Band of brothers
1 Samuel Chapters 22 – 23
The game of cat and mouse continues, with Saul trying to find David to kill him, and David on the run to protect his own life. David’s task is complicated by his own determination not to harm Saul.
At one time David’s brothers weren’t too impressed by him, but now they have become his followers, fighting and running alongside him. A neighboring king allows David’s parents to live under his protection so they can be safe without the rigors of living life on the run.
David is also surrounded by a rag-tag army of about 400 men who were “in distress or in debt or discontented.” At one level that sounds like the plot of many familiar stories, from Robin Hood to the latest superhero movie, but it also has similarity to the band of followers who will later gather around Jesus.
And David is also supported by the ever-loyal Jonathan, who promises him that “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.” That’s a pretty impressive pledge coming from a man who himself would have a claim to be heir to the throne.
There’s a lot to be seen about David’s character in this section, from his selfless loyalty to Saul in spite of everything, to the kind of nonjudgmental acceptance that earns him the loyalty of his band of misfits.