His Heritage of Courage

II
His Heritage of Courage

1. GREAT CONFERENCE HALL

THE PRESENCE of Solomon at the front of the great audience was awe-inspiring, even to the oft-times cynical reactions of Tamrin.
A man's man. Tall. At least six feet. Broad-shouldered, tapering to a slim waist and bronzed, muscular legs showing under a white tunic, which was cinched by a wide gold belt.
The gods must have chiselled his face, the Ethiopian thought, for it was wide and full of character with piercing eyes, which seemed to bore into the soul.
If physical attributes of the man were to be praised, it was his speech that set him apart from all men ; speaking in parables, some said his words were sweeter than the purest honey.

2.

HIS HERITAGE was one of courage, wagered against heavy odds, for his father, David, had risen from a much-maligned shepherd boy, who had taken a circuitious route to lead a nation of one million Israelites while subduing their mortal enemies, th coastal Philistines.
When Saul, who was Commander in his early days and later King, was defeated at the base of Mount Gilboa, he committed suicide by throwing himself on his sword. Dying with him that day were his three sons and the tribal league, which had been in existence for some 200 years.
The Philistines, known for their exceptional cruelty, sliced off Saul's head and paraded it about their cities, then hung his body on the wall of Beth-Shean, in the sight of passers-by, where it was left to rot.
The scragglers from Saul's remaining tribal army scattered to their ruined villages, however, the Philistines had a taste for blood and, being brutal and urelenting rulers, they were determined to exterminate any Israelite presence in the Promised Land of Canaan.
The residue of greatness of the tribal federation of 12 tribes was reduced to small bands of roaming fanatics, distinguished from the more sane populace, by their enraptured dancing and singing to timbrels and pipes, which led to prophesying in dervish-like frenzy, often concluding with them rolling naked on the ground.
In the past, a judge-king, anointed by a priest-prophet ruled, but due to a public outcry, Saul had been named king and now he was dead, leaving only one small 600-man army left in Israel -- a private band of ruffians, led by an outcast named David, the son of Jesse, a Judean elder.
Saul had been David's nemesis, benefactor and father-in-law before his untimely death.

3.

HANDSOME, ruddy-complexioned, but rather small, David had been forced to stay at home, tending sheep, while his brothers had been conscripted into Saul's army against the Philistines.
When the enemy camped in the Valley of Elah, David took food to his brothers, little realizing it would be the turning point in his life and his generation.
There he challenged a gloating Philistine named Goliath and after killing the giant warrior, David was elevated to an officer of mercenary troops, even though he had no formal training.
Although Saul should have been pleased with his young recruit, he wasn't. In fact, he grew resentful because of his successful forays. He actually believed David was becoming a threat to his throne because of his public popularity.
Even the friendship with one of king's sons, Jonathan, was a sore spot, causing Saul to fly into a rage, believing somehow David was plotting to steal the monarchy by manipulating his naive son.
Then in his half-mad state, Saul tried to have David killed by the Philistines in a bizarre manner.
In exchange for the hand of his second daughter, the cold and indifferent Michal, Saul asked for a dowryof the foreskins of 100 Philistines, believing there was no way the young officer could escape their wrath. He not only mutiliated 100 of the enemy, but brought back 200 foreskins to Saul.
So enraged by his son-in-law's exploits, court agents were sent into David's bedroom to kill him, but Michal aided his escape into the night, without any weapon to defend himself.
What followed were years of wandering, trying to escape Saul's vindictiveness.
At Ramah, David met the aging prophet, Samuel, in the company of zealots, and then in the court sanctuary of at Nob, where the priest Ahimelech, unaware of Saul's obsession, fed him and handed over Goliath's sword, which had been kept there as a treasure of war.
The priest certainly paid for his unwitting generosity, for Saul would order him and his priestly family murdered by the Edomite mercenary, Doeg, after the Israelite soldiers refused to obey the king's edict.

4.

BESIDES BEING a talented musician and writer of poetry, David proved to be an accomplished actor when he fled to the Philistine city of Gath, where he was immediately recognized.
Foaming at the mouth with froth staining his red beard, he played the madman to the hilt, so much so the Gath king feared he was possessed and ordered him out of the city.
However, he was best suited as a warrior, and not an out-of-work actor, and so he became captain of 400 dissidents, whom he discovered hiding in the cave of Adullum, near Hebron, in the Judean hills.
It was savage country, but there in the wilderness of Paran, he offered protection to the clans of Judah against Amalekite raids while Saul continued to hunt him.
In a brilliant political move, David next offered himself as a much more sane-looking vassal to King Achish of Gath , who believed by recruiting one of their heroes, it would divide Judah and the rest of Israel even more with Philistia not having to lift a sword.
Based in the southern town of Ziklag, David's little army guarded the Philistine border from the Amalekite marauders and the clans of Judah while the Philistine army battled the Israelites in Saul's army. Using subterfuge, David raided the Amalekites and then split the booty with Achish and some of the leading families of Judah.
While Achish was convinced of the loyalty of David's expanded army of 600 hardened troops and wanted him to join Philistia against Saul, other leaders had their doubts and, while awaiting their decision, David was sent back to Ziklag.
When he was there, Saul and his sons, including Jonathan, died at Mount Gilboa, which sorely distressed David, so much so that he wrote the dirge, which begins, "Thy beauty, O Israel, upon thy high places is slain! How have the mighty fallen!"
Gathering his men and their families, he moved to Hebron, th chief city of Judah, without any opposition from Philistia; and waited for divine orders, for his faith in the Lord Jehovah -- Yahweh -- never wavered, even in the wilderness of life.
Meanwhile, Saul's surviving son, Eshbaal, an inept weakling, was made ruler from the town of Mahanaim across the Jordan in the north by Abner, Saul's commander of the tribal levies. It spurred the followers of David and those loyal to General Abner to resume hostilities.
Just when a ceasefire in the two-year civil war seemed in sight, mean-spirited Commander Joab, who happened to be David's nephew, took it upon himself to kill Abner on the pretense of a blood vengeance, for Abner had earlier killed Joab's brother in battle.
Not only were the elders of the northern tribes livid. David claimed Abner deserved to die in battle harness or old age and criticized the assassination and buried Abner with honor in Hebron.
To enflame matters even more, two of David's officers in Mahanaim murdered Eshbaal and brought him his head, expecting some kind of reward.
Mollified by the deed, David had the two slain.
Finally, the elders came to Hebron and crowned David king over all Israel by divine right, although as "the Lord's anointed," he was the constitutional and not absolute monarch, for his kingship was based on a solemn covenant with his subjects. The "anointing" was a solemn religious act, but it was performed, not by the priests, but by the heads of the tribes.
At the age of 30, he ruled the north and the south -- Judah and Israel -- after reigning from Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years.

5.

THE HUNTED MAN now became the hunter as David tried to unite Israel and Judah into a politically adhesive unit despite the existence of two capitals -- Hebron and Mahanain.
The topography also was a hindrance with a range of hills separating the two, but to the new king it became another challenge to overcome.
Midway between the two capitals stood the alien fortress of Jebus, or Jerusalem, the "Foundation of the God Shalem," which was considered impregnable, with its water supply being delivered from an underground spring.
The Jebusites were so boastful, they snarled that even the blind and the cripples could keep David out.

King David (to his troops): Go up through the water tunnel into the city and destroy those 'blind and lame' Jebusites. I really hate them, men! And what's more, the first man to kill a Jebusite, I'll make him my commander-in-chief.

Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the first, so he became general of David's army. This is the same man who had ordered Abner killed.
David lived in the fortress of Zion, or Signpost, while Joab rebuilt the rest of Jerusalem. When it was conquered, it measured about 12 acres -- 1,250 feet from the north to south and 400 feet from the east to the west. Beginning at the old Millo section, he built northward towards the present city center.
Although Joshua had previously allotted the city to the Hebrews, a period of 515 years had passed before David's siege.
With this latest conquest, David's fame spread and King Hiram of Tyre sent lumber, carpenters and masons to build him a proper palace, since in the past he had lived a nomadic life in tents made of badger skins.
After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married additional wives and concubines and fathered many sons and daughters. His children born in Jerusalem were Shammu-a, Shoabab, Nathan, Ibhar, Elishu-a, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Elaida, Eliphelet and his eventual successor, Solomon.
When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him, but he was told in advance, and he stayed in his stronghold with the Philistines crowding into the valley of Rephaim, preparing to attack.
He turned to his god, Yahweh, asking him: "'Should I go out and fight against them? Will you defeat them for me?"
"Yes, go ahead, for I will give them to you," was the reply.
At Baal-perazim, David subdued the Philistines and he wildly cried: "The Lord did it! He burst through my enemies like a raging flood."
He named the place Bursting.
His troops confiscated many idols the Philistines had abandoned, but his enemy had only retreated and no given up the fight, so when he asked the Lord what to do, he was given the answer of "don't make a front attack. Go behind them and come up by the balsam trees. When you hear the marching feet in the tops of the balsam trees, attack. For it will signify that the Lord has prepared the way for you and will destroy them."
Following the divine instructions, David slaughtered the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.