David's Sin

Today's first reading is the notorious sin of King David. One thing that has always struck me about the way this story is told in the Bible, but which I was only able to really put my finger on today, is that the narration emphasizes what a faithful servant of the King poor Uriah was. And he was a Hittite, not even an Israelite! The story twice describes Uriah's behavior in terms of "his lord," the King, so that we see how despotic David's behavior was. Somewhere I read that the first line of the story is already ominous: it was the time of year "when kings went on campaign," but David stayed in Jerusalem and sent his men out. He did not lead his own army, but remained in the safety and comfort of the palace, tending to his own wants. Then there is the adultery with Bathsheba, and the whole matter of Uriah. David was on a slippery slope. Tomorrow we will see the courage of his "seer" who will confront him with his sin. But David is not a total despot yet. If the prophet had failed to speak, history well could have taken a different turn. But the prophet did take his life in his hands to speak truth to power--as John the Baptist would centuries later. And we pray David's psalm "Miserere" every Friday in morning prayer.

This whole narration highlights the providential role sin can play in our lives, oddly enough. If David had not fallen to such depths, he may have simply been a benignly ineffective leader, seeking himself in all things, clueless about the effect his self-serving might have on the nation. Instead, where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.