the land, be strong and live like a man should. Obey Adonai’s Commands as they are written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all that you do. If you obey Him, Adonai will fulfil His promise to me, ‘If your sons obey My Word and remain faithful with all their heart and soul, you will always have a descendant upon the throne of Israel.’ Let me also tell you something I would like you to do. You know how Joab murdered two good Israelite generals, Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, claiming that it was an act of war when it really wasn’t and thus bringing guilt upon me. Be wise and do not let Joab die in peace. Be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them continue to eat at your table, for they helped me when I fled from your brother Absalom. You also remember how Shimei of Bahurim cursed me terribly when I fled to Mahanaim. When he met me at the Jordan River as I returned home, I promised that I would not kill him. But you my son, are not obliged to keep that promise. You must find a way to execute Shimei and so avenge the wrong done to your father.] Before he died, King David also said:

[David the son of Jesse has this to say; These are the words of the man; Whom YHVH lifted to such high places; The man whom YHVH anointed; The sweet psalmist of Israel. The Spirit of Adonai has spoken through me; Putting His Word upon my tongue. The YHVH of Israel told me; ‘He who rules righteously; In the reverence of YHVH; Will be like the morning light at dawn; Like a sunrise without clouds; When the grass springs forth from the earth; Like the rays of the sun after a rain.’ Didn’t YHVH choose my family? Didn’t He make an everlasting covenant; Sealing it and arranging it in every way? Will He not ensure that I succeed? The ungodly are like thorns which are cast away; For no one is able to touch them; And whoever would destroy them; Must use iron or a shaft of a spear; And when they have been cut down; They shall be burned completely.]

Altogether King David ruled Israel for forty years. The first seven years he reigned in Hebron, where he ruled over the tribe of Judah only. During the last thirty-three years of his reign, he made his capital in Jerusalem and ruled over all Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he ruled until he was seventy. He died at this old age, a wealthy and an honoured man, leaving his son Solomon to rule in his place. The story of David has been written in the works of Samuel, as well as in the history written by Nathan the prophet and the one written by the prophet Gad. These all tell of his reign and his power and the circumstances under which he ruled. They tell not only what happened to him, but what happened to Israel and the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Israel.

COMMENTARY

FUNERALS AND TOMBS

David’s last words to Solomon encouraged his son to keep the Law of YHVH. David also advised Solomon how to deal with old enemies. When David died, he had been king for forty years. The funeral and mourning customs of the Israelites were basically the same for an ordinary person and for a king. The major differences lay in the number of people mourning, the lavishness of the funeral and the sumptuousness of the tomb. Because of the country’s hot climate, burial was usually the same day as death. The body was prepared on an open funeral bier, for the Israelites did not use coffins. It was dressed in the finest clothing the family could afford, robes scented with spices and perfumes. The most important personal belongings were placed in the tomb with the body. Failure to honour the dead meant the greatest disrespect, so signs of grief and mourning were loud and obvious. Professional mourners wailed and cried along with the family. For a king, people composed brief songs and poems of praise and lament. Priests with burning incense led the funeral procession to the tomb. Caves and earthen graves for the poor and tombs for the rich were all outside the city; only kings and prophets had special burial chambers within the city walls. The royal tombs have never been found, but they were probably similar to the best tombs of the wealthy. A hillside cave opened into a many-chambered underground room. The biers lay on benches cut into the limestone walls. A centre pit held the bones of the long-dead which were moved when space was needed. Large boulders at the cave entrance discouraged grave robbers. The mourning period was at least a week long. The mourners fasted for that time, except for a [mourner’s meal] of bread and wine after the burial. Men covered their heads or beards or even shaved their beards and hair. The mourners did not wear shoes. They rubbed ashes on their bodies. Garments of sackcloth, a rough goats’-hair fabric, were worn for the week. The mourners would neither wash nor rub their bodies with ointments or perfume. Though forbidden by Jewish Law, some would cut their skin to show their pain. Only after such a period of intense mourning could the grieving family think of returning to the normal routine of life.