king david's lament

it wasn't the greatest play in the world. and if you were a non-christian watching the play.. you probably might have been a little confused watching ol' david's life get squeezed, compressed and re-enacted in a 2 hour slot.

but sitting there, watching ken play all the characters involved in david's life and david himself, i was ministered to. i even came close to crying when ken sang the song "my little girl".

it came at the scene after ammon had taken advantage of tamar and king david hears the news of how his son had violated his daughter. "my little girl" reveals david's distress upon hearing how his daughter has been raped but is pierced equally by the fact that his own son did it. it shows his inward struggle with social injustice and correction; and executing severe punishment on his own flesh and blood.

and maybe that's how God feels.

A question someone once asked, "Do you think it's possible for God to allow someone to be raped"

yes

but let me go further. there's an interplay between free will and God's will. it's never God and the victim only. God gives free will to all, including the one who commits the violation. and while we cry "God how could you do this to me?", i think we need to understand that there is another element of free will involved, perhaps not our own, but of the other who chose to commit this act against us. it's not just you and God only. we live in a community.

david's inward struggle between executing justice for his daughter then and enacting a severe penalty on his son, to me, reflects the pain God must feel. it's a double whammy, two simultaneous blows to the heart. the one He loves is hurting; the one He loves is, in all awareness, wilfully hurting the other.

a father looks at his child and wishes he could protect him with all his might. a father looks at his child and wonders where he has gone wrong in bringing him up

so God created man in his own image
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them

remind me to be humble and remember my Father's love