Gilbert House Fellowship

GIVING THANKS in the middle of trouble is difficult, even contrary to our nature. But David did it again and again, even when he was surrounded by enemies—not all of which were human. This week, we discuss a preview of the last words of David juxtaposed with a psalm he probably wrote while hiding from Saul at the cave of Adullam. The “lions” and “fiery beasts” of Psalm 57:4, while linked to “the children of man,” suggests that David was looking beyond the physical realm. We also discuss David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23. This is a reminder that the Hebrew word gibborim does not always refer to literal genetic descendants of the rebellious “sons of God” in Genesis 6, but, as Sharon notes, may have been men raised in the Rephaim-worshiping culture of the Philistines and Canaanites, like the Philistine “sons of the Rapha” of 2 Samuel 21 and 1 Chronicles 20. We also discuss the mysterious ariels (or “lion-like men”) of Moab (2 Sam. 23:20). The Hebrew word ariel literally means “lion of God” (or “lion of El”).