One thing I have desired of the Lord, That I will seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord. And to inquire in His temple—David’s journal, Psalms 27:4
The Plan Was Simple
I hadn’t gotten many things right in my life, but this—this I thought I had a shot at. After all the convincing from men of God moved by the Spirit, friends who encouraged me throughout my Christian journey, and my own personal conviction to step into a life of redemption.
I believed Christ would give me fulfillment in His peace and strength that comes from His character being reproduced in me. You’ve got to run that statement back.
“Eric, we are going cold turkey.”
Cycles of video game addiction will never be seen again on me. My doom scrolling that led me to PMO. Hiphop, which brought me back to the mercy of PMO. Again. Unhealthy eating habits. Frivolity. In conversations. Slothness. Spontaneity in intentions and actions. Poor time management. People pleasing. Craving women’s attention. No more again.
“I am transformed.”
Mr. Hon. King. H.E. David, the Son of Jesse
I haven’t spent enough time studying the eventful life of David in detail. Not yet. But I have a deep-rooted fondness for him. Something about his story feels oddly familiar. Like we’d connect. Maybe trauma-bond over bad decisions. This guy had a crazy life. Himself to some lengths.
Like how do you premeditate your soldier’s death in such a grand gesture? Probably patting himself on the back for giving him the recognition a soldier always dreams of.
Eulogy, “He died a brave man… in the frontlines… at the King’s request.” Bro🧢🤡
Then, a national hero’s burial. Trumpets and flags. And as the dust settles, he’s already sliding into the DM of the grieving widow. Why? Because she took a slow-motion shower. With cinematic lighting.
David saw that scene and said: “Yeah…I’m gonna have to make some arrangements.” A royal baby, perhaps, to redirect her grieving.
Judgment Was Given
Not that God wanted the baby dead, an innocent child, as payback for Uriah. That’s not my God who operates on the principle of love. If I might say that God knew the child might have died out of a congenital anomaly, if the same God who raised the dead to life, why not this child?
For more on this subject, click here for the tea. And David did have a turnaround. He married that widow and gave her back her glory. A time that was cruel to widows, perhaps. A man after God’s heart…
He must have told her his devious plan. And she saw him as a ruthless, Machiavellian, power-driven, murderous king who deceived her. Can you imagine the fear she had? She must have had her own battle to accept that David was a changed man. His character was made bare before a bitter, hurt wife.
It’s amazing how a God-shaped heart can learn to forgive, AND RESTORE BROKEN TRUST. My goodness!
He had his way with other women. For diplomatic reasons, maybe. Sounding parliamentary. His infinite giant slayer aura. A guy who brought 200 heads to a king whom he grew to covertly resemble.
Maybe he wanted to fill that love tank that the death of Jonathan left. That which “surpasses the love of women.” 2 Samuel 1:26. I wonder how Solomon had a peaceful reign with a 1000 women. David’s 8 brought enough trouble.
Covert family wars ended up with broken sons, one of whom wanted to turn everything upside down. Slept with David’s “concubines in the sight of all Israel.” 2 Samuel 16:22. Sons killed each other. Rape. Incest. This is probably where Game of Thrones got its inspo from.
Maybe David Isn’t DIfferent From Me. From You.
Battling with his journals even in the madness of his household. And yet, he still wrote. Introspected through communication with God. Wept. Still reached for heaven with ink-stained fingers. And those bloody hands that couldn’t build the temple.
We plot evil acts in as much precision as this guy. We call it coping. Getting by. Things we knew would break someone. Ourselves. And justify it with logic. Loneliness. Pain. With our fallen human nature.
What was he seeking in all those passionate, elaborate psalms? A cover story for his guilt? A poetic performance of spirituality? Something far more raw? Far more eternal? Healing? Reconciliation? A return. Asking for a throne? Heaven? Begging for presence?
What kind of religion did he seek? Wasn’t he covered in scandal, in sorrow, in self-inflicted wounds when he cried out?
This is so deep I did not see the nature story taking such a turn . Especially with David What a lesson !!!
There’s some kind of religion; some relationship with God he received that made him as expressive as he was!