Readings for today: 2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Chronicles 20, Psalms 51
The story of David and Bathsheba is perhaps the most well-know stories of abuse in Scripture. David, flush with his success on the battlefield and drunk on his own power, 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 means he’s probably on the front lines. There’s no one around to protect her. No one to plead her cause. Her husband’s close relationship with the king suggests Bathsheba and David probably knew each other. Who knows how long David’s been waiting for this chance? Perhaps this was a secret desire he’d been entertaining for years. So he calls for her. Commands her to come. With her life on the line, she obeys and conceives a child from the one night stand. Now comes the coverup. David sends for Uriah. He’s hoping Uriah will use his furlough to sleep with his wife. But Uriah holds fast to his integrity. He refuses to take the bait. So David orchestrates his murder.
It’s a horrible story. One we cannot and should not try to explain away or gloss over or 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. And though David repents, the ripple effect of his sin will impact his family and his people for years to come.
Sadly, this story is all too familiar. I cannot tell you the number of pastors and ministry leaders (all men by the way) I’ve watched fall from grace. Drunk with their own success and power, they believe themselves to be untouchable. Beyond accountability. In their arrogance and pride, they take advantage of the weak and vulnerable. I’ve personally had to lead efforts to remove six such pastors over the years. When confronted, they use all kinds of justifications to defend their sexual and spiritual abuse. I’ve sat with their victims and listened to heart-rending stories of grooming, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, and blame-shifting. These local stories mirror the celebrity cases that have hit the news in recent years. And the ripple effect impacts families, churches, and organizations. In fact, it often destroys them.
God will not be mocked. What we try to do in secret, He will expose. He will not let sin go unpunished. He hates abuse of every kind. He stands with the victims against those who would use their power to wound, exploit, and oppress. He holds leaders especially accountable for the way they treat those under their care. Those Christians called to leadership inside the church or outside the church must hold themselves to a higher standard. We must constantly ask God to search our hearts and root out any sin that may have taken root lest it blossom into something destructive.
Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 32, 86, 102-103, 122