We’ve all met people we don’t necessarily like. But what happens when those people are God’s chosen ones?
For me, one saint that fits this description is David, the King of the Israelites. I acknowledge and appreciate his role in salvation history. It is through him that the Israelites enjoy some of their more prosperous years, and it is through his throne that we receive Christ.
However, he just never clicked with me, in part because of the things David had done – including tricking others, lying, adultery, and murder. David’s sins have always bothered me when I read about them. David’s actions seemed arrogant and rash, and could have devastating consequences for others.
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This past Lent, I tried to “get over” my dislike for David by reading his story from beginning to end very carefully (1 Samuel 16–1 Kings 2). I thought if I read David’s life slowly enough or for long enough, something revelatory would happen. I would have an “aha” moment and say, “Oh, this is what I’ve been missing” or “So that is what everyone else has been seeing in him.” By Easter, I would surely like and learn a lot from David.
That’s not exactly what happened.
I did read from David’s life for most of Lent. Starting with the shepherd boy who was anointed as king felt like a strong beginning to my new friendship. However, it didn’t take me very long to fall into a rhythm of disliking how some of the passages played out. It felt like every time I gained new appreciation for David, something would immediately happen that diminished that feeling. One day, I would read and reflect on David’s unwavering friendship to Saul’s son, Jonathan, but then a day later, his flight from Saul led directly to Saul’s slaughter of multiple temple priests, or I’d encounter another passage where David would be married to multiple women. This cycle continued on for the first half of the Lenten season until I gave up about two weeks before Easter.
At the time, I felt like I failed because I still didn’t like David as much as I liked other figures from the Bible. In retrospect, I realized how much I had actually grown in respect for David — and that might have done more good for my soul than just “liking” him.
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After re-reading parts of David’s life, I noticed his confidence in certain moments – including his leadership when he was on the run, and some of the tough choices he made as king. The bold decision to feed his men from the holy bread of the Temple always surprises me, even though it was the right thing to do. I could never imagine being in David’s shoes and having the courage to make that choice. His bold decision unnerved me initially, but David’s actions also pushed me to deepen my trust in the Lord, even in risky situations.
It was also surprising how much I learned from David’s sins in his life. Most famously, David commits adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of David’s most trusted soldiers, Uriah. Bathsheba becomes pregnant, and David goes through any means necessary to conceal this from others: He encourages Uriah to lay with his wife, and he gets Uriah drunk when his initial command didn’t work. When both of these plans fail, he places Uriah on the front lines of the battlefield, ensuring that he – and David’s secret – will die.
While David is able to hide his actions from men, he can not hide them from God. The prophet Nathan reprimands David for his actions and the King of Israel says “I have sinned against the Lord.” When the consequence of this sin is the death of David’s child, David humbles himself by wearing sackcloth and fasting.
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Like many, I struggled to like David after the sin he committed, but I learned to respect the humility and honesty he had with the Lord after Nathan confronted him. David could have continued to use his power to hide his sin, but he chose to admit to his wrongdoing. His prayers for his child came from the humble state of a sinner calling out to the Father. Although David’s prayer wasn’t answered, his actions reminded me of how important it is to turn back to God, no matter how deep in sin we are. Despite his transgressions, the Lord shows he isn’t ever finished with us and was still able to use David as the greatest king Israel ever had. While I can’t call David one of my favorite saints, I’m grateful for all the good he did for Israel and for the impact he has had on my faith journey.
What I learned from King David applies not only to saints we may not necessarily like, but also to people in our everyday lives who we may not see eye to eye with.
Recognizing the gifts that God has given them helps us appreciate how our Lord created and cultivated respect for them. This recognition also challenges us to abandon any preconceived notions we might have and invites us to grow in areas God is calling us.
David, King of Israel, pray for us!
