The Greatest Warrior in History: On General Petraeus, King David and Uriah the Hittite

On a men's retreat recently, Catholic evangelist Jesse Romero heralded King David as the greatest warrior in history. This is open to debate. Exempting the Lion of Judah Himself, a top ten list might include: Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Patton, Robert E. Lee, Genghis Khan, Lawrence of Arabia, Hannibal (not Lecter), Rommel,George Washington, and many others. The tragic fall of our most celebrated American military hero of the last half century, General David Petraeus (fittingly nicknamed, even earlier, "King David"),casts a clear light on the subject. Honorably, he resigned when the infidelity came to light. He realized that this act was not a private one, but public in a cosmic manner: betrayal of his wife, their children, his paramour, her husband, the broader community including many military couples who looked to him as a role model, and the CIA and his country in that he made himself vulnerable to blackmail. It is perhaps the constitutive error of liberalism that sex is private, not communal. And so, I offer my recommendation for "Greatest Warrior Ever": not King David, but his more humble foil, Uriah the Hittite. Uriah, whose name in Hebrew means "God is my light," was one of David's 37 "mighty men of war" who fought closely and valiantly with him. He was himself a member of a minority, the Hittites, traditionally despised by the Israelites, which suggests that he was vulnerable to persecution despite his courageous service for Israel. (This calls to mind a family friend, an outstanding young man of Arabic/Muslim background,who suffered contemptuous discrimination during his service in the Marines shortly after 9/11/01). Uriah was in the front line of battle when David was in his palace, sleeping into the afternoon and lusting for Uriah's beautiful wife Bathseba. Summoned home, he sustained the oath he had made to abstain from sexual intercourse while involved in the holy war for the people and God of Israel. His chastity reflects his virile loyalty to his King, his comrades, his (adopted) country and his God. Even when plied with liquor he stays on the porch and remains continent, which is to say faithful and loyal in a virile, militant manner. What a contrast to his lecherous, cowardly King! Deceitfully, David instructs General Joab to murder Uriah by withdrawing his troops, without Uriah's knowledge, precisely when he is in the front line of battle. Uriah dies a hero, giving his life for Israel and his King who betrayed him, as well as a martyr to chastity. But the two, courage and purity, heroism and martyrdom, are inseparably linked in the seamless flow masculine virtue. The inverse is also unavoidable: David's sexual vice leads to cowardice, deceit, betrayal, murder and even treason as he jeopardized the victory of his army for his own private goal. Sexual sin is NEVER private, it is always the most communal of vices in that it breaks the most intimate, enduring, and sacred of bonds. Note also that in this story Bathseba herself is in the background and even the adultery itself is not the main issue: what dominates the tragic drama is the betrayal of brother by brother. This is always at the heart of adultery: when I covet my neighbor's wife, I betray my neighbor. Sexual sin, as betrayal, is never enclosed in a safe cocoon of consentual pleasure, but invariably erupts into violence: consider the abortion shaol that emerged from the culture of sterile, pleasurable sexuality! The roots of masculine infidelity, cowardice, impotence and indecision are precisely pornography, masturbation, contraception, and non-marital cohabitation. And so for inspiration and guidance we look to the Hittite, the abstinent, the courageous, and the loyal Uriah who loved his wife, his country, his King and his God unto death. One take-away here is the primacy of man-to-man loyalty: we all need close, intimate, candid, and loyal friendships with other men in which we can unveil or weaknesses and temptations, receive the support and maintain the accountability that we need. Other than the Lion-Lamb of Judah himself, none of us will be loyal without a network of support. Uriah the Hittite, Pray for Us!