Saint David

David, son of Jesse, was king of Israel around 1000 BC, and the Bible tells his story in a way unlike any other ancient biography: without hiding anything. He started out as the youngest of eight brothers, a boy who looked after the sheep, and he was chosen precisely for that — “man looks at appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.” He killed Goliath with a sling. He was a musician at Saul’s court, then a fugitive hunted by that same king, then the leader of a band of men, then king of Judah and finally of all Israel. He conquered Jerusalem and brought the Ark there, dancing before it “with all his might,” so much so that his wife despised him for the way he had put himself on display. And then there is the other half. He saw Bathsheba from the rooftop, took her even though she was married, and to cover up the pregnancy he had her husband Uriah sent to the front line so that he would die. When the prophet Nathan told him the parable of the lamb and David was outraged, Nathan said to him: you are the man. David did not have him killed: he said, “I have sinned.” He is credited as the author of many of the Psalms. In Judaism the Messiah will descend from him; in Christianity Joseph descends from him; Islam venerates him as a prophet, Dawud. If your name is David, today is your name day.