Gian Lorenzo Bernini, David c.1623
The story of David and Goliath is a bit of a paradox. David’s courage to face the giant was not merely the triumph of a shepherd boy over a well trained Philistine warrior. His courage lies in something so much more subjective, personal and befuddling. In the name of his God, he fought. Courage, perhaps, means willingness to appear the fool for a God who does not rely upon logical solutions to extremely difficult problems. Even more, I’m surprised David won. That’s not the way of the people of God most of the time. Samson’s suicide. Job’s catastrophic losses. The temple in Jerusalem destroyed twice. Loss after loss. But David speaks to the absurdity that sometimes this God is invoked in victory. Sometimes winning happens. Crazy courage. I don’t know that I have that caliber of profession. But Bernini’s David epitomizes this bizarre narrative.
