旧約聖書に登場する人物の中で高名な人はたくさんいる。私が全ての人たちを知っているわけではないが、例えばアダムとエバ、ノア、アブラハム、ヨセフ、モーセ、ヨシュア等々、挙げていけばキリがないほど多い。そしてその中のほとんどの人が、私には神秘的過ぎて近寄りがたく、つまり人間性をよく理解できない。2,000年以上も昔の、それも中東での物語であるので、私の想像が至らないのも仕方がない事なのかもしれない。彼らおのおのが神さまと直接会話している場面が神秘性を高め、私が神話を読んでいるような気分にさせられるために、現実的な思考から引き離されてしまうのだろうか。

　その有名な人たちの中でダビデという王がいる。彼も直接神さまと会話ができる、私にとっては超能力者のような存在だが、何となく彼には親近感を覚える。人間らしいというか、ダビデが取った行動には私が納得できるものが多い。
　誰もが恐れおののいたあの巨人ゴリアトを倒したことで分かるように、飛び抜けた俊敏性と勇気を兼ね備えた人物であることは言うまでもなく、また幸運の持ち主でもあっただろう。しかしダビデが行った中で一番印象的なことは、彼が神さまを信じ抜いたことではないだろうか。どんなに追い詰められようと、頑なに主を信じることで彼は救われた。過ちを犯し、神さまから罰せられたこともあったけれど、そういう心の弱いところがなおさら私の共感を呼んだ。クリスチャンとしては本当にお手本になるような人ではないだろうか。権力を握った後も、決して驕るようなことはなかったように見える。

　ただ一点だけ、ダビデについて理解が難しい場面がある。ダビデが犯した罪のせいで神が彼の息子に災いを与え、病の床にあった際、ダビデは神にその子の回復を願い求め断食し、泣いて引きこもっていた。ところがダビデはその息子が死んでしまうと、手のひらを返したように態度を変え、元の様子に戻ってしまう。
　息子が死んでしまったらさらに大きな悲しみが募り、生きる力さえ失ってしまいそうなものだと思うのだが、ダビデはキッパリと未練を断ち切り、次を見据えて立ち上がってみせた。この場面でのダビデが私には非常に冷淡な人間に見えて、失望の思いを抱きつつ、今でもよく分からないでいる。

　「荷物のそばにとどまっていた者の取り分は、戦いに出て行った者の取り分と同じでなければならない。皆、同じように分け合うのだ。」（サムエル記上30章24節）
　ダビデの信仰と言うか、考え方、生き様が集約されている箇所だと思う。「戦いに勝利できたことは、実際に敵と対峙して勇敢に戦った戦士が頑張ったからだけではなく、後方で支援した仲間たちも含めた全員の働きのおかげだ」という、戦士たちの戦うモチベーションの強化にも繋がる掟だと私は捉えた。そうした思想は一人一人が弱き者を助け、仲間を大切に思いやる心を養い、集団としての共存意識を高めて行くのではないかと思う。国のリーダーとして素晴らしい資質なのではないだろうか。現代でも充分通じ、称賛される考え方だと思う。ダビデが書いたとされる詩篇をもっとしっかり読み進めて、ダビデの理解を深めたい。

　人気があったんだろうな～

/////////////////

King David

　There are many famous people who appear in the Old Testament. I don’t know all of them, but for example, there are so many that I can’t even begin to list them all, such as Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, etc. And most of them are too mysterious for me to approach, which means I don’t really understand their humanity. It’s a story that took place more than 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, so perhaps it’s inevitable that my imagination doesn’t quite reach the point where I can understand it. The scenes where each of them is having a direct conversation with God add to the sense of mystery, and make me feel as if I’m reading a myth, so perhaps that’s why I feel detached from realistic thinking.

　Among these famous people is a king called David. He is also able to speak directly with God, and to me he seems like a psychic, but for some reason I feel a sense of closeness to him. He seems very human, and there are many things about David’s actions that I can understand.
　As can be seen from the fact that he defeated the giant Goliath, who terrified everyone, he was a man who combined outstanding agility and courage, and he was also probably a man of good fortune. However, the most impressive thing about David was that he had complete faith in God. No matter how cornered he was, he was saved by his stubborn faith in the Lord. He made mistakes and was punished by God, but it was precisely this vulnerable side of his that made me feel a strong sense of empathy. As a Christian, he is a truly exemplary person. Even after he gained power, it seems that he never became arrogant.

　There is one scene about David that is difficult to understand. Because of the sin David had committed, God brought disaster upon his son, and when his son was on his sickbed, David fasted and wept and withdrew from the world, praying to God for his son’s recovery. However, when his son died, David’s attitude changed completely, and he returned to his old self.
　I think that when a son dies, the grief is even greater and it seems as if you might even lose the will to live, but David cut off his lingering feelings and got up and looked to the future. David in this scene seems to me to be a very cold-hearted person, and I still don’t understand him very well, even now, with feelings of disappointment.

　“The portion of those who stayed by the baggage should be the same as the portion of those who went out to battle. Everyone shares equally.” (1 Samuel 30:24)
　I think this is a passage that sums up David’s faith, way of thinking and way of life. I think this is a rule that strengthens the motivation of the warriors to fight, saying that ”the fact that we were able to win the battle was not just because the warriors who actually faced the enemy and fought bravely did their best, but also because of the work of everyone, including the comrades who supported them from the rear.” I think that this kind of thinking will help each individual to help the weak, to develop a caring heart for their fellow human beings, and to enhance their sense of coexistence as a group. I think that this is a wonderful quality to have as a leader of a country. I think that this is a way of thinking that is still relevant today and is worthy of praise. I want to read the Psalms that are said to have been written by David more carefully and deepen my understanding of David.

　I guess he was popular.