To Be King

Just a quick note:

Pastor Steve and I have been going through the life of David in worship in a series called "Good to Be King". So I've read the life of David more carefully than I have in years. All I have to say right now is...wow.

Okay, you know me, that's not ALL I have to say. But what a screwed up life. And this is the guy God says is "a man after my own heart"? I mean, there's the whole Goliath thing, yeah, and not kicking Saul's butt when he could have - even mourning Saul's and Jonathan's deaths.

But then there's the adultery, coverup, murder. One of his sons rapes one of his sisters (okay, there were multiple wives and concubines so it's a little confusing, but if they all have the same father - we'll say brother and sister, okay?), that son is murdered by another son, who later leads a coup to take over the kingdom who is killed by yet another brother. When David is about to die his wife and Nathan scheme to put Solomon on the throne. Adoaijah is staging a coup and Solomon stages a counter coup. Among David's last words are, in effect, kill everybody that messed with me.

Whew. Is it really good to be king?

Okay - there's a lot more to David than that - but his life, which started with such a powerful explosion for God, ends with a bit of a self-pitying whimper.