Judging Others Favorably - Applicable To Biblical Figures As Well?

There is an interesting piece of aggadata in Talmud Shabbat 127b, which has 3 seemingly random stories about how it is important to judge others favorably. My chavruta and I came up with a pretty cool interpretation of it, but we were stymied at the last story, so I'm hoping to just get the thoughts down and maybe someone will figure it out. Anyway, here is the aggadata:

ת"ר הדן חבירו לכף זכות דנין אותו לזכות ומעשה באדם אחד שירד מגליל העליון ונשכר אצל בעה"ב אחד בדרום שלש שנים ערב יוה"כ אמר לו תן לי שכרי ואלך ואזון את אשתי ובני אמר לו אין לי מעות אמר לו תן לי פירות אמר לו אין לי תן לי קרקע אין לי תן לי בהמה אין לי תן לי כרים וכסתות אין לי הפשיל כליו לאחוריו והלך לביתו בפחי נפש לאחר הרגל נטל בעה"ב שכרו בידו ועמו משוי ג' חמורים אחד של מאכל ואחד של משתה ואחד של מיני מגדים והלך לו לביתו אחר שאכלו ושתו נתן לו שכרו אמר לו בשעה שאמרת לי תן לי שכרי ואמרתי אין לי מעות במה חשדתני אמרתי שמא פרקמטיא בזול נזדמנה לך ולקחת בהן ובשעה שאמרת לי תן לי בהמה ואמרתי אין לי בהמה במה חשדתני אמרתי שמא מושכרת ביד אחרים בשעה שאמרת לי תן לי קרקע ואמרתי לך אין לי קרקע במה חשדתני אמרתי שמא מוחכרת ביד אחרים היא ובשעה שאמרתי לך אין לי פירות במה חשדתני אמרתי שמא אינן מעושרות ובשעה שאמרתי לך אין לי כרים וכסתות במה חשדתני אמרתי שמא הקדיש כל נכסיו לשמים א"ל העבודה כך היה הדרתי כל נכסי בשביל הורקנוס בני שלא עסק בתורה וכשבאתי אצל חבירי בדרום התירו לי כל נדרי ואתה כשם שדנתני לזכות המקום ידין אותך לזכות

Our Rabbis taught: He who judges his neighbor in the scale of merit is himself judged favorably. Thus a story is told of a certain man who descended from Upper Galilee and was hired for work by a businessman in the South for three years. On the eve of the Day of Atonement  he requested him, 'Give me my wages that I may go and support my wife and children.'

'I have no money,' answered he.

'Give me produce,' he demanded;

'I have none,' he replied.

'Give me land.' — 'I have none.' 'Give me cattle.' — 'I have none. 'Give me pillows and bedding.' — 'I have none.' [So] he slung his things behind him and went home with a sorrowful heart.  After the Festival his employer took his wages in his hand together with three laden donkeys, one bearing food, another drink, and the third various sweet meats, and went to his house. After they had eaten and drunk, he gave him his wages. Said he to him, 'When you asked me, "Give me my wages," and I answered you, "I have no money," of what did you suspect of me?'

'I thought, Perhaps you came across cheap merchandise and had purchased it using that.'

'And when you requested me, "Give me cattle," and I answered, "I have no cattle," of what did you suspect me?'

'I thought, they may be hired to others.'

'When you asked me, "Give me land," and I told you, "I have no land," of what did you suspect me?' 'I thought, perhaps it is leased to others.' 'And when I told you, "I have no produce," of what did you suspect me?' 'I thought, Perhaps they are not tithed.' 'And when I told you, "I have no pillows or bedding," of what did you suspect me?' 'I thought, perhaps he has sanctified all his property to Heaven.' 'By the [Temple] service!' exclaimed he, 'it was even so; I vowed away all my property because of my son Hyrcanus, who would not occupy himself with the Torah, but when I went to my companions in the South they absolved me of all my vows. And as for you, just as you judged me favorably, so may the Omnipresent judge you favorably.' 

ת"ר מעשה בחסיד אחד שפדה ריבה אחת בת ישראל ולמלון השכיבה תחת מרגלותיו למחר ירד וטבל ושנה לתלמידיו ואמר ( להן) בשעה שהשכבתיה תחת מרגלותי במה חשדתוני אמרנו שמא יש בנו תלמיד שאינו בדוק לרבי בשעה שירדתי וטבלתי במה חשדתוני אמרנו שמא מפני טורח הדרך אירע קרי לרבי אמר להם העבודה כך היה ואתם כשם שדנתוני לכף זכות המקום ידין אתכם לכף זכות

Our Rabbis taught: It happened that a certain pious man ransomed an Israelite maiden [from captivity]; at the inn he made her lie at his feet. On the morrow he went down, had a ritual bath, and learnt with his disciples. Said he to them, 'When I made her lie at my feet, of what did you suspect me?' 'We thought, perhaps there is a disciple amongst us who[se character] is not clearly known  to our Master.'  'When I descended and had a ritual bath, of what did you suspect me?' 'We thought, perhaps through the fatigue of the journey the Master was visited by nocturnal pollution.' 'By the [Temple] Service!' exclaimed he to them, 'it was even so. And just as you judged me favorably, so may the Omnipresent judge you favorably.' 

תנו רבנן פעם אחת הוצרך דבר אחד לתלמידי חכמים אצל מטרוניתא אחת שכל גדולי רומי מצויין אצלה אמרו מי ילך אמר להם ר' יהושע אני אלך הלך רבי יהושע ותלמידיו כיון שהגיע לפתח ביתה חלץ תפיליו ברחוק ארבע אמות ונכנס ונעל הדלת בפניהן אחר שיצא ירד וטבל ושנה לתלמידיו ואמר (להן) בשעה שחלצתי תפילין במה חשדתוני אמרנו כסבור רבי לא יכנסו דברי קדושה במקום טומאה בשעה שנעלתי במה חשדתוני אמרנו שמא דבר מלכות יש בינו לבינה בשעה שירדתי וטבלתי במה חשדתוני אמרנו שמא ניתזה צינורא מפיה על בגדיו של רבי אמר להם העבודה כך היה ואתם כשם שדנתוני לזכות המקום ידין אתכם לזכות:

Our Rabbis taught: The scholars were once in need of something from a noblewoman where all the great men of Rome were to be found. Said they, 'Who will go?' 'I will go,' replied R. Joshua. So R. Joshua and his disciples went. When he reached the door of her house, he removed his tefillin at a distance of four cubits, entered, and shut the door in front of them. After he came out he descended, had a ritual bath, and learnt with his disciples. Said he to them, 'When I removed my tefillin, of what did you suspect me?' 'We thought, our Master reasons, "Let not sacred words enter a place of uncleanness".' 'When I shut [the door], of what did you suspect me?' 'We thought, perhaps he has [to discuss] an affair of State with her.' 'When I descended and had a ritual bath, of what did you suspect me?' 'We thought, perhaps some spittle spurted from her mouth upon the Rabbi's garments [rendering you impure].'  'By the [Temple] Service!' exclaimed he to them', 'it was even so; and just as you judged me favorably, so may the Omnipresent judge you favorably.' 

Some weird stories, to be sure. In all these cases, the evidence was pretty damning, and yet the people still judged them favorably because it was possible they were doing the right thing. 

Look at this progression, as well. It goes from a regular business person, to a "pious man", to Rabbi Joshua, who was meeting with a noblewoman. People higher and higher up on the Jewish religious pole. It's possible that the point of this progression is that one of ever increasing chiddush, that each one is more surprising than the next.  For a business person to withhold wages is bad, but there's still room to think he's doing it for a reason. It's easier to give him the benefit of the doubt. But someone who is considered pious, why should I judge him favorably when he should be more careful about how he acts? And even more so, when someone with a high profile like Rabbi Joshua, if he acts in such a suspicious manner, is it fair to say that he has probably good reasons for his actions? We see the state of affairs today, the higher they are, the less people treat their reputations with respect. It's a chiddush to expect that we should judge them favorably. Yet we are asked to.

This leads up to a most interesting question. What about Biblical characters whom we often think are the good guys. Yaakov, David, Solomon, all do some things that look pretty bad, and the rabbis in the midrash and Talmud jump over themselves to defend their honor. Why? If the authors of their stories were making them seem evil, who are we to stop propagating that conception? The answer is that its a huge chiddush, but we are asked to because that is a good trait to have. We judge people favorably, whether they be the lowest of the low or the highest of the high. It is equal judgement for all - a love for all.

In fact, I believe there are some Biblical allusions to the stories themselves here, making me think the rabbis were alluding to this very idea. 

Let us start with the second story, the one with the chassid who makes a girl lay down under his feet. This is a play on the story of Ruth, where in 3:14, she lays down under his feet, and Boaz tries to sneak her out so nobody suspects anything. She describes herself as a maidservant to Boaz, see 2:13. Boaz is considered the ultimate giver, a compassionate person who fed the poor, a person who does chessed, and that is the play on the word chassid.

When reading that section of the Ruth story, one is struck by the sexuality it embodies. She basically tries to seduce Boaz, and it's unclear whether he was seduced in the end. And then he tries to sneak her out! Very sketchy, but the rabbis want us to know that we must judge them favorably.

That seems the most obvious to me.

What about the other stories? I can suggest one for the first, but I don't think it really holds up to scrutiny. It might be that the lowly businessman who withholds wages from his religious worker refers to Laban withholding wages from Jacob in Genesis 30:25-36. Laban decides not to pay Jacob for all his work, but Jacob wants to leave. The story in the Talmud says that the Galilean wanted to support his wife and children, saying "And I will go and feed my find and children", and Jacob says to Laban, "Give me my wife and children... and I will go." The worker was from the Galilee, perhaps a reference to specifically Bilhah's children, Dan and Naftali, whose tribes eventually settled in the Galilee. Bilhah's connection to Laban, according to Midrash Rabab, Genesis 74:13, is that Laban is her father. The fact that the worker worked specifically for three years can mean that he was a hired worker, which represents Jacob's work-status as well. Lastly, in the story, the businessman finally comes with donkeys and merchandise, something that is described about Jacob's haul, see Genesis 30:43.

Does this mean we should be looking at even Laban more favorably? Jacob complains that his wages were changed 10 times over the course of his stay with Laban. But Laban did not do this, it was Jacob's idea! Thus, even Laban, just a lowly guy, is judged favorably.

I would love to have it that Jacob is the one who should be judged favorably for basically stealing all of Laban's flock, but I can't seem to really get it to fit.

The last one, I'm truly stuck on. I think this might be a reference to Joshua and Rahab, how Joshua sent two spies to a prostitute, and what happened there. Maybe. Or perhaps how Hoshea was asked to marry a prostitute. Alternatively, it could refer to David and Bathsheba, which looked quite illicit.