It seems as though story-telling today, especially in TV, is a double-edged sword. It cuts both positively and negatively, reflecting the human condition, an admixture of virtue and vice. NBC has attempted to retell the Biblical story found in 1 & 2 Samuel. Now we know, the writers have made it clear that they are not taking the Biblical story and simply showing it on screen. No, they’ve created an alternate world in which a monarchy, a king rules supreme. The thread of the story serves to remind us, and in a sense give a a renewed interest in those time-honored tales of Sacred Scripture.
The most recent episode, which I believe is a two-parter, hearkens back to God’s warning to the Israelite people about their wanting a king to rule over them. In spite of the fact that God has designated them as His own people, a people set apart, they want to be like the other nations. God warned them through the prophet Samuel, that a king would enslave them and their children. The quote on this entry’s side bar is rather long, but it describes very well the consequences that would occur if they pursue this clamoring for a king. We see the consequences played out in the episodes of these two weeks.
The fact that not only are the people of Gilboa enslaved by this fickle King, but Silas’ own family is enslaved by their own poor choices. While we may see it as a tragedy when King Silas smears David’s reputation before all of Gilboa, that serves to remind us that each leader and potential leader – as we presumably see in David – is a flawed human being. Each person is a mixture of good and bad. Each person has strengths and weaknesses. To consider any one person as perfect, or devoid of flaws is setting one’s self up for a huge disappointment.
As we watch Kings unfold in the coming seasons (if the network decides to keep it on and not pull it because of low ratings), I’ll be keeping in mind this character defamation as a reminder that David – even if he does become king of Gilboa – is no paragon of virtue.
King David in the Old Testament may have been an anointed one – anointed as king of Israel – but our true Messiah has a divine pedigree: Jesus Christ. He is both Son of God and Son of Mary. His human family tree may be less than stirling, but God writes straight with crooked lines.
Something to think about as we derive these “spoils from Egypt”.
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