LyricSmiths

our featured Poem

1.
O bloodguilt,
King of Abel's end,
And his earthy cries,
Noah taught
His household well:
A knife in the
Shape of death,
Or some congruent
Ugliness,
Unspoke to Reuben to save
His hated brother,
And so upon the
Flat-roofed homes of Israel,
Fences
Kept every Eutychus
From an extended death:
Bulls that
Gore (stoned alongside negligent
Owners),
Accidental manslayers
Jailed and freed by
Walls of refuge,
 

Given to David as a
Gift,
But rejected.
David's sword,
One swing short of
Dropping Nabal the
Senseless one.
Zechariah, cut down
"Between the sanctuary
And the altar."
Babylon the Great,
Drunk with barrels
Of not wine.
How Jerusalem paid for
Manasseh's hatred and
Witchcraft.
See the nearest city to
The man murdered.
And so the priests
Sacrificed an unworked
Cow in a virgin torrent
Valley. How Earth
Named Mars has
Learned from its pages
Too soaked to read.

Lifeless wicked alongside men
Who refused to cry out,
"Fire!,
Thieves killed in
Not their homes in
Daylight,
Watchmen who ignored
The glint of
Swords
Or who slept while
Soldiers slipped through
Gates left open,
And Jonathan who said,
"Why should you sin
Against innocent blood?"
O bloodguilt,
King of battlefields,
Of Gibeonites murdered
By madness,

How Saul poured shame
Like rancid oil upon
The heads of his
House.
See Abimelech joyful,
His feet planted
In the warm blood of 70 half
Brothers. Ishbosheth's head,
Taken from his
Midday nap,

Introduction

Gad and Nathan, two prophets close to David, wrote dramatic and intense Second Samuel (completed about 1040 BCE), which highlights that Judean king's highly public relationship with Jehovah over 40 years. This emotionally charged narrative (of 24 chapters) describes Israel's transformation from a place of chaos and strife to one of unity and prosperity under their brave and steadfast king. The book helps readers meditate on not only what godly obedience and integrity mean, but also on what sort of individuals Jehovah finds spiritually agreeable.

"And It Came About After Saul's Death"[1],

by Dan Lukiv
Copyright © 2011 by Dan Lukiv. All rights reserved.