Doug Van Pelt

David Was Normal

After entering the "intern office," I boot up one of the "intern" computers, the one which has the network laser printer attached. While the whine that a laser printer makes when it warms up to print a sheet might be annoying for someone with the printer next to their desk, it is a friend to those in other offices, who hear that whine and know that the document they just sent is now in the process of being printed. Only 42 days, 2 hours, 43 minutes and 55 seconds until deadline!

I read 2 Samuel 11 this morning, which could be titled "David's Big Blunder," as he did something very wrong, and then developed an elaborate scheme to cover it up, compounding the wrong of adultery with murder. It's best summed up in the last verse of the chapter, which says, "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord."

I can relate to David on so many levels during this story. First of all, like most "red blooded American males," I'm quite attracted to beautiful members of the opposite sex. That's a given. But scheming to get away with something is another common thing. I can internalize this part of the story, as I've made schemes to cover up things before (maybe not as drastic as adultery and more on a smaller scale, like trying to finagle things on an inter-personal level, like inviting this person out but not offending that one, or schemes from my teenage years when I endeavored to get away with crimes against my parents). I can imagine the smug feeling that David must've had when he successfully had Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, killed in battle and then brought Bathsheba in to his palace to be his wife. 'Whew! No one found out,' he must've thought. I wonder about the messenger that he sent to instruct Joab to pull back so as to expose Uriah to the enemy... I wonder if David had plans to kill him, too, because he and Joab knew of the plot. Irregardless, God knew and He later sent Nathan the prophet to remind David that his little secret was out. David's response, though (recorded in Psalm 51), shows how gracious God can be when we own up to our sins and ask for His forgiveness. The same can be true for us -- whether we've committed pre-marital sex or stolen something. We can be forgiven, which is a huge thing. Of course, there are consequences to be dealt with, but the bitter taste of them is softened by the soul-reaching knowledge that we are pardoned, forgiven, and wiped clean.