Pentecost +10, thoughts going in, Sunday August 2nd 2015

2Samuel 11:26-12:13a: When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD. 1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.' 11 "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' " 13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

            The David Saga continues this week with Part 9, the conclusion of the David & Bathsheba story. From what we read last week, right up until 11:27a... everything seems to be going David's way, but in 11:27b we read the ominous words: But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

            Chapter 12 continues the story now with the prophet Nathan's appearance in the royal court. Commentators are split as to whether Nathan was setting this meeting up to look like a typical juridical function or not. Ancient kings of all lands were, among other things, the final arbiter of justice in the land, and a routine part of the job was to hear and decide cases. If Nathan intended this meeting to sound like such a case, he wasn't beginning with very many specifics: both men were unnamed, their tribe or where they lived wasn't mentioned, etc. In the end, these are trivial matters, given that in reality Nathan was setting David up. In that sense, what he had composed was a juridical 'parable.' From vs 5-6, it's obvious that Nathan had his man: David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." There's an interesting lesson here. Often when we succumb to sin, we either rationalize our choices or we somehow are able to disconnect ourselves from our own moral compass. By decontextualizing the Uriah episode and placing the essence of what happened into a seemingly unrelated parable, Nathan helped David rediscover his moral compass.

            But the problem David experienced by rediscovering his own moral compass was illustrated in the next statement from Nathan:  Thou art the man! (the words sound so much more ominous in the KJV). David stood self-condemned.

            Commentators rightly point out that the indictment parable that Nathan uses against David is essentially about the abuse of power for one's own enrichment at the expense of the helpless. The writings of the prophets--in particular Amos--develop this theme at length. But it's important not to lose sight of the extent of David's crime. YES he abused his power to achieve his own ends at the expense of the helpless. But in so doing, he murdered a man. Nathan mentions this fact twice: You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites (v9). This is a great evil. Saul disobeyed the word of the Lord in battle commands. David disobeyed the word of the Lord by breaking the FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

            The one thing David does right in this whole narrative is that he immediately repents. He doesn't try to deny it; he doesn't equivocate; he doesn't throw Nathan out of the palace and continue on... he repents:  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." (v13). One commentator cited a tradition from medieval synagogues that, in printed manuscripts, intentionally left a space between v13a and the rest of the verse... the implication being that one would turn immediately from 13a to Psalm 51, the great penitential Psalm of David.

            This is a "sin boldly" moment--you know, Luther's famous quote so often taken out of context. Be a sinner, and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. In David's life, the fullness of time had not yet come; Christ was yet to be born. Yet, David could still repent, believe and rejoice that even though his sin would have consequences, God was a forgiving God.

Cheers,

T.M.

Pentecost +9, thoughts going in, Sunday July 26th 2015

2Samuel 11:1-17 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite." 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. 10 David was told, "Uriah did not go home." So he asked Uriah, "Haven't you just come from a military campaign? Why didn't you go home?" 11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" 12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home. 14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." 16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

            There are several well-known, almost iconic, episodes in the life and times of King David. The encounter with the giant Goliath is one of them. This week, in the David Saga Pt 8 we encounter another one:  the episode of David and Bathsheba. This week’s lesson could be subtitled: Anatomy of a sin. In fact, I’ve even taken the liberty of replacing the lectionary’s second reading of the day with the following from the book of James: When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters (James 1:13-16).

            With the lens of James 1 in mind, it’s interesting to dissect this week’s story from 2Samuel 11. Verse 1 sets the stage: In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army...but David remained in Jerusalem. David wasn’t where he was supposed to be. David should have been with the troops. Indeed, even a casual reading of the life of David up to this point reveals that David’s customary place is with his troops when there’s a battle to be fought. The old saying comes to mind idle hands are the devil’s workshop. The horrible spiral of 2Samuel 11 and James 1 begins because David has neglected his duty; he finds himself at home with time on his hands.

            Up until vs 4 the story doesn’t specifically indicate that David has committed a sin. David sees Bathsheba bathing, but she is doing nothing wrong; she is in the confines of her own house; David views her from the vantage point of the elevation of his roof. It could well have been one of those chance things; unplanned; unable to prevent. Was STEP 1 of David’s sin LUST or romantic attraction? Given the degree of cover-up that occurs in the story, it seems safe to say that it was lust.

However, even David’s inquiry about her (v3) could be innocent enough. David seemed attracted to her; he had multiple wives; if she were available, why not marry her too? But vs 3b should have put an end to the question: She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. The text doesn’t tell us much about Uriah, but evidently he was a convert to belief in Yahweh. One wonders if this episode would’ve played out the same way had Bathsheba been the wife of a fellow Judahite tribesman. Perhaps STEP 2 in David’s sin was PREJUDICE; or DISRESPECT; a diminished attitude regarding Uriah based on the fact that he was an outsider; not a real person; or not a full member of society. Regardless, in the words of James 1 David is tempted when he is dragged away by his own evil desire (“lust” in the KJV) and enticed. The word “enticed” means to be baited into doing something; to be trapped by guile or deceit; only in this sense, the guile/deceit is one’s own lust. The picture James paints is of the proverbial mouse who has been caught in a trap containing his own cheese. David has a split second to decide what to do with the information she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.

STEP 3 of David’s sin: the act itself. In vs 4 David sent messengers to get her. In the words of James 1:15, desire (“lust”) has now conceived. The word translated “conceived” actually has much stronger connotations: to take hold of; to seize, or capture. David has allowed his desire to capture him; to seize him; to take hold of him, and he commits adultery. This is the James 15 part: it gives birth to sin. Had the sin not produced a child, it’s difficult to say how this story would have gone, but there’s a clear domino effect. James 1:15 is like the old Lays potato chip commercial: you can’t stop at just one. Had the situation remained under cover, David may have had repeated liaisons with Bathsheba. In that sense, once conceived, his desires/lusts would’ve given birth to multiple sins. As it is, that’s exactly what happened.

STEP 4:  the attempted cover-up by more sins. As the story unfolds, David sends for Uriah the Hittite under false pretenses. David attempts to cover up his sin by given Uriah leave to go home and wash his feet (vs 8, a euphemism for ‘have a conjugal visit’). When James 1:15b says: and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death, “death” will be tragically literal in this story, but let’s also not lose sight of all of the little deaths that occur along the way: the death of David’s honor as commander and king; the death of Uriah’s innocence, devotion, and valor; the death of proper relationships between David and the others in this story; the death of Joab’s innocence and integrity (Joab may not have known why the king was having Uriah killed in battle, but he surely knew that he is being used as a pawn in a royal plot, v15).

STEP 5 others getting hurt: And then finally we get to the real deaths… of Uriah, and even of other brave soldiers needlessly sacrificed in order to fulfil the larger plot of getting Uriah killed (v17). Perhaps the final death--something that will become more obvious in next week’s reading--is the death of David’s fellowship with God.

The James reading ends with this warning: don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters (v16). In other words, James is saying THIS IS THE WAY IT ALWAYS WORKS. There is no happy ending to sin. And even though today’s story in 2Samuel ends with David seemingly getting away with it, it’s not over yet. The ‘lessons’ of the David Saga Pt 8 are all about pride; and self-awareness. In terms of “spirituality,” we’re hard-pressed to find an Old Testament figure in a closer relationship to God than David. And yet, David proves himself to be human; capable of the same weaknesses, and more, as the rest of us. He deceived himself. He told himself the same lie we’ve told ourselves countless times…. I can do this thing, and it will be ok. No, you can’t. And it won’t. Something will die… maybe not a person… but sin always kills fellowship with God.

Cheers,

T.M.

Pentecost +8, thoughts going in, Sunday July 19th 2015

Actually, I don't have much in the way of thoughts going in for this Sunday, as I'm on vacation and Pastor Noll will be subbing for me. I do know, however, that he intends to keep the David Saga going, so this coming Sunday will be The David Saga, Part 7, based on the following reading:

2 Samuel 7:1-17
After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” 3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by human beings, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' " 17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

Cheers,

T.M.

Pentecost +7, thoughts going in, Sunday, July 12th 2015

2Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-21: David again brought together all the able young men of Israel--thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart  4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. 12 So David went to bring up the ark of God to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. 17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. 20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 21 David replied to Michal, "I was dancing before the Lord who chose me over your father and his whole family to appoint me ruler over the Lord's people Israel. I will celebrate before the Lord.

            The David Saga, Pt 6. As usual, with a reading this long, there's a LOT going on, but the New Interpreter's Commentary does a pretty good job of summarizing the main points of the story. In the broadest sense, the story is both religious AND political; and the story is about David, the Ark of the Lord, and the house of Saul.

            Thanks to Steven Spielberg, most people have a slight knowledge of the Ark of the Covenant. At the very least they've heard of it. We all know that it's being held in a secret government warehouse. On the other hand, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, even today, claims that the Ark rests in one of their chapels in the small town of Aksum--but no one is allowed to see it. All we really know for sure is that this once important focal point of ancient Israelite religion vanished from the pages of history somewhere around 587 BCE.

            For tribal Israel the ark was the chief symbol of the Lord's presence in their midst. It was a gilded box made of acia wood (Exodus 25:10-22; 37:1-9), with winged cherubim atop its cover, which served as a pedestal for the invisibly enthroned YAHWEH--Israel's covenant God. Within the ark was a golden jar of manna, Aaron's rod, and the tablets of the Law. The ark was the symbol of God's presence among his people, but like all biblical symbols, it was more than that; the symbol was the channel of the reality. As Israel was being formed into a nation, this presence was key; God was the 'Divine Warrior' who fought on their behalf against Israel's enemies.

            The use and resting place of the Ark is, itself, a fascinating study. The people of the Exodus were, of necessity, nomadic; God was leading them somewhere. Hence, the Ark had to be portable. As 1Samuel opens, the people have ceased wandering; they are now residents of the land. The Ark had taken up residence at Shiloh. 1Samuel 4-6 is the fascinating account of how the Ark is taken from Shiloh to the field of battle against the Philistines--in the hopes of securing victory. Unfortunately, just the opposite happens; Israel is defeated and the Philistines capture the Ark. At first the Philistines think they've got something great in their possession, but it soon becomes a curse to them wherever they put it. In one particularly theological passage, the Ark was placed in the temple of their god Dagon, but the statue of Dagon was found prostrate in front of the Ark the next morning; after the statue of Dagon was restored to its place, it was again found prostrate the next morning, and this time its head and hands had also been broken off. Eventually the Philistines have enough of the Ark and send it packing back to Israel. By the time 2Samuel 6 rolls around, it has been in the keeping of an old priest named Abinadab. Several things are thus happening in this story:

1. The transfer of the Ark served to legitimate David's rule. David has been anointed king over Judah and all of Israel. Now the Ark of the Lord would reside in David's city, Jerusalem. In addition, this also gives standing to the town of Jerusalem, which had only just recently been conquered and appropriated by David.

2. The procession of the Ark serves as a public ritual to inaugurate Jerusalem not only as a center of political power, but also as the religious center of the land. In generations to come, the city would house the King's palace AND the Temple of the Lord.

3. The story tells us something about David's personal character. As usual, commentators point out David's ability to shrewdly play the crowd. On the one hand this could be a calculated PR stunt, like the president laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. On the other hand, David seems capable of pulling these things off with complete genuineness. Whatever political gain David gets from this highly publicized act, it still stems from the fact that he is a man after God's own heart and his religious zeal is genuine.

4.  The House of Saul is clearly being diminished in the story. Michal, the daughter of Saul, has contempt for David's actions. The way the story plays out, however, she is portrayed as more than just a 'nagging wife.' Her words are contrasted with David's zeal for the Lord. She, and all she represents, are presented as antagonistic to the Lord and His anointed. While it isn't included in the Sunday reading, it is noteworthy that the chapter includes the detail that she remains childless--hence, the house of Saul and the house of David are never united by an heir.

Cheers,

T.M.

Pentecost +6, thoughts going in, Sunday July 5th 2015

Actually, I don't have much in the way of thoughts going in for this Sunday, as I'm on vacation and Pastor Noll will be subbing for me. I do know, however, that he intends to keep the David Saga going, so this coming Sunday will be The David Saga, Part 5, based on the following reading:

2Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10:  All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’” 3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

‪9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

Cheers,

T.M.