In class we participated in an exercise where we first looked at the body of David and, as a class, explained what we saw. It was pretty synonymous: we saw a considerably well built man standing in a relatively masculine, comfortable and natural human stance. Overall, the body language spoke of strength, firm control and power. However, when we looked at the face of David we were given about 30 seconds to silently determine for ourselves what we saw. These are the words that I wrote down: disgusted, pensive, possibly offended, and sad. When each member of the class shared what they had written down we were all surprised to hear that we had differing opinions. Some people thought that the ferocity of his physical stance was also present in his face; others thought he looked like he smelled something rancid.
I can see where some of my classmates are coming from, but my interpretation of David differs. I don’t see the young David that just conquered the giant Goliath, or the David that Florence chooses to be face of their powerful city. No. I see the David that has just heard God’s disappointed message from the mouth of the Prophet Nathan after David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband discretely killed on the battle field. I see a David who is disgusted with himself for what he has done. A David that realizes he has not only let God down, but himself as well. He has negatively affected the lives of the people around him – those who look to him as their leader, those who are dependent on him to be their good example – in a way that he can never undo. This is the depiction of David that I see. His body is fierce, upright and strong – outwardly he is still standing tall as the reliable strong leader, but his face gives way to his true feelings – painfully disappointed, disgusted and deep in thought.
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