1 Sam 21-24 - Good stuff.

The readings - Day 92 - 1 Samuel 21-24

It's still sort of difficult to find something interesting-seeming to write about when the whole story your reading is so well-known, but such is life.

This story of David, though... It's quite the tale. I think the biggest loss from David becoming such a well-known character is that the sheer drama and excitement of this bit of the Bible can get lost in the shuffle. It becomes a sort of glossed-over cliche, in a way. It's a little like the way people talk about Casablanca or The Godfather - they're so well-known for being tremendous movies that you often only think about them; there's almost no need to watch them anymore. Yes, they're great. Everyone knows that. Let's watch Zoolander instead! (And then maybe we can take turns stabbing ourselves in the eyes with razor-sharp knives made out of vinegar-soaked lemons...)



But when you actually sit down and watch The Godfather or Casablanca, or you see a production of Hamlet or Macbeth, you are rightly blown away that they not only live up to their own reputation, but they make you rejoin the line of people that have been queuing up to sing their praises since they were first announced as next week's new release.

This story's like that. You've got a mad chase through the harsh wilderness of Israel, a hero hiding in caves and seeking shelter from priests while collecting rare and priceless artifacts that are handed over to him because of the sheer force of his reputation.

By the way, did anyone else make it this far in life without knowing that starting now David's actually carrying around Goliath's sword? That's awesome!

It's just great action. Saul presents as the perfect villain - killing innocent people because of his weird delusions, leading an army on a wild goose chase for reasons that are unexplained to or by anyone in the know, turning on his own family when they try to talk some sense into him - and the timing of each stage is picture-perfect.

(Cut to helicopter shot of the mountain showing Saul's 3,000-man army swarming around one side while David's rag-tag hundreds scramble down the other)

I also quite like the fact that the famous "David-cuts-the-corner-off-Saul's-robe" episode happens because Saul has to pee and just happens to choose the cave where David and company are holed up...

The fact that David not only chooses to slice off a bit of kingly robe instead of killing him outright, but then feels remorse for even having done that much is just icing on the cake. It absolutely seals the deal as far as David's character goes, and although there are troubled times ahead for the still-human (this is the Bible after all) hero, those are spoilers that can wait, because this is just awesome reading.