Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash.
Modern Society | David as King
It is said that when David took the city of Jebus, he was not ruthless enough.
He did not slaughter the Jebities but rather let them do their work. The carpenter, the blacksmith, and the other artisans were all allowed to carry on.
David had to unify the twelve warring tribes who disliked the idea of a King but acquiesced because of the constant threat of war with the Philistines. If the tribes were not fighting those around them, they would war among themselves. The eleven tribes indeed almost decimated the tribe of Benjamin over a woman.
These were dangerous times!
David had a powerful need to unify and much like Alexander the Great who would take the city of Jerusalem 700 years later, David took every opportunity to spread his culture through his world.
He incorporated what he learned from the civilizations that surrounded his city. He borrowed from the great Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures and then shaped his bureaucracies in their image.
There were checks and balances throughout his government. The Torah was the constitution or law which was interpreted by the prophets and judges. These were the legislative and judicial branches.
The executive branch was held by David as King.
Charity
In ancient times, Charity was seen as an obligation and was as important as the rest of The Ten Commandments combined.
Excerpt from The Jewish Library entitled: Charity (Tzedakah): Charity Throughout Jewish History.
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To give a tenth of one’s wealth to charity is considered to be a “middling” virtue, to give a 20th or less is to be “mean”; but in Usha the rabbis determined that one should not give more than a fifth lest he become impoverished himself and dependent on charity (Ket. 50a; Maim. Yad., loc. cit., 7:5).
David would have followed the laws and rules very carefully.
Excerpt from the Leper Messiah:
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Six royal guards stood to watch over Davids’ private quarters as barefoot servants lit torches. The desert palms gently rustled as the smell of incense rose throughout the rooms.
“Take this down,” David spoke.
“Joab will be in control of the army and we will need a privy council and men who will monitor our manpower for building fortifications.”
“You propose an imperial council like Egypt, my king?”
“Yes, put Benaiah in charge of foreign mercenaries.”
The two officials stood back and bowed.
David’s society was a theocracy with the King enforcing Gods’ Laws.
He killed Goliath, the bully, and became the worlds’ first hero.
He also showed the modern world how to lead.
As we all struggle with our 21-Century problems I wonder where we turn for real answers.
Do we as A Modern Society have the same obligations and who will lead us?
Robert