READ 2 SAMUEL 11:1-15
It is a story embroiled in violation, adultery, misplaced loyalties, arrogance, deception, and murder. It is a stark, understated account of a king who abuses power, whose moral fabric is beginning to unravel. And it is a story about a woman who becomes a victim of the king's abusive power. We know little about her, only her name and that she is beautiful. We do not know what she thinks or feels; she says nothing.
Another person in this story is Uriah the Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba. He is the foil, the sharp contrast to all that dismays us about the great King David. In contrast to David who stays home when he should be with others on the battlefield, Uriah goes out to save his community. He lives out his commitment fully and wholly by denying himself nourishment and pleasure, his identification with other soldiers so complete. He is honest, faithful, trusting, courageous. (The king himself depends on one with these values to keep his kingdom and power intact!) But in the end, Uriah's integrity does not guarantee his safety or shield him from danger. He is the one who loses his life. He seems to have been powerless in contrast to the great King David. Or maybe not.
Perhaps this story is God's way of challenging us to imagine that commitment and compassion are not weakness and that the ability to command and oppress is not strength.
God of strength and wisdom, lend me your vulnerability and compassion. Amen.
---Mary Donovan Turner, Encounter
God Is Still In Control!
Miss Lladale Carey
Web Content Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
lcarey@umco.org
No comments:
Post a Comment