Dysfunctional Royal Family

By Lonnie Tolander

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. (Revelation 1:5""6) When I had finished writing this book, or should I say believed enough had been written for fruitful thought, I threw my hands in the air as a sign of surrender, literally! It can be much compared to how a painter may never be completely satisfied with the finished work and yet proceeds to share with all who will choose to look closely to what had been accomplished. The way this book unfolded was much different from the initial perceived idea of how it could have. For instance, the verse referenced to above would have been great in my use to explain we are a royal family, and yet this scripture never made the inside cover. What did happen within this book is the unraveling of three stories, each retold from a perspective of possibilities""three short stories of how King David and his royal family had much dysfunction springing forth from one moment of adulterous pleasure. Therefore, the subject of taking care of one's relationship with the Lord by means of watching over one's own heart, soul, and mind is addressed with much detail. Then understanding of how influences try to have command over our faculties that may cause much persuasion for dysfunction and are contrary to a godly life. Finally, the subject of properly handling past hurts and how we must choose to seek healing for our own being. What we do allow to influence our very being will either enhance or hinder our relationships with others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098028947

Book preview

The Affair of the Heart

It was in the cool of the evening when King David was awakened and could no longer sleep. While David’s army was away battling with the enemy, for whatever reasons, he was left to the affairs on the home front. This was not the usual stature of this king; quite the contrary, he truly enjoyed being with his troops and conquering the enemy. Many nights of sleep seemed to escape him as he longed to be with his army. One of these early evenings, King David found himself walking on the roof of his fortress looking for signs of a battle that was perhaps way beyond his sight. What did come into his focus, though, would create an internal battle that far outweighed his concern for his own personal defense.

As King David gazed from his balcony, which was seated high above the surrounding residencies, in the light of a full moon, he noticed a woman bathing. David’s mind was intrigued with the complexity of the beauty before his eyes. As he no longer felt a yearning for his men on the battlefield, this commander’s attention was fully in admiration of what now was before him. As he watched this woman gently caress her body with a cloth, King David started to imagine his hands in place of the cloth. Gently, she guided the cloth up one arm, across the front of her chest, and back down her other arm. As he continued to watch the fluidity of her movements, the king was captivated. King David’s desire for one moment in time with her started to outweigh any moral principles that he had come to learn.

In a reactive moment, he sent inquiry of this very delicate-looking woman. The report revealed her name as Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah the Hittite, was fighting for this king’s army. At this point, if not before, King David should have corrected his vision. First, this woman was married, and David knew according to God’s law how he should not partake in pleasure with another man’s wife. Secondly, Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, should have been considered a friend in defense to the king. This knowledge, though, was too little compared to David’s temporary emotional state. As his longing for his army dissipated, he now endeavored to be with Bathsheba. Although he had plenty of wives and concubines, King David evidently become complacent to the fact of how God had blessed him. Bathsheba was then summoned to dine with the king.

Without any known hesitancy, Bathsheba responded to the opportunity. Her mind was racing with why the king would call her at such a time as this. The chance to dine with King David would be like a dream coming true. Not knowing who would all be present, Bathsheba clothed herself with her most elegant dress. She felt pretty. Since her husband and father were at war and she was lonely at home, Bathsheba believed it would be nice to just get out and enjoy the presence of others—especially one as great as this king.

As she arrived at the palace, to her surprise, Bathsheba found herself alone with the king, for there were no other guests. Consequently, King David, having a temporary agenda, invited her to a friendly drink and conversation as the servants seemed to disappear into the night. Conversing led Bathsheba to a position of comfort, so she took David up on his desire to show her around the fortress. Feeling the effects from the wine, Bathsheba had no objections to a moment of opportunity. She grew up hearing about King David and the magnificence of his fame, and now was her chance to personally be escorted by the man himself.

As they walked, Bathsheba was in awe of the palace’s beauty and majestic feeling. All the while, David could not keep his eyes from focusing on her enticing features. Bathsheba was wearing a shawl, now barely covering her low-cut dress. Keeping as much composure as possible, the king would also contribute a small comment to the grandeur of her beauty, continuing to create an atmosphere with a message for seduction. By the time they journeyed to the other side of the residency, her mind was filled with knowledge of how attractive the king considered her. Walking into the large bedroom of David’s, he decides to surprise her with a little kiss. Although Bathsheba initially came to the fortress to escape her loneliness, she was now at a state of being where there was no further resistance to the simple gratifications of her flesh.

This in turn led to a moment of intense pleasure, a feeling neither of them wanted to resist. The night seemed to become like a blink of the eye, as Bathsheba parted just before the dawn of light. Both their thoughts were filled with how wonderful the moonlit night had been, believing in their hearts that no one would ever find out—especially Bathsheba’s husband. Days and nights seemed to quickly pass by and with her husband still at war, and Bathsheba realized something was different with her body. Within a moment of noticing the change, she had come to the actualization of how she had become pregnant.

Immediately, she sent word to the king about this matter of secrecy. Dismayed, King David deviously needed to act quickly if he was going to keep this affair in the dark. Hastily, David sent word to the commander of his army, Joab, to have Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, brought to him. As Uriah arrived and conversed with King David about the war, the king encouraged Bathsheba’s husband to go home for the night in order to spend quality time with his wife, hoping he would sleep with her in order to exonerate him of the guilt now manifesting from the hidden adulterous moment. Uriah, however, went to the entrance of the palace and chose to rest there. Knowing that his country men were at war, Uriah had no desire to go home for the simple temporary pleasure of the flesh.

Alarmed by the misfortune of covering up a grave mistake, the next day, King David tries to seduce Uriah with drunkenness. Surely, thought David, one form of pleasure would lead to another, especially for one as beautiful as Uriah’s wife. Yet, the next morning, David’s loyal soldier was found to remain at the entrance of the fortress. In Uriah’s mind, based on tradition for preparedness of war, he once again could not justify being away from fighting alongside his fellow countrymen during this time by spending one night of pleasure with his wife. This small battle for control between the king and Uriah lasted one more night before David once again contemplated his plan of how to fix his pleasurable mess.

During the following day, before sending Uriah back, David had one last internal struggle by writing a letter to Joab, the commander of the army. The king understood that what he desired was wrong, but at this point, David believed he had no other choice, if he wanted to protect the secretive affair. Therefore, the word sent to Joab was to have Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle. Receiving the letter, Joab did not hesitate nor question the king’s command. Uriah was decisively placed in the fiercest part of a battle, and within a moment of time, the husband of Bathsheba, a defender of the king,