Can I Have Just a Little Consistency Here Please, Week 15 Day 2, 1 Kings 19

Can I Have Just a Little Consistency Here Please, Week 15 Day 2, 1 Kings 19

So, in the last chapter we had Elijah winning the Battle of the Prophets.  He was bold.  He was boastful.  And he was audacious.  He took on the 450 prophets of Baal taunting them, beating them and ultimately killing them.  He was larger than life.

And now he’s hiding in a cave.

What gives?  How did Elijah go from larger than life to hiding in fear at Horeb, the mountain of God?  God has the same question for Elijah.  “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  And Elijah’s answer, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.  I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

What happened?  Life happened.  But he was so bold.  And now he’s so scared.  So I guess it’s fair to say that Elijah, The Prophet of his time was only human after all.  Just like me.  Just like you.  Some days I’m so bold with my faith I want to just stand back, watch myself and take notes.  Other time’s I just pray that no one is watching or even worse making a video.  If they were I’d end up on Americans Funniest Believers, if there were such a show.  Yeah, a major face plant of faith.  Elijah, bold fighter for the faith on one mountain, hiding in fear on the next mountain.

So that’s one contrast.  Bold and full of faith versus afraid and hiding.  Both in one mighty follower of God.

The other contrast is God.  This is a pretty famous passage.  There’s the mighty wind, but God wasn’t in the wind.  There’s an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake.  There’s the fire, but God wasn’t in the fire.  Then there’s the gentle whisper, and God IS in the whisper.

We like to grab a hold of that verse; God is the God who is in the whisper.  God the Whisper.  And we think this is how God speaks.  This is how He must speak, because that’s how he spoke to Elijah.  He’s not the God of the special effects.  He’s the God of the whisper.

But in just the last chapter He WAS the God in the fire.  He sent down the fire that burned of offering, the wood, the alter and everything else.  He was God in the fire when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush.  He was the God of the earthquake when He opened the ground to swallowed those who rebelled with Koarh in the desert.  (Numbers 16)  So, is He the God of the whisper, the wind, the earthquake or the fire?  And the unsettling answer is that He is both all of those and none of those.

We would like to know how God works.  We would like a set of rules for how God behaves.  We’d like a set of steps that we could follow every time and know exactly how God will respond.  A twelve step program.  Three points and a poem from a sermon.  Five points for an effective prayer life.

But the amazing reality is that God will be the God that I need Him to be at the time and place where I am in my life right now.  Sometimes I’m bold and God is big and bold with me.  Sometimes I quiet and hurting and God is that still quiet voice that whispers into my heart.

Does that make God inconsistent?  Does that God mean that God isn’t the same “yesterday, today, and always”?  No.  It means that the God who is the same from the beginning to the end is not a one dimensional character that must fit outline of who He is.  He doesn’t have to fit the outline that I or anyone else created.  God is complex beyond my ability to completely comprehend.   He won’t fit in the box I’ve made for Him, or the circle, or the triangle, or the star or any other shape.  He won’t fit into the last sermon I hear, the last book I’ve read, the last class I took or even the master’s thesis that I wrote.  But He will most definitely fit in my life.  Or more accurately, my life can fit in Him.  My life will fit in Him regardless of the shape my life is in at the moment, because He is bigger than me, more complex than me.  And He’s exactly the God that I need Him to be.

Fire when I need to burn with passion. Earthquakes when my world needs to be shaken up.  A wind when I need to be blown about.  And a whisper when I need that still small voice.  One God who meets me where I’m at and in the way I need to hear Him.

God, not sure what I’m going to face today.  And I’m not really sure exactly how I feel.  God, please come to me in the way that I need You hear from You today.  Shout or whisper.  Shake me up or hold me steady.  Sooth and calm me or make me jump with excitement.  You’re still the same God, but today let hear from You in the way that draws me closer to You and best helps me to proclaim You to the world.  Amen

Leonard

Cut Throat Kitchen – The Biblical Version, Week 15 Day 1, 1 Kings 17-18

Cut Throat Kitchen – The Biblical Version, Week 15 Day 1, 1 Kings 17-18

There’s this new (or at least new to me) cooking show that I’ve watched only a couple of times, Cut Throat Kitchen.  The chefs are competing against each other.  (Why does everything on TV need to be a competition now, especially when we live in an age where little league teams aren’t even allowed to keep score?)  So the idea of the show is that the chefs have a certain amount of money.  They use the money to buy bonuses or to sabotage their competition.  In one of the shows I saw they were making a dish with shrimp.  They were then given a bowl of shrimp tails on which to bid.  The winner got to pick an opponent that lost his nice juicy whole shrimp to be replaced with the tiny shrimp tails.  Yeah, the guy lost.

Well, today’s story is the original celebrity barbeque cook off / religious competition.  I’m not sure that Elijah understood the rules of the game.  He does everything he can to stack the odds in favor of hise opponents.  He challenges not one to two other prophets to a prophetic barbeque cook off.  No, he challenges four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.  And the rules of this cook off are bit strange as both teams will be working with a bit of a handicap.  Seems they aren’t allowed to light the barbeque / alters.  Indeed, the challenge is actually between Elijah’s God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel verses the god Baal.  And the winner is going to be the god who lights the fire. 

Let the competition begin.  Prophets of Baal go first.  Baal’s prophets call on their god from dawn until noon.  They dance, they shout.  And Elijah taunts them.  “Shout louder!”  Maybe he’s busy?  In thought?  Traveling?  Asleep?  If this was an NFL game Elijah would have gotten a 15 yard penalty for taunting his opponents.  The prophets even start cutting themselves in an effort to get a response from Baal.  Finally at evening they give up.

Now it’s Elijah’s turn.  Not understanding the rules of Cut Throat Kitchen he actually gives himself a further penalty.  He has them douse his alter, wood and offering with water not once, not twice, but three times.  After this he prays to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He will answer his prayer and the people will know that the Lord is God.  And fire falls from heaven, consumes the offering, the wood and alter and even the water that had been poured out on the offering.  And the people who had been following Baal now declare that “The Lord – He is God!”

And Elijah, in a move that today would surely get him a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, kills the 450 prophets of Baal.  I know I’ve said this before, but very different rules for a very different time.  And in the day of Elijah, Cut Throat Kitchen was really cut throat. Both sides would have known the stakes going in. 

So, what are we to make of this brutal story of competing gods and terrible penalties?

First, it’s easy for us, especially in “modern day’s” to act as though all these thoughts of God or gods don’t matter.  There is no god or God.  And IF there is a god or God, it really only matters at the end of our lives.  And if there is a god or God, then he or He must be nice and let everyone into heaven.  But this story says that the struggle between God and everything against God is real and has real consequence, not just at the end of lives, but in the here and now.  In the game of “Who are you going to follow?” you’re answer makes a very real and profound difference, today and everyday.

Second, the story tells us that what’s right or wrong isn’t decided by polls, opinions, or the number of people on one side or the other.  There is a real standard for right and wrong and that standard comes from God.  We can disagree.  We can choose to not follow.  That doesn’t change what’s right or wrong.  If the current opinion is 1 verse 450, that doesn’t make the 450 right.  Of course, it is possible for the 450 to be right and the 1 to be wrong, when the 450 agree with God and the 1 stands against Him.  It ain’t the numbers that make right or wrong.  It’s where right and wrong come from.

Third, and I’ll confess that I’ve read ahead, even when you’re right don’t get cocky.  Elijah won the completion, but his killing of the 450 prophets of Baal will not be without consequence.  Believe in God.  Depend on God.  Rely on God.  But don’t get cocky. 

God, help me to know what’s right and what’s wrong.  Help me to remember Your Word, Your Truth and Your Standards.  Give me the strength and character to stand for what You have shown to be right.  But God, please let me stand with grace and humility and not get cocky.  Amen

Leonard

Which Ear, Week 14 Day 1, 1 Kings 12

Which Ear, Week 14 Day 1, 1 Kings 12

You’ve probably seen movies, TV shows or cartoons where the character, faced with a moral dilemma is “assisted” in making their decision by a good guy on one shoulder and a bad guy on the other.  Often times these shoulder conscious kibitzers are a devil and an angel. 

Invariably the angel gives advice about the right or good thing to do.  The devil gives advice about the wrong or bad thing to do.  And invariably the angel and the devil represent the internal discussion of the character faced with a choice.  No real new information is offered.  But as we watch or listen to the character converse with the angel and the devil, we get to eavesdrop on their internal decision making process.

In 1 Kings 12, the characters are real.  But the choices are just as stark as our modern day angel and devil argument.  Rehoboam has been made king.  Jeroboam comes to plead for Israel.  Under Solomon they were oppressed.  And Jeroboam asks Rehoobam to lighten their load.

No angels here, but the elders who had served as Solomon's advisers now plead Jeroboam’s case.  The elders’ advice to Rehoboam, act as a servant of the people, lighten their load and they in turn will always serve you.  A win – win if ever there was one.

Rehoboam  doesn’t like their advice.  So he rejects it and seeks the advice of his friends.  The young men’s advice, boast of how much stronger you are than your father was and increase their burden.  Yes, Solomon placed a heavy burden on them, but you make it even heavier. 

That’s the kind of advice you would expect from someone who attended the “Pharaoh While Israel was their Slaves School of Negotiations.”   That’s the kind of advice that you would expect from someone who is more concerned with getting whatever they can from others, rather than getting along with others. 

And Rehoboam decides to follow the advice of his younger friends rather than the advice of his father’s experienced advisers.  But this really isn’t about who is smarter, the young or old, the experienced or inexperienced.   Jeroboam wasn’t concerned with getting good advice.  Jeroboam was concerned about getting the answer that he already knew that he wanted.

Once you’ve made up your mind, it can be hard for any advice, good or bad, to change it.

We live in a time when politics and social issues are sharply divided.  And many of us only spend time listening to those people that already agree with us.  And if we do listen to the other side, it’s mainly to find points against their position.  We’re not really trying to learn anything.  We’re trying to score points for our side and poke holes in their side.

Rehoboam already know the answer he wanted.  And he only accepted the council of those who already agreed with him.  And in doing so Rehoboam, son of the wisest man ever to live made a most unwise choice.  And so the kingdom was torn in two.

Often in life there really is an absolute right or wrong position or thing to do.  But every day, leaders and even us normal folks are faced with choices and opportunities for discussion where there is room for real choice.  Will we serve others?  Or will we seek to get what we think we deserve?  Will we seek selfish gain or mutual benefit?  Will we seek to win our argument or understand another’s position.  Will we value others and really listen to them to hear their heart, or will we listen to them only enough to marginalize them and their position before we dismiss them.

Will we divide or unite?  Will we seek to serve ourselves or others?  And have you already decided, or will you really listen?

God, I pray that you would give me a servant’s heart.  Help me to see how to serve others, to see how by serving I can better their lives.  Don’t let me just see how others might serve me.  Give me wisdom that comes from You.  May I have ears to hear, a heart to listen, and a spirit of discernment that comes from You.  When there is a right or wrong, give me the courage to stand for what is right, and the grace to stand with a merciful and graceful heart.  But sometimes the hardest choice is to choose to listen.  Make me quick to hear the heart and needs of others.  Amen

Leonard

The Genie in the Lamp with a Side Order of Magic Spell and Binding Legal Agreement, Week 13 - Day 1, 1 Kings 1-4

The Genie in the Lamp with a Side Order of Magic Spell and Binding Legal Agreement, Week 13 - Day 1,  1 Kings 1-4

I’ve got to wonder how many bad jokes, how many stories start off with the premise of the magic lamp.  You know, gal or a guy finds a lamp, rubs it and out pops a genie that will grant them three wishes.  In most of the joke or stories things don’t end up well for the finder of the lamp.  Some people try to treat God like the genie in the lamp. If they just rub Him the right way then they’ll get what they want.

Others ask God for stuff like they were doing some sort of magical incantation.  An opening “Oh God” with a pious “Pretty Please” followed quickly by a “In Jesus Name” to close out that spell.  If you just pray right, if you pray hard enough, then the magic words will do the trick.  Like Dorothy in Oz we just need to click our heels, while wearing our magical red prayer slippers and repeat, “I just want the answer to my prayer.  I just want the answer to my prayer.”

Then there’s the legal prayer.  Sometimes we call this name it and claim it.  If you can remember the verse and repeat the promise contained therein, God is obligated to grant your request.  For this one you get extra credit if you remember and mention the Scripture reference.  Also, you’re allowed to use the specific Bible translation that does the best job of saying exactly what you want it to say.  God said it, I claim it, that settles it.

Put them all together and you’ve got yourself a trifecta of God having to do whatever it is that you want Him to do.

Then there’s Solomon.  He actually gets that one wish.  In a dream God tells him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  Wow!  One request!  Solomon can ask for anything.  ANYTHING! No qualifiers, no limitations, your mileage won’t vary, valid in all states including the District of Columbia.

What would you ask for if you were in the same position?  What is this new King Solomon going to ask God for?

He asks for wisdom.  But it turns out that he was already pretty wise.  Consider that just a short time ago, David gave Solomon his final instructions as before he passed away.  And here is what David gave to Solomon as his charge.

To be strong and do everything that God required, walking in His ways, keeping all His commands.  Doing that would allow Solomon to prosper.  Deal with the Joab, an enemy of the past.  Show kindness to sons of Braillai, a friend of the past.  Then there’s Shimei, son of Gara, another past enemy who needs to be dealt with.  Then there’s Adohijah who was trying to take the role of kin.  There’s Abiathar, the renegade priest to be dealt with.  Wow, talk about a busy first week!

But in the end of David’s charge he calls Solomon “a man of wisdom.”  So why then does a man who is already wise, wise enough to secure his kingdom make his one request wisdom?

Because while Solomon may already be wise beyond his years, he’s also wise enough to know that his human wisdom isn’t up to the task.  He knows his limitations. He knows that he really doesn’t know how to carry out all his duties.  The people are too numerous.  His request is simple, be a servant with a discerning heart to govern God’s people and to distinguish right from wrong.

The trick isn’t knowing how to rub the lamp.  The magic isn't in saying the right words in the right way.  We can’t trick or bind God with some legal mumbo jumbo.

We need to realize that it’s not the genie or ourselves who is in charge, it’s God who is in charge.  We need to realize that our words aren't magic, it’s only God who can work the magic of creation and salvation.  We need to realize that the law wasn't given to force God to act in a certain way, it was given to show us how much we need God.

And we too need to be wise.  Wise enough to realize that we can’t do it our own.  We need to be wise enough that we to admit that we don’t always know right from wrong.  We need to realize that the genie doesn't serve us, but it’s we that serve God.  And ask Him for the wisdom to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, and His Spirit working in us so that we can do His will.  One request, one prayer that is the key to living the life that God wants us to live.

God, really only one way to end this.  Please grant me a spirit of discernment.  Give me the wisdom to know Your ways, to know right from wrong.  And then God, give me a heart to do what is right.  Not my right.  Not the world’s right.  Give me the heart to do Your right.  That’s all.  Amen

Leonard

Where’s Leonard Been and What Do You Give to Someone Who has Everything?

Where’s Leonard Been and What Do You Give to Someone Who has Everything?

Hi All! 

A few people asked why I haven’t been blogging.  I’m sure a far greater number of people quietly breathed a sigh of relief when I was no long appearing on their Facebook Newsfeed on a more than daily basis.

I’ve been blogging on the passages from a study my church is doing on The Story, a 30 plus week survey through the major portions / themes of the Bible.  Well, for the month of December we’ve taken a break from The Story for a sermon series on Christmas Hymns.  While interesting, not exactly my cup of tea.  So I’ve taken a bit of a break.  I’ll be back to The Story in another week or so.

But, and you knew there had to be a but, with all the “Christmas” advertising I’ve noticed something.  I’ll have to admit that in one way I’m kind of glad that all the stores have Holiday sales and not Christmas Sales.  Why?  Well, I’m all for the gift giving (but please don’t break your budget) but I’m pretty sure what the stores are selling isn’t really Christmas.  I’ll explain.

There are ads for clothes, thanks for the socks Grandma.  There are ads for toys.  There are ads for electronics and gadgets and stuff of the house.  There are ads for everything.  I even heard a radio ad the other day for a digital tire pressure gauge from the local auto parts store.

Then there are these ads, “What do you get for someone who has everything?”  You’ve probably heard that phrase at least a few times during the “Christmas” shopping season.  The idea is, what could you possibly give to someone who already has everything that they need or want.  Of course the irony is that the ads posing this question then go on to recommend things that you could actually give to someone who has everything.  Name a star after them.  Make a donation in their name to a charity.  Get them a bigger, better, more expensive version of something they already have.

But I believe that it is fundamentally impossible to have everything.  Matthew 6:26 tells us, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”  We’ve made “Christmas about the stuff of the world.  We’ve made “Christmas” about presents.  We’ve made “Christmas” about family.  We’ve made “Christmas” about lights and decorations and parties.  And all of that stuff is okay.  But none of it is about the real meaning of Christmas.  If I was to paraphrase Matthew 6:26 for Christmas it would be something like this:  “What will it benefit you if you celebrate the holiday, if you have all the decorations, all the presents and even all your family if you don’t know or lose track of the true meaning of Christmas, which is the coming of Christ our Lord and Savior?”

Earlier in the passage, Matthew 6:24 tells us, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”  The ads can try to sell stuff that money can buy.  But they can’t sell God.  You can’t really chase after all that stuff and still chase after Christ.  They can’t sell Christ whose birth Christmas is really all about.  The ads can’t sell salvation.  Because our salvation has already been paid in full and offered to us as a free gift from God.  That’s the true gift of Christmas from God through Christ our Lord and Savior. 

So I’m okay with “Holiday Sales” because the sales and the stuff aren’t really what Christmas is about.  Christmas is about the free gift of God which is salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.  And if you have that gift, then you truly have everything. 

God, thank You for the greatest of all possible gifts.  Thank you for this season that can remind us how much You really love us.  Thank You that You would send Your Son to be born as a Man, to live His life, to suffer and die on the cross and to rise again.  All of this so that we could have Your Precious gift of Salvation.  God, thank You for the Child in a manager who was starting His earthly journey to be the Savior of the world.  Amen

Leonard

True Confessions, Week 12 Day 2, Psalm 51

True Confessions, Week 12 Day 2, Psalm 51

Celebrity confessions are a big thing these days.  It’s like there’s a laundry list of things one must do to apologize and make good in our modern world.  I’m pretty sure someone is work in a book right noe, “Confessions for Dummies”.  Sure to be a best seller.  And there are different kinds of apologies.

First, there’s the non-apology.  It generally starts with the words, “If I offended anyone…”  Why do I call this a non-apology?  Because it makes no logical sense.  The very fact that you’re saying, “If I offended anyone” is an oxymoron.  If you don't think you’ve offended anyone that you wouldn’t be apologizing.  So you obviously know that you did offend someone or someones.  When I hear these I really think the person is saying, “Good grief, I can’t believe anyone was really offended by this.  But I’ll say I’m sorry even thought I really don’t think I have anything to apologize for. “  Or they could be saying, “What I’m really sorry about is that I said it our loud.  Oh god, now I have to pretend I’m sorry I offended you.  I’d rather you just went away and I didn’t have to waste my time. They really aren’t “sorry” for what they did or said.  They’re sorry they have to bother issuing a ridiculous (in their eyes) non-apology.

Then there’s the apology that looks real, but how do we really know?  Especially in the case of public figures, we expect them to do something that shows their sincerity.  Give a donation. Pay a fine.  Serve their time.  Participate in some sort of program.  Get treatment.  Take time off from whatever it is that they do.  Resign.  Etc.  And we look at what they say and what they do and make a judgment on if their apology is sincere.

 Then there’s David’s apology after killing Uriah and having his guilt exposed by Nathan.  Some of what he says doesn't fit very well in our current world, in our culture.  In Psalm 51 he says, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against You, You only have I sinned.”  Really?  Seems like Uriah bore the brunt of David’s sin.  Not really sure how Bathsheba felt about it.  What about how David’s sin will affect the nation?  Yet David says his sin is against God and God alone. 

David’s confession represents a completely different world view.  We view that we have harmed someone.  And only the person that we have harmed, or “if” we offended them, can be the ones to forgives us.  But, at least for public figures that isn’t true.  I’m going to take a brief step into current events and politics to make my point.  I hope that even if you don’t completely agree with my point of view you’ll get the point that I’m trying to make.

Bill Cosby has been in the news recently in horrible and awful ways.  He’s accused of sexual assault by many different women that occurred over decades.  I’m not in a place to judge his guilt.  And I really believer in the concept of innocent until proven guilty.  On the other hand, to have so many women come forward.  It seems highly unlikely that so many women would make false accusations against him.  And public opinion and judgment have fallen on Bill Cosby in a mighty way.  I don’t know where that it end but it very much looks like his career as an entertainer is over.  One can only guess if he will face and criminal or civil legal proceeding.

Then we had President Bill Clinton.  He was also accused by many women of unwanted sexual advances over the years.  He admitted to an affair with an intern, or at least he did depending on what the meaning of the word “is” is.  Yet former President Bill Clinton gets hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fee, is regularly interviewed, and works for national and international causes.

When I look at these two men and the things they are accessed of, the things they have admitted to it tells me how fickle we are as people, as a society.  What one does is labeled unforgivable.  The other does the same and is highly regarded.

You can judge these two men or not as you see fit.  And that may affect how we react to them.  And I’m not saying that society should ignore and not deal with these issues.  But ultimately it is God who will judge them.  And it is God who they have sinned against.  And, while our approval may affect how we react to them in this world, it is God’s Word that is final, both in terms of their guilt and if they have received forgiveness from God.

What is critical of each of us is that we realize that we are in the same boat.  Most of us will be fortunate that our sin is not subject of a 20/20 interview or Congressional hearing.  But that should be small comfort, since who we all answer to is a much higher and more final authority that either 20/20, Congress or public opinion.  We all will answer to God.  And we all need to confess our sin to God and pray that He would, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

No “if” in this one.  You have sinned against God.  Make your peace with Him.  You should also make it with those you have harmed if they will let you.  But it’s only God who can truly forgive.

God, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against You, You only have I sinned.”  “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”  Amen

Leonard

Never ever try to “out pray” the Psalms.  At least that’s my opinion.

But I’m Not Hurting Anyone, Week 12 Day 1, 2 Samuel 11 and 12

But I’m Not Hurting Anyone, Week 12 Day 1, 2 Samuel 11 and 12

The story of David and Bathsheba may be one of the better know stories in the Bible.  There’s a lot to learn about sin in this story.  There are a lot of stories about the consequences of sin in this story.  There’s even forgiveness in this story.  And there’s one thing that’s always gotten me about this story that I think helps to put sin into perspective.  I’ll save that point for near the end.

First, David goes for a evening walk on the roof.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  Then he sees a beautiful woman taking a bath on the roof.  That would have actually been normal.  Nothing wrong with that either.  But then David sends someone to find out about her.  And now he’s started down a slippery slope that will end in sin and disaster.  And that brings us to our first lesson, don’t flirt with temptation.  You may not give in to the temptation.  But then again you might.  And that would be bad.  It’s best to give temptation a wide birth.  People are quick to blame the object of temptation for their problems.  But it isn’t the object that gets you into trouble.  It’s not even the first look.  It’s the second look, the inquiring about it, the chasing after it that gets you into trouble.

David does more than look.  He sends for her.  He sleeps with her.  And she gets her pregnant.  Given the situation it’s not entirely clear how much choice Bathsheba had in the matter.  The king calls, you come.  Now David has another problem.  He needs to cover his sin.  So first he tries to get Uriah to come home and sleep with his wife.  Tries to make it look like that child is actually Uriah’s.  But Uriah is decidedly uncooperative.   He won’t go home and sleep with his wife while the rest of the men are still in battle.  And that’s the second lesson that’s here for us, deception doesn’t always work to hide our sin.  And while we may be able to hide our sin from those around us, we can’t hide our sin from God.  We’ll see that later.  Sin leads to deception. 

When David can’t hide his sin with deception he develops a conspiracy to have Uriah killed.  A plot is hatched to have Uriah killed in battle.  And the plot works.  And that is the next lesson, once we start with deception, it’s hard to stop.  And the lies can just keep getting bigger and bigger.  Sending a man to his death, you can’t get much worse than that.  And yet here is King David, God’s favorite, who finds himself carrying out the murder of another man to cover his sin.  And David takes Bathsheba to be his wife.

“But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”  Yeah, the obvious lesson here is that God is displeased by sin.  So Nathan comes to David and through a story gets David to pronounce judgment on his own sin.  And God pronounces judgment on David through Nathan.  And a hard judgment it is.  David will lose the son from Bathsheba.  David will lose his wives.  And the sword will never depart from his house.  And there is our next lesson, sin has consequences.  We like to tell ourselves that “it does hurt anyone.”  But it does.  It affects those close to us.  It affects the people we work with.  It affects the people that we interact with during the day.  Like waves from a pebble dropped in a pool, the sin in our life moves outward and disturbs others.  They may not know what caused the disturbance.  They may not even realize there was a disturbance.  But it’s there none that less, disturbing their life, changing their life.  Rocking the quietness of their life.

And with confession there can be forgiveness.   David confesses.  And the Lord says that He will take away David’s sin.  But the consequences remain.  There will be other sons.  But his first son from Bathsheba is lost, a terrible consequence of his sin.  Yes, there is forgiveness, but the damage of our sins remains.  We can find forgiveness.  We can find reconciliation.  We can find new hope and have a life restored.  But what is lost is lost.  The future can be redeemed. But the lose from the past remains lost.

And now back to what has been forgotten.  In every Bible I ever owned this story is called “David and Bathsheba”  and “Nathan Rebukes David”.  Or that “titles” read something like that.  Now I’m not saying that those titles are untrue.  But I think they put the focus in the wrong place.  My title might be a bit more blunt.

“David Kills Uriah With His Sin”  Ouch!  But I think this title does a better job of shining a light on the fact the what we do affects others.  I don’t exist in a vacuum.  You don’t exist in a vacuum.  David didn’t exist in a vacuum.  And “if” this world is messed up, then that’s because everyone has contributed to the mess, each with our own sin.  Each with our own ripples of the things we’ve done that not only affect us but send out waves that upset the world around us.  David can be forgiven, but Uriah is dead.  That consequence cannot be undone.  My sin, your sin, all our sin leaves a mark on the world.  And that sin leaves its mark on us.

As long as it doesn’t affect anyone is a lie pure and simple.  “It” affects me.  It affects those I know.  The  ripples go out into the world. 

God, just life David, I have sinned against You Lord.  And my sin has rippled out into the world.  Its ripples have washed over everyone I know and out into the world around me.  And Lord, I’m am so thankful for Your forgiveness.  And I give thanks for Your redemption.  But now I ask you Lord.  Create in me O Lord a mind and a heart those so desires to follow you that I avoid that second look, that I don’t chase after the temptation.  Give me the strength of character by the work of Your Holy Spirit in me that keeps me focused on You and not the temptations of the world.  Amen

Leonard