http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q_-9FyIxQE--great song, been in my head lately and totally goes with this blog post :)!
Allison: Hey there you!
So I don’t know about the rest of the world, but for me, this week has absolutely FLOWN by! I can hardly believe we’re about to start another one, but alas it is true. And so, we shall bless you with another blog :)!
This week we moved on to 2 Samuel where David’s reign begins. Actually, it opens with the mourning of David for the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. My heart went out to David—gosh I cannot imagine the anguish he felt in that moment! And he mourns both Jonathan AND Saul with the same respect. Even though Saul had wanted his head on a plate for some time now, David still showed great respect for Saul as one who had been anointed by God and served as King of Israel. And this isn’t an isolated incident either. David is shown to be a man of great virtue and honor, which makes him a very good and honest king.
He faces some hiccups at the beginning of his reign. There’s some misunderstanding with who exactly is the king of Israel, and a man named Abner has crowned Saul’s son Ishbosheth also the king of Israel. The two “nations” engaged in a sort of civil war until the commanders of the troops realized there was no benefit to fighting between “Israelite brothers.” So Abner contacted David and they formed a peaceful relationship and worked to unite the halves of Israel. David could have chosen to be skeptical and wary, but he chose to trust Abner because he knew that was the only way to have peaceful progress for his nation. However, the commander of David’s army didn’t trust Abner and he killed him. David was disappointed in his commander and ordered his people to mourn the death of Abner, showing him great respect. Soon after this, two men killed Ishbosheth, the son of King Saul and David’s “rival” (can we just pause for a moment and appreciate the name Ishbosheth). The men came to David, thinking this news would bring him joy and satisfaction, but David was less than pleased. He was angry that these men had killed one who he deemed to be an “innocent” man, and he did not condone this revenge. David clearly had forgiven Ishbosheth and respected him. Later David searched for the living members of Saul’s family so that he could show them kindness in memory of his friend Jonathan.
So basically here you have the writer of 2 Samuel telling story after story of how honest and honorable King David is. I really like King David by this point, and I was excited for where his life was heading. I just forgot that the story of Bathsheba was next.
Bathsheba is a low point in David’s life and reign. It’s a moment of weakness and he gives in. He’s not limited by power, and his morals aren’t strong enough to hold him back, and he stumbles. And one bad decision leads to another, and soon he’s got on his hands a pregnant woman, who’s not his wife and whose husband has been killed per David’s command. So how do you get from honorable honest David to that? Wasn’t David a great leader?
He was, and I believe he still was after he fell for Bathsheba. But David was a human. He was a great man, but he wasn’t perfect—no leader is. And I think the writer of 2 Samuel knew this. There are moments in the life of David the author chose to include to tell the story of David’s life and the story of David and Bathsheba could easy have been skipped. The author could have chosen to only include favorable stories, stories that only reinforced the goodness of this leader. But instead he chose to be real, and to show how even a great leader like David, a man with an incredible faith in God, had weaknesses and messed up sometimes--which in my opinion makes David an easier character to read about only because it makes him relatable.
Any person we know personally or read about, any leader or mentor we admire, everyone has faults. Everyone messes up. We’re all human, and we’re all in this together. And that is important to keep in mind as we build relationships with others. Holding each other to impossibly perfect standards only leads to existential disappointment when we come to realize that person isn’t perfect. And we should also remember this when we oh so easily fall into judging people for their faults. It’s so easy to condemn someone for a poor decision they've made, but the reality is, that decision shouldn’t define them for us. It doesn’t define them for God, that’s for sure.
I’ll admit, my first reaction was great disappointment in David. And I forgot all the notes I had written about the virtue of David in earlier chapters. But this sin by David didn’t erase the truth of that virtue, and in looking through the text again, I was reminded of what a great person David was. Yeah, he messed up. And it was a pretty big deal too. But God continued to use David for incredible things. God didn’t disown David or strike him down for his sin—because God knew David’s heart. David had given in to temptation, but David loved God. I think the woman who speaks to David in chapter 14 verse 14 says it best:
“Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”
Elizabeth: Hey there blog readers! This week I read some of 2 Samuel which was primarily more about David. Like Allison mentioned last week, there's a lot of good in David's character. I'm still not a huge fan of the continued fighting and killing that is discussed in the first few chapters. I really enjoyed chapter 7 where David turned to God in prayer to seek direction and guidance in what he should do and how he might lead Israel. It got me thinking about how all of us ought to turn to God in prayer in both the certainties and uncertainties in life. Francesca Battistelli who is a Contemporary Christian artist sings a song titled Worth It, where she says "love's not easy, but it's worth it" and I think that is how our relationship with God should be. We have a loving God who calls us to love Him, but that isn't always the easiest task. It calls us to some work. It calls us to seek Him first and go to Him in prayer. And in chapter 7 of 2 Samuel, David does this. He isn't entirely sure that what Nathan told him was true, and if it was, what was he supposed to do? where was he supposed to start? He turned to the loving and faithful God for answers. Battistelli continues to sing "What you gonna do when the bottom falls out? And you're left with nothing but your fear and your doubt to hold to, who will hold you?" David knew that he needed to spend a few moments in prayer to move forward and do what was best. I think all of us can learn from David and learn from Battistelli's song, that it takes time and some work to have a relationship. God desires relationship with us and He wants us to look to him for direction. That can be in both good and bad times. Like any loving relationship, God wants to help us out and direct us in our lives. So, I challenge you this week to find a little time in your busy life to spend a few moments in prayer. Where is God calling you to? What direction is God guiding you? Just as God spoke to David, He too will speak to all of us. Love's not easy, but it's worth it!
And if you haven't heard it, go ahead and round out this blog session with a little Francesca
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt8gp37w99A
And we once again leave you with these alphabitz....
Forgiving Seeking Revealing
Sisters in Christ,
~Elizabeth & Allison
One of the most interesting parts of 2 Samuel for me happens right after Bathsheba gives birth and the baby dies. While the baby is alive and dying, David mourns, but as soon as David receives word that the baby is dead, he goes back to worshiping.
ReplyDeleteHe says, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
I've often wondered what we can learn about mourning death from David. He spends time to mourn the loss of Saul and Jonathan and even Abner and Ishbosheth, and he invited all of Israel to mourn with him. This act of public mourning is very interesting. But when he encounters a very personal death, one that does not touch his nation and people, he reacts very differently.
Great post, friends. I'm always excited to read about your insights into your reading.