I know this revelation is probably sacrilegious, and might be a bit controversial but after recounting the life of King David I have concluded that I don't like the guy very much!
Which is crazy because as a kid growing up in the church he is the hero of all heroes! If little David can slay the great Goliath, then surely God can turn any regular kid like me with a great imagination into some sort of a superhero!
As a young man David surely had a "heart after God", but as is the case throughout history, power corrupts even the best of us.
Maybe you know the scandalous and disgraceful stories of David's life already.
How King David instigated an affair with a married woman whose husband was off to war and consequently got her pregnant. In desperation he then orchestrated an elebrate plan to have her husband killed in battle in a way that could never be traced back to him.
Or perhaps you already know how God vetoed David's plan to build God a temple because in Gods eyes David had shed too much blood and was constantly at war during his reign as King.
God seemed to be saying what I would soon come to realize about David, "I love you, but you have too much baggage and their is too much trouble surrounding your life for me to allow this."
Christians often use the sins of David as an example of how God can still use us, bless us and forgive us despite our worst.
And that is great! I am humbled by Gods incredible grace and love that I criminally don't deserve. I can't even wrap my head around the message of grace and how God chooses to still love and bless me despite my only giving him heartbreak in return.
But it doesn't mean I have to like David do I?
Through David's life there are moments of shameful pride, vengeful anger and dishonorable actions. Yet David always seemed to regain his footing and find redemption before God, however, he so often left a wake of destroyed lives and injured people behind him.
That is what is so repulsive at times about King David. The fact that he is restored time and again despite his missteps, yet people seem to be the collateral damage of his actions. So often he moves on seemingly unscathed while people are left behind to mend their own wounds.
The story that really made my stomach turn and quickly sour on David was this.
David had a son named Amnon that had an unhealthy infatuation with his half-sister Tamar. Much like his father, Amnon also orchestrated a situation in which he could have a woman that he wanted. It was horrible and it was evil what he did to that poor girl! Most everyone was angry, scandalized and wanted justice. Yet although scripture says that David was enraged he still chose not to discipline his Son. In fact, David continued to basically spoil this son because it was his first born, the son he loved!
David had the chance to do the right thing but He didn't. So often this is David's plight, it is his decision-making. Often others suffer and at times lose their lives because of David's poor and often selfish decisions.
King David might be a great example to us of Gods great grace and unending forgiveness to the contrite in heart. However, I would argue that he is not a great example of a father or a man!
None of us is perfect. But what I learn from the life of David is that I want to be a better father, leader, husband and person. If that is what he inspires in us than the life story of David is able to be redeemed in some aspects, but I am not sure he warrants being held as some hero of the faith unless we are willing to balance those stories with some of the terrible truths about his life.
All this to say that perhaps no one should be considered a "hero" of the faith. The real hero in the Bible is Gods grace, love forgiveness and redeption poured out and offered to "bad" people.
That is the good news of the Bible!
