David Ascendant (Chronicles of the Nephilim Book 7) (41 page)

Twenty feet, and the giant would be upon him.

Ishbi had silently run through the forest knowing stealth was his last chance. As he broke the clearing, he saw the two warriors to his right and the single man in royal robe among the bodies. The voices in his head screamed “MESSIAH! MESSIAH!”

He sprinted with all his might and raised his scimitar to cleave his victim in two. His demonic spirits circled him like a hurricane of furious hate.

But suddenly, something wrapped around his neck from behind.

A flexible metal blade.

As Ishbi made his final launch at David, the wrath of Rahab yanked backward. Ishbi’s body lurched forward, but his head launched backward, sliced from his body by the heavenly sword. The sound of supernatural howling filled the air as Ishbi’s headless corpse landed in the muck with a splash. It slid forward to a stop just feet from David.

He looked up to see a panting Abishai drop the whip sword and then kneel in the mud catching his breath.

Mikael was by David’s side in a flash. Benaiah helped Abishai up and found their way to the king.

The body of Ishbi ben Ob quivered and jerked with the final spasms of death. Blood poured from the lacerated headless neck and mixed with the mud and rain.

It was a sacred moment of silence for them all.

But then…

“Abishai,” said David. “Your brother Joab will no doubt be very jealous of this mighty deed. I do not know if that one can ever be topped.”

Abishai replied, “You can be sure my lord that he will never hear the end of it.”

They smiled. They had to find some hope, some life in the midst of all this death.

Ittai and Jonathan came from the woods and joined them.

They each threw a giant’s head at the feet of David.

David said with curiosity, “And who vanquished that colossus?” He figured the large charred black skull was that of Argaz.

“I did, my lord,” said Jonathan.

David looked at him with surprise.

Ittai added, “And he helped take down Runihura as well.”

Benaiah snapped, “I already had him. He butted in, is what he did.”

David smiled, reached over and tussled Jonathan’s hair as one would a younger brother. Jonathan hated it when he did that.

David said, “I do believe my little nephew here may have outdone us all, my legend included.” The men all chuckled.

Jonathan demurred, “No, my king. Your youthful defeat of Goliath was much more.”

“The Serpent’s head,” added Ittai. “We merely finished off the tail.”

“A thrashing powerful tail at that,” said David.

Abishai whispered to Jonathan, “The chronicles of Israel will probably not record the details of your victory because you are not the king. But
we
will never forget.”

David added, “Jonathan, I was wrong. You have proven yourself a mighty gibborim, a giant slayer.” He looked at the others like a father would his children and concluded, “And I think you finally warrant the end of the nickname Mouse. Do you not agree, warriors?”

They smiled and nodded.

Ittai said, “I think we should call him Hawk from now on.” The others agreed and Jonathan the Hawk grinned from ear to ear.

The men suddenly noticed Mikael looking up onto the ridge above them. The rain was starting to clear, but all they could see were six paladin warriors on horses staring down at them like solemn harbingers of death.

Benaiah and the others drew their weapons.

“Philistine scouts? Assassins?” wondered Ittai aloud.

“Neither,” said Mikael. “They are my comrades. Late as usual.”

Benaiah looked at Mikael. “We could have used their help.”

Mikael said with a knowing smile, “They were helping us.”

“How?” said Benaiah.

“You would not believe me if I told you,” grinned Mikael.

The sounds of festive music filled the streets of Jerusalem. Shouts of joy mixed with timbrel, lyre and horns. A parade of women led a procession through the city with dancing streamers that flowed around them like billows of smoky trails.

Trumpets announced a military parade of triumph. The ark had entered the City of David.

Behind the ark, at the end of the procession, pairs of oxen dragged statues of gods captured from the Philistines. Images of Dagon, Ba’alzebul, and Asherah ground their faces in the dust before being cast from the heights into the valley below where they were pulverized to pieces.

After the slaughter of the Philistines at the Valley of the Rephaim, David chased the enemy all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. He then performed a mopping up operation in taking Gath and her surrounding cities. After all the generations of warfare with the Philistines, David, the messiah king of Israel, had finally vanquished the Philistines and eliminated the last of the giants of the land.

David thought to bring the ark out of hiding and into Jerusalem. But when he sent a team of men to retrieve the ark with a cart and oxen, a terrible incident occurred that shook David to the core of his soul. The cart had been traveling on the road for some time when it hit a bumpy location and the ark began to fall. When one of the men reached out to stop it, he was struck dead by Yahweh at that very spot.

At first David was angry with Yahweh. Why would he do such a thing? Why would he smite someone who was trying to protect his own covenantal monument?

But then he became full of fear when the prophet Nathan told him that Yahweh’s holiness was completely disregarded and David should be glad Yahweh did not smite him as well.

Yahweh had always commanded that only the Levites should transport the ark on the poles as they would transport a king’s throne. So the cart was an insult. But Yahweh had also said that no man should touch it because it was emblematic of Yahweh’s holy presence with Israel—Yahweh who is seated enthroned above the Cherubim.

Touching the ark was not a mere attempt to rescue it from damage, it was a final act in a long string of acts of disobedience that violated Yahweh’s holy commands. Nathan said the road to Sheol was paved with good intentions of individuals who sought to follow Yahweh on their own terms.

But Yahweh was not so to be trifled with. He was Creator and King, but he was also Judge of all the earth.

So David concluded that he was not worthy of having the ark with him. He immediately sent it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite near Kiriath-jearim, a man he had met when he was at Gath. He had been one of Ittai’s converts.

The ark stayed there for three months until David finally called upon the Levites to bring it properly to the city as he should first have done. They had even performed a sacrifice of ox and fattened animal after it had gone six steps. This time, David would do it right. This time, he would honor Yahweh’s greatness and goodness with the holy respect and awe he deserved.

David followed the ark, leaping and dancing with the dancers before Yahweh, wearing a mere linen ephod. He followed the ark up to its temporary home in a special tent on the elevated high place above the city overlooking his own palace.

He offered sacrifices and offerings and distributed cakes of bread and raisin with meat to all the people gathered around. The joyous occasion was concluded with a concert of praise unto Yahweh.

Arise, O Yahweh and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.

For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

David returned to his house that evening to bless his household and hopefully bless his bed with one of his wives’ companionship—or maybe two if
he
was blessed. All this worship of Yahweh did not make him tired, it energized him. It roused his hunger for the earthly side of his relationship with Yahweh. Being fruitful and multiplying to fill the earth was one command of Yahweh’s he found the easiest and most desirable to obey. He smiled to himself.

As he approached the entrance to his palace, he was met by Michal on the steps. He could see she was not in a pleasant mood. She had not seemed to be interested in him at all since he had gotten her back from Saul’s illegal remarriage of her to another man. She had seemed bitter and hard.

Her words were sarcastic. “How the king honored himself today in the celebration of Yahweh’s ark.”

“What do you mean, Michal?”

Her venom was thick. “Uncovering yourself before the eyes of your female servants.”

It took David by surprise. “What?”

“Like some kind of vulgar, shameless pervert.”

“It was before Yahweh that I danced. The ephod is a symbol of his communication with me.”

Her bitterness of years would not give way. “You do everything for your own glory.”

David knew he had to become firm with her childish insolence. “Yahweh chose me above your father and above all his house to appoint me as leader of Israel. So I will celebrate before Yahweh, and I will make myself even more contemptible before your eyes if it means honoring my Creator.”

She stared at him silently, eyes unforgiving.

“Michal, despite all my sins, and they are many, your unforgiveness is not against me. It is against Yahweh. It has soured you and I would not doubt that it has soured your womb to lack a child in the House of David.”

Michal’s eyes went wide with shock. “How dare you! May Asherah prove you wrong with her fecundity!”

She left him in a huff, planning her next sacrifice to the goddess
. And I’m bringing those teraphim back into the household.

David watched her stomp away. A painful tear flowed down his cheek. She had been the wife of his youth. They had discovered life and love together. It had been so simple at the start. But as his life became more complicated, he made more mistakes and hurt more people. He had not treated her as he should. But he did not know how to fix that now.

Maybe she was right. Maybe he had lived more for his own glory than he had thought. Maybe he was fooling himself and others with humble claims of unworthiness, while actually seeking the greatness and glory of the world.

The words “House of David” echoed in his mind. He looked up at his palace, his “house.” It was a grand and glorious work of Phoenician architectural expertise. House of David was a term of the lineage of royalty that encompassed all his many sons. It was entirely legitimate, and yet it now mocked him.

House of David.

What of the House of Yahweh? He had a myriad of Sons of God or Bene Elohim, who surrounded his throne and carried out his sovereign will. But why did he not have a temple on earth that connected to his temple in heaven? Why was the very artifact of his presence, the ark of the covenant, residing in a mere tent while David lived in a glorious house of cedar?

Maybe Michal was right. Maybe David did do everything for his own glory and not the glory of Yahweh.

He needed to speak to Nathan the prophet right away. He was the only one he knew who would tell him the honest truth from Yahweh’s own mouth to David’s ears.

Nathan stood in the firelight of David’s writing room. Scrolls and manuscripts were strewn about with lyres, flutes and other instruments that David would practice with. It was the one room where he could be alone to play his music and concentrate on writing songs when he had the time. As king he did not have much time for this anymore, so he spent most of it trying to put to parchment what he had written when he was younger.

Nathan had first thought David’s idea of building a house for the ark to be just fine. He had told him to do whatever was in his heart, for Yahweh was with him.

But then Nathan got a word from Yahweh, and learned it was not quite that simple.

He said to David, “Thus saith Yahweh: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel out of Egypt to this very day. I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. Not once did I ever demand the judges who ruled Israel build me a house of cedar.”

David sat looking into the flames of the hearth. These times of chastising always hurt, but he knew it was for his good. And he wanted to honor Yahweh with all his heart.

Nathan continued with Yahweh’s words for him, “I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make your name great, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.”

David’s eyes glistened with wetness as he continued to stare into the flames. They reminded him of the fires of purification.

The words of Yahweh are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

You, O
Yahweh
,
will keep them.

Nathan continued, “I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, Yahweh declares that Yahweh will make
you
a house.”

The prophet’s words pierced through the crackling of flames. Even David’s desire to build a house for Yahweh was presumptuous. He had much to learn yet of humility.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. My steadfast love will not depart from him. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”

By the time Nathan finished, David was weeping with repentance. He reached for a quill and papyrus amongst his implements. He had been inspired to write. The words pounded in his head and would not leave him alone.

He scribbled them down.

I have set Yahweh always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

Yahweh says to Adonai, my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Yahweh sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Yahweh has sworn
and will not change his mind,

“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”

He sat back on his bench and contemplated the lyrics he wrote. They were words of prophet, priest, and king. He knew in his heart that no matter which of his sons should rule after him, and no matter how righteous they were, they would all die as all men died. But who was this “holy one” who would not see corruption? Who could have an eternal throne, who could sit at the omnipotent right hand of Yahweh, but Yahweh himself? What mortal being could be like Melchizedek, with no beginning or end? Could a Son of David be a Bene Elohim, a Son of God?

The
Chronicles of the Nephilim
continue with the next book,
Jesus Triumphant
.