An Atheist Explores the Bible Part 54: Necromancy, divination, political alliances and a slice of fig cake (1 Samuel 26-31)

1 Samuel 26-31

Necromancy, divination, political alliances and a slice of fig cake.

Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.

For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT

For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP

And now:

1 Samuel 26

“So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.”

Saul continues to chase David across the countryside with his armies. Eventually, David and a companion Abishai creep into Saul’s camp, find Saul asleep and steal his spear and water bottle. Abishai wants to kill Saul as he sleeps, but again David demurs, saying that Saul is an anointed king and it is up to God to kill him, or not.

David returns to his camp and then calls out Saul’s captain, Abner, showing him the spear. He tells Saul that he is a loyal servant, and not worth the king’s time in chasing. The chapter ends with a rapprochement between Saul and David (bet it won’t last…), and David goes on his own way rather than return to Saul’s court (to be attacked with javelins again).

1 Samuel 27

“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.”

David goes to live amongst the Philistines, as a guest of Achish of Gath, and Saul gives up that chase. Achish grants David a town, and David goes to war against several peoples. It’s not entirely clear to me, but the implication seems to be that he attacks some Philistine tribes but doesn’t tell Gath (leaving none alive to report). Gath instead thinks that David is attacking the Israelite tribes. The tribe names aren’t Israelite tribes, though, and the Amalekites have been mentioned many times before as enemy an enemy tribe, although I can’t recall if they are associated with the Philistines or not. Come to think of it, I’ve been assuming that the Philistines are just one tribe among many, but perhaps it is a broader term than that.

1 Samuel 28

“Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.”

Saul gathers his armies to make war on the Philistines, and the Philistines gather their armies to make war on the Israelites. Achish asks David to fight for him, and David answers with a cryptic “Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do”, which encourages Achish to (probably unwisely) make David the “keeper of his head”. Which could easily be his severed head, right, prophecy fans?

But the bulk of this chapter deals with Saul. Having banned all wizards and the like, Saul ends up consulting a witch after his prayers go unanswered. Obviously the witch of Endor (she’s not an Ewok) is reluctant to summon up a spirit lest she anger King Saul, but Saul (in disguise) assures her that she will not be punished. She calls up the spirit of Samuel, and realise then that her mystery guest is Saul, but indeed she isn’t punished. The spirit of Samuel tells Saul that God has delivered Israel into the hands of David because Saul has not been genocidal enough. Saul, who has been starving himself, faints. The witch brings him food, he revives, and leaves, in a sequence that reads like a child’s story. The rest, with the shade of Samuel, is pretty good, bringing to mind Macbeth.

1 Samuel 29

“Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?”

A really short chapter. The Philistines gather for battle, and the rest of the Philistine princes don’t trust David and his Hebrew soldiers. Achish vouches for him but in the end sends him away. There’s really nothing else to add.

1 Samuel 30

“And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire”

David and his men, spurned by the Philistines, return to their city of Ziklag to find it spoiled and looted by the Amalekites, and all their womenfolk carried off (but luckily no-one killed). There is a suggestion here that the ephod is used as a divining device and not just a piece of ceremonial wear, as David uses it to ask if he should stay or pursue. The magic eight ball says “signs point to yes” so they set off in search of their kidnapped women.

En route they meet an Egyptian who was left behind by the Amalekite army because he was sick. After David feeds him (with a slice of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, a strangely specific meal) the Egyptian leads him to the Amalekite camp. David surprises them, kills all but four hundred who escape on camels, and rescue all their women and children.

Some of David’s followers were too weak to join in the fight, and so others in his army who took part in the battle claim that these people should take no spoil (apart from getting their wives and children back) but David argues that all should get equal spoils from the battle, even if they weren’t there. This becomes enshrined in law.

1 Samuel 31

“Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.”

Meanwhile, back at the battle-lines, the Philistines attack Saul’s army and defeat them. Saul falls on his sword and Jonathon, and his other sons, are all killed. The Philistines despoil Saul’s body until the people of Jabesh-Gilead take his body down from the walls of Bethshan, burn it and bury his bones.

And thus ends the book, with the Philistines occupying Israel, but David in the land of the Philistines and probably ready to take vengeance.