Look, But Don't Touch!
Drama
Women In The Wings
20 Biblical Monologues
Making It Preach
Lust and greed go hand in hand. They seek to gratify immediate desires, while ignoring the cost to others and one's own soul over the long term. Nainah's wisdom of years allows her to recognize the far-reaching effects of her nephew's selfish actions. The Prophet Nathan's parable of the heartless sheep owner could well be completed by these words of Jesus: From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded (Luke 12:48b). Nainah laments that her beloved David deserves God's wrath and warns the listener of the consequences of taking "more than the blessings you have been allotted by God." But, even from her ancient perspective she knew that God will often relent from punishing upon the sincere repentance of God's people. She alludes to the grace and forgiveness now available to us through Jesus, our Messiah.
Making It Play
Nainah personifies a Yiddish-influenced character type: the Jewish mother, or in this case, the auntie David might have had. Her pride in all of David's good qualities and accomplishments add a bittersweet humor to her disgust with what he did. Though she is elderly, and she would perhaps want to wear a shawl over the tunic and/or a long head covering fastened under the chin to make her look matronly, Nainah has a fire within her that can be expressed with quick, decisive, though age-appropriate, movements. Her self-deprecating comments about being "just a woman" are a dramatic device she uses to gain sympathy, while never doubting her own influence over David and others.
King David's Auntie Has A Few Things To Say About His Relationship With Bathsheba
A peeping Tom ... he's the king of all Israel, and he was nothing more than a peeping Tom! Or, perhaps I should say, a peeping David! That's what started this whole thing off; he just couldn't keep his eyes to himself. And, once those eyes have wandered ... it's no use! How many times did I tell him when he was a boy, "Look, but don't touch"? And, do you think he could do it? No -- I'm not sure it's in him. So, when you have a weakness like that, it is best to keep your eyes to yourself! Eh? Eh!
Who am I, you might be asking, to say such things about the king of Israel? I am his Aunt Nainah, and his favorite aunt, at that, because I do not kowtow to him like even my brother Jesse does, now, to his own son! King of Israel or no king, I've swatted his behind, and I was tempted to again over this whole affair. Adonai, forgive me! I suppose you should not take the Lord's anointed over your knee. And, what am I to say? I'm just a woman.
But, if someone were to ask me, I would tell him that what my nephew has done is shameful, destroying a family because he peeped down on that wife of Uriah while she was bathing and his thinking came from below the belt! Oy-vey, he was always such a good boy, except for that looking and touching thing. He feared God and was brave in defending his people. Oh, was he brave! From the time he was young, he killed bears and lions that threatened Jesse's flock, he did! Then, when no soldier would fight that gigantic Philistine Goliath, my Davichka stepped in and wiped him out with just a stone! King Saul, rest his soul, was jealous of my boy because David was more successful in battle than even the tall and powerful king himself. And, do you know, David remained loyal to his king to the end, refusing to kill him, even though Saul had tried to do David in more than once? It is no wonder the Lord picked my Davichka to be the next king. The only problem is that he was given too much, too quickly. Not that I, a mere woman, would tell the Lord how it should be done.
But, if the Lord were to ask me, I would say that when a man is given too much, he forgets to be grateful, and soon, he will not be satisfied with what he has. No, he wants more, eh? Eh! And, what happened with that woman? He touched before he thought about it and defiled himself before God. Oh, he thought if he sent her home, it wouldn't matter, no one would know, but there was one thing he hadn't counted on. She was not barren! So, mighty King, how would you explain this baby from the wife of a man who has been away from home in battle? Surely your servants and advisors would wonder.
Now, I have to give him some credit here, though not much, because he did not just set her up to get rid of her. True, it takes two to make a baby, but when you are summoned by the king, you obey. Now, I would go to my death before I would betray my husband, but she was young and perhaps star struck, or maybe she didn't have a choice. Anyway, David tried, twice, to get Uriah to go home and lie with her so that everyone, including Uriah, would be convinced that it was his child. However, Uriah proved to be more honorable, I hate to say it, than my nephew. He did not think it fair that he go home and enjoy time with his wife and household while his comrades were sleeping out in the fields during their military campaign. David is a sly one, he is, so he even tried to make Uriah drunk and go home to his wife. Yet, Uriah would not go. Oy! That poor man was so loyal, it cost him his life. And, what David did was unforgivable, making sure that Uriah was killed in battle so that he could take Bathsheba as his wife. All this because he desired that woman when he saw her! Not that I, a woman, can tell the king of Israel when he is wrong.
But, when he asked me, I told him that he should have been satisfied with his other swarm of wives and that an innocent man's blood was on his hands. He did not want to hear it, of course, but I was right, eh? The good Lord even sent the Prophet Nathan to David to tell him the same thing, using a story of a man who had many sheep, but took another man's only lamb to slaughter for guests. David was incensed by that story and declared that the first man should be punished. Only, he soon found out that he was that man! And, punishment will come; the Lord has spoken. Though David will not lose his life for this, praise be to Adonai, his household will be plagued by dissension and death the rest of David's days. Perhaps it is time I go back to my home in the hills, eh? Eh!
How one mistake can end up like this, oy-vey! I suppose I should not talk as if I have never made mistakes, ah, some of the things I did when I was young! Ha -- there was that time with the goat! I found her wandering loose, and though I was pretty sure where she had come from, I pretended I did not and took her as my own. However, by the time I returned, the owner had been through the camp looking for her, so instead of giving her back, I tried to hide her in my tent. Have you ever tried to hide a goat? Before I awoke the next morning, she had eaten her way through my tent and was sampling my father's toes!
Ah, we all have those stories, am I right? Though, some are more serious than others. The owner of that goat got her back with just a few bruises and a stomachache. But, when we take from others, sometimes they can never get back what we took. That is especially true when it is not a thing, an object. When we take another's confidence or dignity away or do not give enough time to our families, ah, we cannot go back and change what we've done. My people put on sackcloth and ashes and fall down before the Lord and beg for mercy when we have done wrong, because there is no sin against a neighbor that is not in some way a sin against the Lord.
What is it that you do? You do not look like the sackcloth and ashes types -- too shiny! Where do you go to be released of your sins? Eh? Wherever it is or to whomever you go, maybe having seen what happened to my Davichka, it would be a good time for you to stop yourself from taking any more than the blessings you have been allotted by God. Go to your Lord and ask to be forgiven of what you have taken that was not yours, and perhaps God's mercy will shine upon you and grant you peace. Perhaps you have time before your family will suffer a curse because of you. Ah, perhaps your repentance will even turn back the wrath of God and allow you to live free of curses -- not that I, just a woman, would presume to tell you what you should do.
But, if you were to ask me ... Ha! Shalom chaverim.
Lust and greed go hand in hand. They seek to gratify immediate desires, while ignoring the cost to others and one's own soul over the long term. Nainah's wisdom of years allows her to recognize the far-reaching effects of her nephew's selfish actions. The Prophet Nathan's parable of the heartless sheep owner could well be completed by these words of Jesus: From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded (Luke 12:48b). Nainah laments that her beloved David deserves God's wrath and warns the listener of the consequences of taking "more than the blessings you have been allotted by God." But, even from her ancient perspective she knew that God will often relent from punishing upon the sincere repentance of God's people. She alludes to the grace and forgiveness now available to us through Jesus, our Messiah.
Making It Play
Nainah personifies a Yiddish-influenced character type: the Jewish mother, or in this case, the auntie David might have had. Her pride in all of David's good qualities and accomplishments add a bittersweet humor to her disgust with what he did. Though she is elderly, and she would perhaps want to wear a shawl over the tunic and/or a long head covering fastened under the chin to make her look matronly, Nainah has a fire within her that can be expressed with quick, decisive, though age-appropriate, movements. Her self-deprecating comments about being "just a woman" are a dramatic device she uses to gain sympathy, while never doubting her own influence over David and others.
King David's Auntie Has A Few Things To Say About His Relationship With Bathsheba
A peeping Tom ... he's the king of all Israel, and he was nothing more than a peeping Tom! Or, perhaps I should say, a peeping David! That's what started this whole thing off; he just couldn't keep his eyes to himself. And, once those eyes have wandered ... it's no use! How many times did I tell him when he was a boy, "Look, but don't touch"? And, do you think he could do it? No -- I'm not sure it's in him. So, when you have a weakness like that, it is best to keep your eyes to yourself! Eh? Eh!
Who am I, you might be asking, to say such things about the king of Israel? I am his Aunt Nainah, and his favorite aunt, at that, because I do not kowtow to him like even my brother Jesse does, now, to his own son! King of Israel or no king, I've swatted his behind, and I was tempted to again over this whole affair. Adonai, forgive me! I suppose you should not take the Lord's anointed over your knee. And, what am I to say? I'm just a woman.
But, if someone were to ask me, I would tell him that what my nephew has done is shameful, destroying a family because he peeped down on that wife of Uriah while she was bathing and his thinking came from below the belt! Oy-vey, he was always such a good boy, except for that looking and touching thing. He feared God and was brave in defending his people. Oh, was he brave! From the time he was young, he killed bears and lions that threatened Jesse's flock, he did! Then, when no soldier would fight that gigantic Philistine Goliath, my Davichka stepped in and wiped him out with just a stone! King Saul, rest his soul, was jealous of my boy because David was more successful in battle than even the tall and powerful king himself. And, do you know, David remained loyal to his king to the end, refusing to kill him, even though Saul had tried to do David in more than once? It is no wonder the Lord picked my Davichka to be the next king. The only problem is that he was given too much, too quickly. Not that I, a mere woman, would tell the Lord how it should be done.
But, if the Lord were to ask me, I would say that when a man is given too much, he forgets to be grateful, and soon, he will not be satisfied with what he has. No, he wants more, eh? Eh! And, what happened with that woman? He touched before he thought about it and defiled himself before God. Oh, he thought if he sent her home, it wouldn't matter, no one would know, but there was one thing he hadn't counted on. She was not barren! So, mighty King, how would you explain this baby from the wife of a man who has been away from home in battle? Surely your servants and advisors would wonder.
Now, I have to give him some credit here, though not much, because he did not just set her up to get rid of her. True, it takes two to make a baby, but when you are summoned by the king, you obey. Now, I would go to my death before I would betray my husband, but she was young and perhaps star struck, or maybe she didn't have a choice. Anyway, David tried, twice, to get Uriah to go home and lie with her so that everyone, including Uriah, would be convinced that it was his child. However, Uriah proved to be more honorable, I hate to say it, than my nephew. He did not think it fair that he go home and enjoy time with his wife and household while his comrades were sleeping out in the fields during their military campaign. David is a sly one, he is, so he even tried to make Uriah drunk and go home to his wife. Yet, Uriah would not go. Oy! That poor man was so loyal, it cost him his life. And, what David did was unforgivable, making sure that Uriah was killed in battle so that he could take Bathsheba as his wife. All this because he desired that woman when he saw her! Not that I, a woman, can tell the king of Israel when he is wrong.
But, when he asked me, I told him that he should have been satisfied with his other swarm of wives and that an innocent man's blood was on his hands. He did not want to hear it, of course, but I was right, eh? The good Lord even sent the Prophet Nathan to David to tell him the same thing, using a story of a man who had many sheep, but took another man's only lamb to slaughter for guests. David was incensed by that story and declared that the first man should be punished. Only, he soon found out that he was that man! And, punishment will come; the Lord has spoken. Though David will not lose his life for this, praise be to Adonai, his household will be plagued by dissension and death the rest of David's days. Perhaps it is time I go back to my home in the hills, eh? Eh!
How one mistake can end up like this, oy-vey! I suppose I should not talk as if I have never made mistakes, ah, some of the things I did when I was young! Ha -- there was that time with the goat! I found her wandering loose, and though I was pretty sure where she had come from, I pretended I did not and took her as my own. However, by the time I returned, the owner had been through the camp looking for her, so instead of giving her back, I tried to hide her in my tent. Have you ever tried to hide a goat? Before I awoke the next morning, she had eaten her way through my tent and was sampling my father's toes!
Ah, we all have those stories, am I right? Though, some are more serious than others. The owner of that goat got her back with just a few bruises and a stomachache. But, when we take from others, sometimes they can never get back what we took. That is especially true when it is not a thing, an object. When we take another's confidence or dignity away or do not give enough time to our families, ah, we cannot go back and change what we've done. My people put on sackcloth and ashes and fall down before the Lord and beg for mercy when we have done wrong, because there is no sin against a neighbor that is not in some way a sin against the Lord.
What is it that you do? You do not look like the sackcloth and ashes types -- too shiny! Where do you go to be released of your sins? Eh? Wherever it is or to whomever you go, maybe having seen what happened to my Davichka, it would be a good time for you to stop yourself from taking any more than the blessings you have been allotted by God. Go to your Lord and ask to be forgiven of what you have taken that was not yours, and perhaps God's mercy will shine upon you and grant you peace. Perhaps you have time before your family will suffer a curse because of you. Ah, perhaps your repentance will even turn back the wrath of God and allow you to live free of curses -- not that I, just a woman, would presume to tell you what you should do.
But, if you were to ask me ... Ha! Shalom chaverim.
