The story of David begins in the center section of the first panel with Bethlehem, the city of David, which in Hebrew means “house of bread.” Below that, the prophet Samuel anoints David as God’s chosen one. Behind Samuel you see the depiction of the death of Saul. The Philistines defeated the Israelites on Mount Gilboa, seen in the upper section. Saul was wounded and his sons were slain. He begged his armor-bearers to kill him so that he would not fall into Philistine hands, and when they refused, Saul ended his life by falling on his own sword (cf. 1 Samuel 31:1ff.). Below and to the right of David and Samuel, David and Jonathan, King Saul’s son, pledge their friendship.
In the lower section, King David, playing a harp, is surrounded by symbols of his life: the sling and the stones that he used to kill the Philistine Goliath, the spear with which he “slew his tens of thousands”, and the six-pointed Star of David.
In the upper window is the Ark of the Covenant that David brought to Jerusalem when he became king (cf. 2 Samuel 6:1ff.). To the right of the ark is the scene of the death of Absalom, David’s son, who led a revolt against his father. While fleeing from the battlefield, Absalom’s long hair became entangled in the branches of a tree. As he hung there, he was killed by King David’s general, Joab (cf. 2 Samuel 18:9ff). The tears in the panel symbolize David’s repentance for having had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, killed in battle, as well as the tears he shed at the death of their child and at the death of Saul and Absalom.
The top and bottom sections of the Solomon panel suggest lines from the Song of Songs; Solomon was traditionally believed to be the author of this book. In these two sections, you will find a dove, symbolic of the Spirit of God who inspired Solomon, along with images evocative of verses from chapters eight and six: “Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm. For Love is strong as Death, longing is fierce as Sheol. Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine” (Sg. 8:6). “Who is this that comes forth like the dawn, beautiful as the white moon, pure as the blazing sun, fearsome as celestial visions?” (Sg 6:10) Solomon’s great wisdom is also depicted by the scales of justice and the snake, a symbol of wisdom.
In the center sections Solomon is represented as a great king robed in oriental splendor. He holds a trowel in his hand, recalling his building of the temple in Jerusalem, which appears to the right. The cedars of Lebanon, used to line the temple walls, are depicted above him and the Queen of Sheba is shown at his feet, paying homage to Solomon.
At the top of the third panel, the prophet Jeremiah carries the yoke of the sins of the people that have been settled about their necks as described in Lamentations 5:5, a biblical book ascribed to Jeremiah. The dove wrapped around him signifies the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Below Jeremiah, the prophet Daniel is pictured in the lion’s den. Behind him on a wall are the words mene, tekel, peres written by a mysterious hand and wrist at a feast given by Belshazzar, king of Babylon. When called upon to explain, this, Daniel said the words meant that God had numbered the days of the kingdom and had put an end to it, that the king was judged and found wanting, and that the kingdom of Babylon would be divided between the Medes and Persians (cf. Daniel 5:25ff).
Below this section, Ezekiel on the bank of the river Chebar in Babylon witnesses the vision of God. Angelic creatures, represented by red wings, come out of the storm, and lightning and wheels‑within‑wheels turn and rotate behind them (cf. Ezekiel 1:1ff.). Below the wheels are the hills of Israel to which Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy the return of Israel from captivity and the messianic, Davidic king to shepherd it. This is indicated by the wheel within the magnifying glass bearing the Greek letters chi and rho, the first two Greek letters of Χριστος – “Christ”. You will recall that “Christ” is Greek for “Messiah,” the anointed one.
The call of the prophet Isaiah is depicted in the bottom section with the hand of an angel holding out a red hot ember to purify his lips. To the left is a saw. According to an apocryphal account of Isaiah’s martyrdom, the evil king Manasseh of Judah had Isaiah sawed in half. Below the saw is a red pane with a figure representing the “suffering servant” who Isaiah prophesied “will give his life as an offering for sin.” This refers to Jesus’ passion and death; notice the whip behind the figure and a cross in the background. Notice, also, the tears throughout this panel referring to both suffering servants, Isaiah and our Lord, Jesus.
This third window is filled with images that recall the great work God accomplished through David and Solomon as well as some of the great prophets. The flowering plant on the very bottom prepares us for the next window, which provides a transition between the Old Testament and New Testament. Whereas the windows we have examined so far present important people and events from before time began through Salvation History during the time of the Old Testament, all of the windows on the east side of the church depict the life of Christ and other people of the New Testament down to the Church today.