David sees Bathsheba - "Heeeey, how you doin'?"
David amazes me that way he maintains his humility and respect for God despite his power and influence. I'm sure that's a big part of why he and God had such a good relationship.
I found a couple of peculiar (interesting) things about the way God dealt with David though. So after David breaks 2 of the 10 commandments (don't covet your neighbor's wife and don't murder), God punishes him by killing his baby? Granted there's a certain poetic justice in not letting him keep the child from the illicit union, and David accepted it as such. But it's still seems odd to think of God disciplining in that manner. Especially since then, God goes on to not only allow them to have another child, but then that child (Solomon) becomes king and comes to be regarded as one of the wisest men to ever live. Just an interesting mix of harsh consequences, grace and love in this story.
To be honest, a lot of what is attributed to God in these stories seems like superstition; like people trying to make sense of good and bad events by saying God did it because it was deserved because of this or that. I know that's a cynical outlook, but then how do you make sense of good things happening to bad people and bad things happening to good people. Do you attribute it all to God specifically blessing and cursing individuals? Are people dying of AIDS in Africa because God's upset with them about something? I don't know. Would love to hear thoughts...
I have had the same thoughts about God being capricious and allowing things willie-nillie. Maybe we should attribute this to God giving us choices and the choices we make result in what happens. That really doesn't explain why good things happen to bad people though. Perhaps God allows rotten things to happen to us just to see how we handle them; to further our growth; to make us stronger. I wonder though...
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