What's Missing Here?
Something’s Missing
2Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 (NRSV)
... all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, ‘Look, we are your bone and flesh. 2For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.’ 3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years. 5At Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
9David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inwards. 10And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
This is our Old Testament reading for this morning, 2Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10. What a great story -- everybody wants David to be king, even God! However, when the lectionary (reading list) skips over several verses, a red light of curiosity and suspicion starts flashing: go look it up, catch ‘em in the act! Our lectionary framers like to spare us the gory details.
Two or three weeks ago we read the David and Goliath story that was a Sunday School favorite during my childhood: Shepherd boy takes round, smooth stone, puts it in his sling, whirls sling, points for accurate aim, sinks stone deep in monster’s forehead. They didn’t let us read the best part, though: Boy takes monster’s sword, hacks off monster’s head, takes head with him. It not only appeals to boys in Sunday School, it’s the subject of numerous works of art over the centuries and is every boy's favorite scene in David movies, shepherd boy strolling off victoriously, holding dripping head by hair.
But the lectionary goody goodies cut the last verse.
What have the lectionary police done this morning? Something, obviously, because they cut 2Samuel 5:6-8. Nobody’s watching, let’s check it out:
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, ‘You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back’—thinking, ‘David cannot come in here.’ 7Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. 8David had said on that day, ‘Whoever wishes to strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.’* Therefore it is said, ‘The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.’
Woops! Nevermind. Bit of etiology being established here; wants explaning. Another time perhaps.
The feather kills me!
TW+