This is the message that I gave on the 9th Sunday after Pentecost, 13 August 2000, at Walker Valley United Methodist Church, Walker Valley, NY. The Scriptures for that Sunday were 2 Samuel 18:5 – 9, 15, 31 – 33; Ephesians 4: 25 – 5: 2; and John 6: 35, 41 – 51.
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David’s story presents an interesting series of contrasts. ON the one hand, we have David’s successes and wise actions. He asked God for guidance through his prayers. He punished the assassins of one his enemies. He prayed for God’s deliverance. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He praised God for his goodness. He offered sacrifices to God and blessed the people of Israel. He confessed his sins before God.
Both the Judeans and the Israelites anointed him King, thus combining the two kingdoms into one. He conquered Jerusalem. His armies defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, and the Ammonites.
But he also had plenty of troubles and not so wise actions. He seduced Bathsheba and ordered the murder of her husband, Uriah. The child that he conceived with Bathsheba died in birth, leaving the relationship with Bathsheba some what strained. He angered God by ordering the census of the people of Israel. And he failed to forgive Absalom, his son, or instruct him.
His relationship with his son may not have been the best to begin with. In the passages of 2 Samuel leading up to today’s reading, Absalom has murdered his half brother Amnon in retaliation for his rape of their half sister Tamar. He also taken steps to overthrow his father David as king of all Israel. It is understandable why David doesn’t like Absalom and has, in fact, sought to kill him. But the loss of a son will always be a traumatic event, especially when they may have been some hope of reconciliation.
Though the annals of history glorify the victories and ignore the defeats and personal flaws of many ancient rulers, the Bible graphically details all of David’s sins and weaknesses. David is no mythical hero; he is a flesh-and-blood human being whose great strengths are matched by great weaknesses.
For we the readers, these stories offer us three lessons. First, they show that we all need the salvation that God alone offers to those who trust him.
Second, David’s sin with Bathsheba robbed him of moral authority in his own family. It paralyzed his ability to correct his own sons. There are consequences even to forgiven sins. Third, though both Saul and David both sinned, there was a significant difference between them. David took public responsibility for his sins and openly sought God’s forgiveness. Saul made excuses and pretended that all was right between the Lord and him. God can and will forgive our sins but we must also be honest with ourselves, with others, and most importantly with God Himself.
So how do we live our lives today? How do we deal with the problems that face us? It seems that Paul’s counsel to the Ephesians is as valid today as it was when he first wrote those words. In today’s world, we found out what David found out; that it is very easy to fall for the temptations that are in the world. In Ephesians 4:30 Paul writes
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4: 30)
Paul is saying that Holy Spirit of God should never be pushed away, ignored, rejected. If we remember that it is God’s own Spirit that lives in us, we would be much more selective in what we think, what we read, what we watch, what we say, and what we do. Paul acknowledged that even those who follow Christ, as he put it, “sealed by the Holy Spirit” are still susceptible to temptations, evil thoughts, and actions.
In the verses just before the passage that we read today, Paul compared the Christian life to stripping off the dirty clothes of a sinful past and putting on the snowy white robes of Christ’s righteousness. We can see this analogy in another way. At many salad bars and buffets in this country, you see signs that you must use a clean plate each time you get food.
To truly experience God’s power fully, it is imperative that we start each day with a clean plate. If we take our grudges to bed with us, then it is very hard for us to start the next day clean. Paul tells us, through the Ephesians, that we should not let the sun go down on our wrath.
Jesus knew that it was important to forgive. If Jesus had not absolved Peter, Peter would never have become the great and bold leader that he did. If Jesus had not forgiven Paul, how could Paul have ever declared the Gospel, let alone believe it himself?
The words of Paul apply in a much deeper sense. If we allow our anger to control us, be it against another person or the way the world is, then any actions we take will be a result of that anger. Paul pointed out that not all anger was sinful. As Christians, we may respond in controlled anger to injustice and sin but we should not be consumed. Instead, we should find ways to express God’s love for everyone. In his ill-fated presidential campaign of 1968, Bobby Kennedy often quoted the great writer George Bernard Shaw, “You see things; and say `why? ` But I dream of things that never where and say `why not? `” (George Bernard Shaw)
Paul’s words are a call to action as well as a call to a new way of life. This call is even more to the point for us as United Methodists. When we joined the church and when others joined the church, we said that we would offer “our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service.” Service can take many forms, both in the local church and in the community outside. How one serves the church is not the question; the question must be “are you serving the Lord?”
Somehow, we have gotten the idea that for whatever we do, there must be sometime in return. That is why so many of the temptations around us are so tempting. The rewards that are offered seem so great. There are those who have argued that a Christian life is not possible in today’s society; that to gain the rewards in life requires actions and deeds incompatible with Christ’s standard.
But Jesus told us, in the Gospel reading for today, what rewards await us. If we take of the bread of daily living, we will die. But if we take of the bread of heaven, we will have eternal life. Our actions in this world are not for this moment, but for all times. The rewards we seek will come to us; we may not seem them but others will.
Life’s rewards are to be found. The thirsting of your soul cannot be filled with the water you drink during the day but only by the everlasting water offered by Jesus; the longing of your soul cannot be filled by the accomplishments of the date but only by bread of life offered by Jesus. There is a challenge before you this day. How shall you find life’s little rewards?
