Giant Killer? Rock Star? Or Just Like Us?

I have long been a fan of the story of David and Goliath.  I can recall the painting in our family bible, showing the “man-child” and the behemoth of a Philistine giant.  I thought it was great that the “little guy” won…with just a stick and some stones.  (Maybe that is where…”sticks and stones can break your bones…nah, nah, nah” came from?)

It wasn’t until much later in life that I learned more about David and appreciated this “little guy”.  This man of many seasons.  This is one very complex individual. 

I love the Book of Psalms in the Bible.  And I encourage you to read it sometime.  It is almost like a book of poems, or lyrics to a song.  The same can be said of Proverbs and Song of Songs.  Many great passages, most of them I can relate to at one time of my life or another.

Scholars often attribute much of the Psalms verses having been written by David.  Giant Killer and King of Israel.  This is contested by many, but if you read Psalms, they seem to line up with David’s life quite well.  So for the sake of this posting, I choose to think of David writing many of the psalms.  After all, he was a musician.

As a musician, he was summoned to the “palace” by King Saul.  Saul wanted David to use his talents as a harp player, and help Saul cure his demons…insecurities…quiet the doubts.  But he did not keep favor in the court of King Saul and soon David was exiled.

I think this may have been the beginning of David writing Psalms.  If you read Psalms, you can hear the voice of pain…despair…humility…rage…redemption…loneliness and love.  As a matter of fact, use your imagination and you can almost hear the psalms being read by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan…their voices resonate with the messages of the Psalms.

The Psalms may have, in fact, been the original “blues” music.  They seem to echo the music and voices of Etta James, Pinetop Perkins, Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Johnson and even the likes of Springsteen, the Stones and Janis Joplin.  Yeah, they are that intense.

Almost mystical, but not from a mystic.

From a Rock Star.  I think you could build quite a case for David being the original Rock Star.   The first one.  Seriously, it would not take that much of an imagination.  To provoke thought,  I submit the following for your consideration:

• Gained early and immediate popularity from “the giant thing”.  Many claim him to be a…”One hit Wonder”.
• Exiled and lived in a remote, unknown location as a recluse.
• Writing all this time…psalms.
• Elevated as King and led an army to capture the City of David (okay, who else but an ego-maniac rock star would name a city after himself?  Okay, perhaps a politician.)
• While he seemd to be riding a wave of  popularity on the national scene, his personal life seemed to be filled with more drama than a night time soap opera or reality show.  Martin Scorsesee would be jealous.  Let’s start with adultery, asassination, frame-up, victory, rebellion, incest, fratricide, seduction.
• And finally, when his army brought the Ark into the city, David danced, practically naked, in front of his soldiers…that alone could give him street cred as a Rock Star.

Okay, it might be a stretch, but not much of one to think of him as the premier Rock Star.  

But at the same time, in the writings of Psalms, you can see that he experienced troubles and fears…just like us.

Tears…just like us.  Emotions…just like us.  Cries…Joys…Needs…just like us.

Maybe that is why I can seem to relate so much to Psalms.

Just like me.

I am not making a comparison to being like a Rock Star.  Or King.  Or Giant -Killer.

Just me.  Complete with imperfections and baggage.

And that, my friends, is a full time job.