David

The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. Abner looked behind him and asked,
"Is that you, Asahel?"
"It is," he answered.
Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him. Again Abner warned Asahel,
"Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?"
But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel's stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

Just one of the countless gems in the mythic account of King David's life and reign (1 and 2 Samuel, Chronicles). Lately, I can't put it down. The similarities of the Aurthurian legend to the life of David are striking. It is a heroic, violent, moving and deeply human story full of unbelievable feats ("[Abishai, brother of Joab] raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three."), seers and witches ("The king said to her, 'Don't be afraid. What do you see?' The woman said, 'I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.' 'What does he look like?' he asked. 'An old man wearing a robe is coming up,' she said...Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'"), honour and kindness ("David asked, 'Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul [my enemy] to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?'"), tragedy ("The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: 'O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!'), deception, betrayal, love and lust, plagues, curses, glory and, ultimately, the powerful movements of God.

It is so compelling that David's great strength - his passionate love, kindness and mercy, even to his worst enemies - is also the cause of most of the deep tragedy in his life. It is always so with us.

Click here to read/rediscover this epic.