David's Story, Part IIDr. James Mayfield
June 27, 2004 Text: Psalm 51:1-12 (stories from II Samuel) The stories on which last week's sermon was based had to do with the period in David's life before he was king of all Judah and Israel , and we focused on his outlook on life as reflected in the 23rd Psalm. Today's sermon is based on several stories that come from the period when David was king. When King Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in a battle with the Philistines, what followed was a civil war between the followers of Saul who lived in Israel , the northern part of the country and the followers of David who lived in Judah . II Samuel tells about the bloody conflicts and murders of revenge that happened in that war. When, at last, David was safely on the throne in Jerusalem , God sent the prophet Nathan to tell David, God was going to be with him as king. David's response was to go immediately to where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and offer a prayer of thanksgiving: "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?" Then follow stories of several military victories. In the midst of these is a poignant story about David's compassion and kindness toward the 5 year old grandson of Saul, the son of David's dear friend Jonathan. All seemed to be going as well as possible when one is king of a little nation surrounded by hostile neighbors. Then, David stayed home while his army led by Joab attacked and laid siege to Rabbah. And you know what comes next. He saw Bathesheba taking a bath; he learned her husband was away with the army. Then, David sent for her and one thing led to another and she became pregnant. David tried to hide his affair by having her husband sent back to Jerusalem , on the pretext of reporting on the war. But his real intent was for Uriah, Bathseba's husband, to spend time with her. But Uriah was a man of principal, and he refused to enjoy the pleasures of wife and home while his troops were on the field of battle. In desperation, David sent Uriah back to the war carrying sealed orders. Uriah was to lead a charge and when his troops were in the thick of fighting, they were to withdraw so that it would be certain Uriah would be killed in battle. And it was done as David ordered. Bathsheba mourned the death of her husband, and when her time of mourning was ended, David married her, and she gave birth to David's son. What David had done angered God; so, God sent his prophet Nathan to confront David with his sin. Nathan did this by telling David about a rich man who had many sheep who stole the only sheep belonging to a poor man in order to feed the rich man's guests. David was incensed at this act of injustice. Then, Nathan declared: "You are the man." He went on to remind David of how generous God had been to him and to speak of God's anger toward David for having committed both adultery and murder.
David immediately confessed his sin. His prayer may have been words similar to those we read today. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love…. 4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight…. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Nathan told David of God's forgiveness, but he also told David, that forgiveness would not prevent the terrible consequences his sin had set in motion. In what followed, it is evident the self-serving character flaws that led David into adultery and murder had expressed themselves in other ways because what is revealed in those stories is a family in what we might call "painful dysfunction."
Amon, one of David's sons followed his father's example in taking what he wanted. Amon raped his half-sister, David's daughter, Tamar. While David was angry about his, Tamar's brother, Absalom was furious. But Absalom bided his time, and a couple of years later he masterminded the murder of Amon. Afraid of what David might do, Absalom fled.
After 3 years of exile, Joab, the general of David's army, got David to allow Absalom to return. However, it was another 2 years before David made time to see his son, Absalom.
But by then, Absalom had only anger and resentment toward his father which he kept well hidden. Meanwhile as Absalom moved about in Jerusalem and Judah he did not miss an opportunity to sow seeds of unrest and undermine his father's rule. All the while he was gathering troops who would be loyal to him.
After 4 years of this, Absalom told David he wanted to return to Hebron so that he could fulfill a vow he made while in exile -- a vow to someday return and worship God there. But Absalom did not go to worship God. He went to begin a rebellion. He went north, to the area that had been Saul's political base to recruit support for overthrowing his father. Absalom was obviously successful because when he returned to Jerusalem he had such a following David had to flee. Several stories of intrigue and war follow. Finally Absalom was killed and the rebellion put down.
But David felt little relief or peace in the victory. His focus was on the death of his estranged son. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" It is a heartrending cry of a man who knew he had failed as a father.
David's story does not end here. David picked up the pieces of his life and moved on. The David presented in the Bible is very human. He is a far cry from the role model of virtue presented in some children's Bible storybooks or Hollywood movies. What is presented is a complex and flawed human being. And in that, David is not unlike us. Rather than giving us a model for morality, Bible stories such as the David saga, give us a kind of mirror to see ourselves because like David we too can be both shyster and saint, ruthless and just, cruel and kind, sinner and person of faith. When we carefully read the stories about David what we discover is a series of short dramas that reflect both the best and worst of what it is to be a human being. David was not merely one who sang the 23rd Psalm, he was also a power wise politician who could be shrewd, ruthless and cruel and whose passions led him to murder and whose insensitivities caused his family to give painful and tragic meaning to the word "dysfunctional."
Yet David was also a human being, who clearly and poignantly, admitted his sin, confessed his sin, was genuinely penitent and strived to repent - to change. Like most of us, David was a mixed bag of sinfulness and faithfulness, whose religious life bounced between falsely pious attempts to manipulate of God and genuine, humble obedience to God. But unlike many of us, when confronted with his sin, David did not play dodge ball, using all sorts of alibis; he did not seek excuses or hide behind the faults of others. David confessed his sin and repented, and as a man of faith, dealt with the consequences of what he had done and left undone.
This is part of the reason why I think David is such an important figure in the Hebrew-Christian heritage. But there is an even deeper and more profound reason for remembering the story of David.
I am convinced the writer of the Gospel of Matthew was aware of this deeper reason. That gospel begins with a long list of all the male ancestors of Jesus. When the writer got to David, he made sure we would remember this skeleton in Jesus' family tree. "And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah." Why did Matthew slap us in the face with this old memory of our ancestor's sins of adultery and murder? Why did he choose to do this at the very beginning of the gospel story that proclaims Jesus, David's descendant, as Lord and Savior? I think the writer of Matthew did it as a tribute to God's grace and to the way God's amazing grace is able to work through and make use of even the worst within us.
This is the deeper and more profound reason the story of David is so important to our Hebrew-Christian heritage. It shows us the steadfast love of God. God's steadfast love does not protect us from the consequences of our failures and sin, but it does not abandon us either -- not even when we go astray as did David. God's steadfast love does not leave us lost and helpless because of our sin. Because of God's steadfast love God continues to be with us, just as God continued to be with David, offering us what we need to live as persons of faith even as we deal with the consequences of our failures and sin.
God, have mercy on us according to your steadfast love. Create in each of us a clean heart and put a new and right spirit in us. Enable us to be faithful, even as we deal with the consequences of our failures and sin. Amen.
Pastoral prayer: God, we confess that all too often we try to live apart from you, and when we do, we make a mess of things. Forgive us when because of selfishness, insensitivity or pride, we go our own way. Apart from you our greatest accomplishments are little more than road dust that swirls around our feet as we march toward our graves. Help us understand that our lives matter only to the extent that we live in harmony with you and serve your purposes. Help us realize that it is only as we allow ourselves to be embraced by your love and allow your love to shape our living that our lives serve your eternal purpose. God, help us receive and embrace the gift of Your tough and tender love so that what we say and do each day will be used by you in confronting whatever is destructive and enhancing all that is good. God, enable us to live each day so that whatever we are doing serves you. In the name of the One whose living made your redeeming grace known to us, we pray: "Our Father …"
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