History Revised

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:13 NASB

Came mightily – We know David’s story. Starts out great, lots of trouble in the middle, ends with some questions. A lot like our stories. Given this history, how is it possible for this verse to say that the ruach YHVH “came mightily” on David for the rest of his life? This little historical note was obviously written long after the full life of David was over. Why didn’t the author correct the line to match what really happened? Are we supposed to conclude that the ruach YHVH was fully operable in David’s whole life? In particular, when he sinned by taking a census or when he conspired to murder Uriah? How can the historian overlook these serious blunders and claim that the ruach YHVH was powerfully upon David all his days after Samuel’s anointing?

Perhaps we can get some help by looking at the Hebrew verb, not the translator’s gloss. The verb is ṣālaḥ. We find it is 1 Samuel 10:6 and Amos 5:6. It is not a common verb. The first of these two references concerns Saul and the signs that he has been chosen by YHVH as king. The verse connects the ruach YHVH with the demonstration of prophecy. Let’s be clear that this does not mean foretelling the future. Prophecy in the Tanakh is connected with being God’s authorized spokesperson. It is not history in advance. In Amos, the verb is connected to God Himself breaking forth in recompense. TWOT notices that the related verb, ṣālēaḥ, means, “to accomplish satisfactorily what is intended.”[1] Is the author of 1 Samuel 16:13 accomplishing two goals with the same phrase? The first is to connect David’s anointing with Saul’s. If YHVH gives Saul an outpouring of the Spirit as a sign of election, then David receives even more. In David’s case, the connection to the ruach YHVH is continuous. Saul felt it sporadically. David experienced it always. David is the superior authorized spokesman for God.

The second goal is to remind us that the ruach YHVH is present even in our sin. In fact, without the continuous involvement of the ruach YHVH in David’s life, it is not possible to explain his immediate confession and subsequent penance. Certainly David chose to disobey, but that did not push the Spirit out of his life. It only prepared the ground for repentance; repentance brought about because the Spirit would not let him go. Now the definition of ṣālēaḥ clarifies. Is it not true that the ruach YHVH accomplished what was intended in David’s life? In this sense, David was constantly under the guidance of the Spirit. Up or down, right or left, obedient or disobedient, David was never estranged from the Spirit of YHVH. God’s stamp was on him—always. We don’t need to revise the history because the history doesn’t tell us David was always faithful. It simply tells us that God was always faithful.

There are times when we feel as if we do not qualify for God’s care. There are moments of deliberate disobedience. David is just as much human as we are. But this little historical verse isn’t about David, or about us. It is about YHVH and His election. In failure or success, the ruach YHVH isn’t leaving. That’s the lesson.

Topical Index: ruach YHVH, ṣālēaḥ, ṣālaḥ, came mightily, Amos 5:6, 1 Samuel 10:6, 1 Samuel 16:13

[1] Hartley, J. E. (1999). 1917 צָלֵַח. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.