What's In Your Bag?

For some reason, I can’t stop thinking about the relationship between David and Saul; especially the agreement they made for David to marry, Michal, Saul’s younger daughter and become the King’s son-in-law: 100 foreskins from Philistine men…in a bag no less.

Saul was the first king of Israel. Before him, Israel was ruled by, well, rules. The rules were kept and upheld by Judges. Since the judges were appointed by God the system was kind of a combination of theocracy and democracy; rather than a monarchy. But Israelites wanted to be like their surrounding neighbors and demanded to switch to a monarchy. God reluctantly agreed and then raised Saul to be the first king. But Saul got Israel started on the wrong foot. He turned out to be nasty and self-centered. God was disappointed from the start and immediately said, in so many words, (through the last judge, Samuel), “Saul’s a loser. I have already decided who the next king will be…Jesse’s son, David.”

The thing about David is that he was hired by Saul as entertainment. He was a young, creative, musical, passionate kid who played the harp. Saul hired David to play the harp whenever Saul got stressed out. The music calmed Saul, and David became Saul’s arm-bearer. He was like a son. Then David killed Goliath in that famous battle. After that, it seems like Saul began to despise David, yet at the same time, gave him more responsibility in battles. In fact, it seems like the more Saul hated David, the more he, conversely, gave David more responsibility/credibility. And this is what I wonder about. Does this relate to your life at all? I feel like it relates to mine, but I just can’t put my finger on a specific event just yet.

Saul plotted different ways to kill David, but then offered to make him his son-in-law. It’s like Saul gives the ultimate meaning to the phrase, “keep your friends close, and keep your enemies even closer.” But the strange and complicated thing is that David was devoted to Saul…even though he knew Saul was plotting to destroy him. This is like a great Greek tragedy. Even Shakespeare couldn’t have written the complexities better.

So, right when he wants David dead the most, Saul offers his first daughter to David in marriage. But David says he can’t because he is too poor to be a king’s son…he can’t marry that far up…and for those days, he was right. This is so Foucault. David is relying on the socially accepted sphere of rules that dictate economic class limitations on personal boundaries. Saul has no regard for the social sphere. He is operating by his own rules of conduct. But he must understand why David turns down the marriage, because Saul gives his daughter away to someone else, hence, recognizing David’s point…but defeated in the process (more reason to increase despising David and increase the desire to draw him closer).

Then Saul figures out another form of wealth David occupies: bravery. Saul figures out how he can offer his second daughter to David in marriage using bravery as the currency to pay his way in marrying up. He makes the price of the marriage to be 100 Philistine foreskins. You can understand the depth of this request. Saul knows forced circumcision of 100 Philistine warriors would be a no-win situation for David. He figures David would most definitely get killed in the process. There it is again: offering a position of closeness to David while securing his death at the same time. And David understands this currency of heroism, and knows he is well-off enough (in terms of being a hero) to jump up a few casts. So he is pleased to accept Saul’s challenge. What’s more, accomplishes the task. David comes back with not 100, but 200 Philistine’s foreskins.

I have no lesson here. I make no great insight into my own life after reading this passage. But instead of feeling like reading it was a waste of time, I do feel like someday, I will call on this story to maybe help me or someone else grapple with a problem. And this is the thing about the Bible. I know that one day a light bulb will go off in my head that marks the personal intersection of this story and my life. But for now, all I can think about is that bag full of 200 curled up, bloody, fleshy, soft, pieces of skin.