Day 74 – December 6, 2023: II Samuel 11-15 and Psalm 51

We have to begin this blog with Psalm 51 which is probably one of the most poweful Psalms that we have. It recounts the time after the prophet Nathan approaches David and condemns him and his household for the rape of Bathsheba. I know that most people call it adultery, but that would ony be if the power dynamics was one where she could have said no. She was not in a position to say no when the King calls her into his presence. She had to do what the king asked. It was rape.

The Psalm describes David’s repentance and sorrow for what he had done, which is important and necessary, but doesn’t eliminate the punishment that was going to take place as a result of this sin. It was basically two-fold. The baby that was conceived and then born as a result of David’s sin dies. Think of Bathsheba, raped and then her child dies. Wow, this punishmetn is not just against David but it has a lastin affect on her as well. She is ultimately victimized over and over again. The second punishment that could not be avoided was that there would be violence in David’s house. We see this happen with Absalom. We leave this book of the Bible with David fleeing Jerusalem and Absalom coming into town. All of this is a result of David’s sin. Don’t ever downplay sin as not a big deal. It can change your life and cause tragedy and devastation in its wake.