2 Aug Weekly Thought

Last week, as I was greeting people at the door, one person said to me, “Why do we have to listen to Old Testament readings like that?”

Well, because they are good stories to learn from. In this case, we learn about King David. And because I believe they are stories of hope.

When we think of King David, we tend to think of him as a great king, the father of Solomon (another great king) or as the one who wrote all the Psalms. But let’s look at this David. When the story begins, he is lustful. He’s an adulterer. He’s a murderer, or an accessory to murder.

This is where Nathan comes in. He’s a prophet, sent by God and prophets weren’t always welcome or treated well. So Nathan begins by telling David a story. David, who as king, is used to hearing stories and making judgments. And Nathan doesn’t tell him that the story isn’t real. So, when David hears how this wealth man exploits the poor man, his reaction is that it is unconscionable. Then Nathan says: “it’s you!” Well, that must have caught David up short. But to his credit, he didn’t kill Nathan or make excuses or say things like “Well, I didn’t mean…”. He acknowledged his sin: “I have sinned.”

We are quick to judge the behavior of others, but not so good at recognizing our own bad behavior. Who are the Nathans in your life? Who are the ones who are brave enough to hold up the mirror for you? And how do you treat them? Some friends take great risk, like potentially losing a friendship, when they call you on your stuff.

What Nathan does is allow David to acknowledge his sin, and by doing so, David is then open to God’s grace and forgiveness. That doesn’t mean there weren’t repercussions later in the story; he doesn’t get off scott free. But he is able to receive God’s forgiveness.

We should give thanks for the Nathan’s in our lives. When we recognize our sins, we should acknowledge them, and by doing so, we open ourselves up to the grace, the love and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.


Peace,

The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC