Sorry. This was for yesterday and I did not get it posted. Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Sunday, November 11, 2012 Read – 2 Samuel 9 & 10 We were introduced to Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, earlier when the story of the assassination of Ishbaal was narrated. Mephibosheth was only a child at the time and injured in the chaos that erupted. Now we are told that David is seeking someone from the house of Saul to show kindness to. Mephibosheth is leery of what might be in store – who could blame him. If the previous story depicts David at his worst, this story tells of a much more favorable action on David’s part. However, the very next story finds David back in the midst of war – this time against the Ammonites. Apparently the Ammonites and the Israelites had been living on favorable terms until the king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by Hanun, his son. David sends his condolences and the messengers are treated badly by Hanun. David seeks revenge. In one way this story sets the stage for the next important story in David’s life – his affair with Bathsheba. It is the battle against the Ammonites that sends Uriah off to war leavening Bathsheba behind. The back and forth flow of the story – depicting David in a negative light and then in a favorable light – likely reveals the true nature of what was going on in David’s reign. Like all of the other characters in the Bible, David is not a perfect person. And the marvel of the story is that it tells all. While there is much to admire in David, there is also a tale of a not so admirable person. Whenever we make perfect “heroes” out of Biblical characters we distort the story, and in the process we likely lose our ability to identify with these characters.