The purpose of this study is to investigate the Deuteronomist's view of king David as reflected by his whole history. The Deuteronomistic History commonly used to designate the book of Deuteronomy as well as the section of hebrew bible known as the fo...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the Deuteronomist's view of king David as reflected by his whole history. The Deuteronomistic History commonly used to designate the book of Deuteronomy as well as the section of hebrew bible known as the former prophets. A total of 40 chapters(I Samuel 16-I Kings 1) have David as the center of attention whereas the whole Deuteronomistic History. David receives more coverage than any other king, and almost as much as all other kings together. David gave kingship a new start after the problematic beginning of Saul, and he became the example or norm for all future king.
In general, king David in the Deuteronomistic History portrayed here is one of a talented and divinely chosen and favored figure who rises to power almost in spite of himself, who is the recipient of an important divine promise, but who then subverts much of his own accomplishment through his sin, after which his life is a series of troubles. A clear message here is that Yahweh behind his rise to kingship and that Yahweh's covenant with David will not be derailed by David's flaws. He is a "flawed and favored" character and this character is the true key to whatever success he has, a point that especially in subsequent history.
This great stature of David accurately reflected in the Deuteronomistic History. The mass of material devoted to David in the history is one indication of the significance of David for the Deuteronomist. It is also noteworthy that in II Samuel 7 Yahweh address David as "my servant" a phrase which the Deuteronomist uses many more times when speaking of david. This title emphasized the close relationship envisioned between David and Yahweh, and points to a comparison between David and Moses, the only other figure in the whole history who is spoken of in exactly this way. David, the founder of a new era in the history of Israel is thus compared favorably with Moses, the founder of Israel's faith.
It is obvious that the Deuteronomistic History is deeply rooted in the context of the exile and the situation of Judean community in Babylon. The exile as a historical background forced the Deuteronomist to explain Israel's destruction and deportation, and to recover the loss of national identity. Through the theological reactions to the situation, the Deuteronomist depicted king David as the father of the Judahite dynasty, as the recipient of the divine promise, and as the standard for the righteous king.