Some days it feels like your world has tumbled into the pits of Hell. Hyperbole is a common feature of the dramatic and symbolic Hebrew narrative.
David begins with a common cry equivalent to our modern “God help us!” Have all the righteous disappeared? David feels surrounded by demons and other servants of the Enemy. While not perfect himself, David remained morally sensitive. It was a painful fact of life that where power is concentrated, there the predators gather. The best of kings would find himself surrounded by the worst of humanity.
At the very least, David had to deal with constant deception. Could he ever get a straight answer from anyone? Does his entire court rely on flattery and lies? If it’s not the subservient weasels, it’s the boastful and arrogant hucksters. They proclaim him the greatest king in human history and in the same breath promote themselves as the only ones heroic enough to be fit servants.
There’s a difference between hyperbole and outright lying. When David catches these jerks in their lies, they simply insist this is how powerful men ought to act. To whom are they accountable? Why, even David could not remain on his throne were it not for their deft tongues and expert management — so they boast.
But these same people insist it is necessary to walk on the peasants as if mere pebbles in their path. If you aren’t arrogant and tough, you never know when they might revolt! But God has a different viewpoint on these matters. He has promised to rise up and crush the arrogant who abuse His people. David affirms this kind of promise is like purified silver. (We have reason to believe it was not until Solomon’s reign that gold became more valuable than silver in Israel.) God’s promises were the very national treasure of Israel.
So let these elitist thugs be forewarned: God will not fail to bring down the proud snobs. That would mean a pretty rough time ahead, because David felt like they were all over the place, gauging from what he saw in his palace.
