I finally finished "Certain Women" by Madeleine L'Engle. Not an impressive book, but I was certain that there was stuff in it for me, and kept on.
Here are a few nuggets, on King David.
"...it's one of the great things about David, that he never tried to rationalize or justify what he'd done. ... He cried out in an agony of repentance, 'I have sinned against the Lord.' ... I think David suddenly saw himself as an ordinary human being who sinned, like other human beings, and that's when he truly began to love God, and to understand that he was God's anointed, not because he was sinless, but because God had chosen him and he didn't have to understand why."
"...it was only after David lusted after Bathsheba, caused Uriah's death, only after he had failed utterly with Tamar and Amnon and Absalom, only after he was fleeing his enemies, fleeing his holy city of Jerusalem, that he truly became a king. ... Maybe we have to sin, to know ourselves human, faulty, and flawed, before there is any possibility of greatness. ... David did become great only after he'd lost everything. "
Showing posts with label Madeleine L'Engle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madeleine L'Engle. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Fictional Synchronicity
I am reading two books right now, both fiction (I'm on vacation). As usual, it is interesting to watch God's synchronicity.
One is "Certain Women" by Madeleine L'Engle. It's the story of the dying of a great man named David, and of his many wives and children. While set in the 1960's, it is connected to the story of King David, and so is interesting for me to watch unfold. The dying man is an actor and an unfinished play about King David is the central theme. It gives me additional insights into the character of this king with whom I am in some way connected. One of David's children is named Chantal, a connection with another of my patron saints.
A book I recently finished (Touchstone by L. King) was set in the context of social unrest, socialism, and anarchy in Great Britain in the 19th century. The second book I am currently reading is coincidentally set in the same context. And in it the heroine appeared in a play about King David. (This one is a mystery by Phillip Pullman.)
Interesting to see how these unconnected books, chosen at random from the library, have these interconnections.
One is "Certain Women" by Madeleine L'Engle. It's the story of the dying of a great man named David, and of his many wives and children. While set in the 1960's, it is connected to the story of King David, and so is interesting for me to watch unfold. The dying man is an actor and an unfinished play about King David is the central theme. It gives me additional insights into the character of this king with whom I am in some way connected. One of David's children is named Chantal, a connection with another of my patron saints.
A book I recently finished (Touchstone by L. King) was set in the context of social unrest, socialism, and anarchy in Great Britain in the 19th century. The second book I am currently reading is coincidentally set in the same context. And in it the heroine appeared in a play about King David. (This one is a mystery by Phillip Pullman.)
Interesting to see how these unconnected books, chosen at random from the library, have these interconnections.
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