2 Samuel

In the upper left corner of this painting, you see the death of Saul, falling on his sword, and Jonathan falling in battle, still wearing his quiver. Nearby, a runner comes to bring the news to David. In the center, David appears as the new king, kneeling with a sword in one hand and a harp in the other. This figure becomes my continuing image of David in later paintings as well.
A battle scene occupies the center of the composition, reflecting the many conflicts that took place during David’s reign as he became king not only over part of Israel, but eventually over the whole nation, and beyond that as well.
At the top of the painting, Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark as it begins to tip from the cart on which it is being carried. God strikes him for touching it, and the incident brings great fear. Because of this, the Ark is not brought into Jerusalem until later, when it is carried properly by the priests.
David triumphed in many wars, yet he also remembered Saul and sought to show kindness to Jonathan’s son. At David’s right hand, you can see Jonathan’s lame son, dressed in red like his father and grandfather, walking with crutches as he comes to live in David’s house.
In the lower right corner, you see Bathsheba, whom David took after arranging the death of her husband, Uriah, in battle. Bathsheba is shown washing and holding Solomon, their second child. Their first child, conceived while Uriah was away, died. A small coffin in the lower right-hand corner represents that child. Toward the lower left, Nathan is shown rebuking David for his sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah.
In the left-center portion of the painting, Amnon is shown violating his sister Tamar. The figure in blue with white trim at the bottom of his robe represents the servant of Absalom avenging Tamar. Absalom himself fled after killing his brother, later formed a conspiracy against David in an attempt to become king, and was eventually slain and cast into a pit. You can see the same blue robe with white trim on the figure just below the servant, linking the two scenes.
Many more battles take place throughout the book of Second Samuel until chapter 23, where David’s final song is recorded. That is why my image of David holds both a sword and a harp.
In the final chapter, David displeased God by taking a census of his strength, and a pestilence followed to remind him who was truly in control. David then built an altar, offered sacrifice, and repented before the Lord. God withheld further judgment. You can see that altar just behind David’s raised harp.