When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. – 1 Kings 1:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 5, 2022): 1 Kings 1

In the dramedy M*A*S*H, there is a poignant moment when Colonel Sherman Potter is forced to examine his declining surgical ability as he gets older. In a confidential conversation with Psychiatrist Major Sidney Freedman, Potter admits that he is afraid the time has come when he can no longer do his job. Freedman agrees that the day will come when the Colonel will no longer be able to work as a surgeon, but whether now is that time, Freedman doesn't know. What he does know is that, right now, at this moment, it is fear that is stopping Colonel Potter, and that is something that was directly under the control of the Colonel.

It is a situation that we all have to face. As we age, there is a decline in our lives. And that decline reveals itself in many ways. What Potter was concerned about was losing the ability to do delicate tasks. It happens. But there are other declines, including mental and physical infirmities, and all of these growing deficits can result from our advancing age.

But not all decline is age-related; sometimes, it results from disease. Illness can force the issue of decline in our lives, and sometimes the state of our health can make the natural deterioration much quicker, especially if the disease is left untreated. The fear of what the doctor might find that keeps us away from the doctor's office sometimes allows the decline to happen even faster in our lives than it needs to. Our decline can also result from depression, and sometimes the solution to our deterioration is found in trying to put all the puzzle pieces together.

We know that King David was getting older. What is surprising is how quickly he declined. The incident when David goes to war and needs to be saved by a fellow soldier is not long in the past. And while his decline on the battlefield was noticeable, David apparently went from old to very old within the same calendar year. The King's swift decline raises the possibility that disease may have played a role in the life of the poet King.

Or maybe David's failure on the battlefield caused the King to give up on life. David may have wondered if he had become a liability on the battlefield, what good was he as a King. Depression had settled in on David, and as a result, the normal decline of age was quickened. But whatever the reason, David was now on a path to the end of his life. And it wouldn't be long before the nation would mourn the death of their King.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 2