David's Administrative Services
Until the capture of Yerusalem David stood out as a soldier, a war leader, always in readiness to go to battle. But after he was established in his new capital he was almost continuously detained in his capital by the administrative needs of the new kingdom of Yisrael-Yahudah.
From the military point of view he was well served. Joab, the commander in chief of the national armies, led the expeditions on foreign soil with rare ability. And Benaiah, one of the Thirty, was in command of the foreign troops, the Cherethites and Pelethites. Thus there was no cause for concern in this department.
Forced labour17 was beginning to be introduced under the direction of Adoram, one of the ministers. The scribe Sheva (possibly an Aramean with a thorough knowledge of Hebrew and cuneiform writing), as secretary, was probably in charge of the accountancy in connection with the possessions of the crown and of the diplomatic correspondence. Jehoshaphat was recorder; he was probably responsible for preparing matters of business, clarifying them and explaining them or summarizing them for the king before or during the meeting of the council. The council consisted of Ahitophel the Judean (who later was to betray David and join Absalom's faction), Hushai, thought by historians not to have been a Hebrew, Jonathan, David's paternal uncle, together with two other inspired persons, Nathan, whom we have already encountered and Gad, the 'king's seer',
On the spiritual side there were two kohens, at the head of the ke hunnah, (Priesthood) Zadok (a new figure, not previously mentioned in the Bible) and Abiathar, who escaped from the massacre of Nob and followed David in his adventurous life after his flight from Saul's court. Zadok and Abiathar are mentioned as 'servants of the kings'; in other words their role was a relatively unimportant one under this theocratic government in which David appeared as the sole representative of YAHWEH.
17 Taxes in money were almost non-existent at this period. A taxpayer gave his help to the State by means of 'days of work' for the king. But in David's time forced labour was still not very arduous; it was to become so in the reign of Solomon.
The Royal Harem And Children
One of the most important signs of the power of an oriental sovereign was the number of women -wives or concubines -that he had in his harem. After his enthronement at Hebron as king of Yahudah, and then as king of Yisrael, David at once proceeded, as we saw, to set up a harem worthy of a sovereign. During the seven years of his reign in his first capital (1010-1004) he had six sons (2 Schmuel 3: 2-5). That was only a beginning. At Yerusalem, as a sign of his prestige and fame, he at once proceeded to take more wives and concubines; thirteen children were born to him. Bathsheba, his favourite wife, lost no time in giving him a second son, who lived, and was to become famous under the name of Solomon. He was David's tenth son, and at this period he could hardly hope to succeed his father on the throne. But in the background there still remained his mother, the astute Bathsheba,
Among David's children who were to be called one day to play an important part in their father's story were four sons and a daughter; Amnon, the eldest; Absalom, the third son, and his sister Tamar, a child of the same mother; Adonijah, the friend of Joab and Abiathar; lastly Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, the friend of Benaiah (commander of the foreign troops), the kohen Zadok and the prophet Nathan.
The Budget Of David's Court At Yerusalem
Expenses were heavy: there was the pay of the mercenaries, the salaries of the officials attached to the palace, gifts bestowed here and there in acknowledgement of services rendered, the cost of entertaining, the upkeep of the harem and the various departments of the palace.
As a general rule the people were not called upon to meet these expenses. David was a landed proprietor with considerable revenues. After a victorious campaign against the Philistines or Canaanites he awarded himself large farms, fine vineyards, forests of sycamores, rich olive groves, fields of wheat or barley. When on occasion his subjects rebelled he made confiscations which increased his possessions. In his cellars and barns large quantities of wool and grain were stored and vats of wine and oil. Account must also be taken of the annual tribute exacted from foreign peoples reduced to a state of vassalage.
The former shepherd of the plain of Bethlehem had become the richest proprietor of the kingdom. His court and his state were thus assured of an existence which if not sumptuous was at least worthy of Yisrael and its king.
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