Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Monday, November 12, 2012 Read – 2 Samuel 11 & 12 The two chapters assigned for our reading today are about some of the darker moments in David’s life. David was and is known as the very best king of Israel. Perhaps we are surprised to hear such a story as the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba. – yet, the story is well-known enough that we have all most likely heard it before. The story is a demonstration of how one sin often grows into more and greater sins. David is simply pulled into a horrible mess because of his actions. The story starts with voyeurism, which soon leads to adultery, which will soon lead to murder. And David is guilty of all of it. Because he is king, one can assume that David thought he would get by with it all – and if humans were the only players in the story, he likely would have. The powerful do get by in the world. We have not heard much from God in the story for awhile. Now God speaks and the one through whom God speaks in Nathan, David’s trusted advisor. The skill of telling the story of the lamb taken by the rich man from the poor family is remarkable. Had Nathan confronted David directly, one wonders if the same impact would have been made. Perhaps, but the skill involved in the storytelling drives the point home. David convicts himself. And the marvel is that David repents. Once again the better side of David is on display. While the story of David’s adultery and murder is unpleasant, the story of the fate of the child is dreadful and frightening. Few interpreters claim to fully comprehend this story. I know that I do not. In fact the story really bothers me. Does God really strike children, causing them to die because of the sinful actions of their parents? That’s what the story clearly says, and I am frankly not sure what to do with that. This does not seem to be much like the God we meet in Jesus. Few stories are more challenging in the Bible than this one. David’s praying and his accepting of the outcome is an illustration of faithful prayer. That is perhaps one redeeming part of this story. As long as the child lives, David prays in earnest; but once the child has died, David accepts God’s answer to his prayers. The chapter ends with two brief notes – the birth of Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, and the final destruction of the Ammonites.