"Like Father, Like Son"

This is the essay I had to write for my Bible class, telling about what I had learned this semester.

I learned many things in Bible this semester. But one thing that really stood out to me was imperfection. David and Solomon, despite being some of the greatest kings this world has ever seen, were only human. They made mistakes, and every now and then, actually learned from them.

It seems as if David was the patron saint of mistakes. As much as he relied and trusted on God, there were as many instances when he only relied on himself. It was at these times that he became the most vulnerable for temptation. It was when he fell prey to these temptations that he was at his worst. He would realize that he had messed up, but it would take him a very long time to confess to God what he had done. So he would spend months–even years– suffering in his guilt. But eventually he would be able to take it no longer and–usually at the prompting of one of God’s prophets– he would finally confess of whatever it was that he had done wrong. And usually, punishment or retribution would ensue.

To use the phrase “Like father, like son” to describe Solomon would be a major understatement. As much wisdom as Solomon possessed, he messed up just as much as his father, if not more. You would think that for someone as wise as Solomon, he would have a much better track record than his father. That is not the case. But Solomon would, just as his father did, eventually confess and get back on track with God.

If there is one thing that we can learn from these two men, is that not everyone is perfect, and we all make our mistakes. We should always learn from our mistakes, and confess as soon as we can, to keep ourselves from a guilty conscience, and to keep ourselves from drifting away from God. The last think we need is a chasm between us and our Creator.