Readings for today: 2 Samuel 9-11, John 15, Psalms 119:49-64, Proverbs 16:1-3
It is estimated by the World Health Organization that 1/3 of women worldwide are victims of sexual abuse. A 2017 poll taken by ABC News and the Washington post reports that 54% of American women have reported receiving unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances, most of which is never addressed. The #MeToo movement first got started in 2006 when Tarana Burke used the hashtag in social media to draw attention to the struggle of women of color, particularly in underprivileged communities. However, it really gained steam when the allegations of Harvey Weinstein were first made public in 2017 and it has since spread like wildfire through all sorts of different industries. Hollywood. Media. Corporations. Government. And yes, the church.
The great heroes of the Bible have their own #MeToo moments. The story of David and Bathsheba is perhaps the most famous. David, flush with his success on the battlefield and drunk on his own power and privilege, decides to stay home rather than head off to war. As he stands on the roof, proudly overlooking all he has accomplished, he catches a glimpse of the beautiful Bathsheba bathing beneath him. He heart fills with lust. He covets this beautiful woman and who’s around to stop him? The army is off at war. Her husband is one of David’s mighty men which suggests David knew Bathsheba already. Perhaps this was a secret desire he’d been entertaining for years. He calls for her. Commands her to come. With her life on the line, she obeys and conceives a child from their one night stand. Now comes the coverup. David sends for Uriah but Uriah refuses to cooperate. So David orchestrates his murder.
It’s a horrible story. One we cannot and should not reduce to a morality tale. Bathsheba is raped. Uriah murdered. A child dies. All because of David’s insatiable lust and appetite for power. Left to his own devices, David might have gotten away with it. But God was watching. God is always watching. “For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.” (2 Samuel 12:12) God sends Nathan the prophet, David’s own brother you’ll remember, to confront him. Nathan risks his life to stand up to David. Expose his sin. Call him out.
Frankly, we need more Nathans in our world. Courageous people who are willing to stand up to power expose sin. Women and men of conviction who refuse to tolerate any form of abuse. For far too long the church has protected men who abuse and those who protect them. High profile cases in the Roman Catholic Church are matched with similar high profile cases in the Protestant world such as the Sovereign Grace scandal or the allegations made against Bill Hybels and Willow Creek. In a social media world, there is no longer any place to hide which is a very good thing. The stories must be heard. The cries for justice must be satisfied. The truth must come out. These women are our sisters in Christ. They sit in our pews every week. They serve in so many ways. They give so much of themselves. We must listen. We must believe. We must act on their behalf.
Judgment begins at the house of the Lord. (1 Peter 4:17) We must clean up our own mess first before we dare to speak out to the culture around us. We must safeguard and protect. We must be honest and transparent. We must implement healthy systems of accountability. Real lives are at stake and we must not fail.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 12, John 16, Psalms 119:65-80, Proverbs 16:4-5