Sunday’s first reading tells the story of the tribes anointing David King of Israel. It provides the Jewish background for Luke’s presentation of Jesus in Sunday’s gospel. It contains all the technical elements by which Israel chose and installed its kings.
All the people of all the tribes assemble. They publicly proclaim their kinship to David, their loyalty to him, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh.” They testify to their experience of his leadership, “It was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back.”
This biblical language recalls the way God led Israel out of Egypt and brought them back to the land that was to be their own. God has gathered them, guarded, and guided them out of slavery in Egypt. God nurtured them through hunger and homelessness in the desert to become a united people.
As king, David will serve to bring God’s mercy among the people. He will care for the poor and liberate them from oppression. This is what he agrees with the elders to do.
The elders recognize in David one called to be God’s commander. By anointing him king, they agree to his leadership as servant of God’s mercy.
Today evolution gives us new insight into who is bone of our bone. Evolution calls us to recognize not only all other humans are kin but that we are one and interdependence with all that is.
David becomes king.
All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh. In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the Holy One said to you, ‘You shall be commander of Israel.’”
When all the elders of Israel came to David at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them there before the Holy One, and they anointed him king of Israel.
2 Samuel 5.1-3
- lHow does the concept of kinship affect your understanding of kingship?
- lHow does substituting the word kin for king in the phrase the kin*dom of God change its meaning for you?