Needs and desires
A common phrase used by Christians is that Jesus will meet our needs. And it is understood in all kinds of ways. Sometimes this is couched as spiritual needs. Sometimes just needs. Some people differentiate between wants and needs. Which leads to us not being very clear about what needs will be met. In our reading from 2 Samuel 11: 26- 12:13 we hear the ongoing story of David’s need for Bathsheba. Or maybe that was a want. But that “want” distracted David from what was important, and before he knew it, the one who had been rescued from Saul’s murder plot was involved in his own murder plot. That giving in led to all sorts of broken relationships, deaths and betrayals. Nathan tells a story that invokes David’s outrage, and then his utter despair. The trappings of being king had blinded David to his need for God, his need to live in the presence of God. It is easy for us to look down on David, but I suspect we too often forget about what is important, what our real needs are, ...