DS 006

Mission of Justice

2 Samuel 12:1-14

There is a lot that can be said regarding this incident in the life of David, King of Israel. We could address his failure in abusing his power and privilege. We could address his moral failure in coveting the wife of another. We could address his conspiring to kill Uriah to clear the way for him to marry Bathsheba (“Daughter of Sheba, Ethiopia”). We could address his mistreatment of Bathsheba as a woman and an immigrant or the daughter of immigrants. We could address David's acceptance of his guilt and the character of his repentance. Among these issues, however, we will focus on the mission or purpose of justice as Nathan portrays the character of David's mission as God's representative.

Being King of Israel, David's had a special mission. He was placed in the position to represent God before the nation and the nation before God. Saul, his predecessor, had failed miserably in being God's representative. Saul had been struggling against God's purposes, worried more with advancing and protecting his own interests. Instead of fulfilling his mission as king, he was content allowing others to bear the mantle of Yahweh's mission for him as King of Israel.

God had removed Saul and replaced him with David, who was reported to be a man after God's own heart. David had taken up the mantle of protector of Israel. He took up the mission of calling the nation to faithful service and confidence in Yahweh. He had battled Israel's enemies, even while on the run from Saul. He had led the people into victory and established the structure for a lasting peace with Israel's enemies. He had led the army in battle and ushered in a new era of worshipping Yahweh alone. All seemed to be going well in David's ascendency into the most powerful position in Israel. Then, like Saul, he got sidetracked by position and power. He began to look to his own comfort and forget the purpose of his life.

David had been called by God to serve Israel. He had been picked as the least of his brothers, arising from shepherd of his father's flocks to caring for the needs of the nation. Like Saul, however, David fell prey to the seduction of power, position, wealth, and prestige. Instead of keeping true to his mission as God's representative before Israel, he allowed himself to succumb to the trappings of power.

David saw a beautiful young woman and decided he wanted her for himself. He sent for her and slept with her. Then he sent for her husband who was fighting Israel's battles on the front lines, in order to cover over his misdeeds. When the immigrant husband answered David's call, but did not lie with his wife on return from the battle, David sent him back with instructions to place him in jeopardy and abandon him to Israel's enemies.

Nathan came to confront David. This was a dangerous mission. In the case of any other king in Israel or in the surrounding nations, David's misdeeds would have gone unchallenged. He would have acted and assumed himself to be above the limitations of any law. It would be expected that those around him would not hold him accountable for taking advantage of others. In this case, David had taken an immigrant woman, killed her immigrant husband who was serving in the interests of the nation, and then claimed her for himself.

David was stepping on the most vulnerable of the society. He was stepping on a woman, an immigrant, a widow, and one left unprotected by the ravages of war. He was stepping on Uriah and Bathsheba simultaneously. Beyond that, he was remaining in the palace while war raged on the borders of Israel. He had left the battle in the hands of his generals, while he remained isolated from the ravages of war. His proper place as King of Israel was on the battle lines, not behind in the safety of the palace. David had shifted from being the one who led Israel in victory and protection from its enemies to sitting on the sidelines and reaping the benefits of Israel's victories. Instead of serving Yahweh, he had shifted to serving himself.

Instead of addressing David's failure directly, Nathan came to David with a parable, though he did not call it such. He told David a story about a rich man who had received a guest, but did not want his hospitality to cost him anything. Hospitality toward strangers was a motif in Israel and beyond that measured the degree of one's justice or righteousness. Just as in the story of Abraham in Genesis 18, the manner in which one received and cared for guests was understood as a reflection on one's character, one's righteousness, one's justice.

In Nathan's parable, this rich man had received a visitor, but determined to fulfill his duties as a host in a manner that did not inconvenience him. He took the sheep of a poor man in town, killed it, and served it to his guest, with no regard for the man whose sheep he had taken.

Nathan waxed eloquent about just how much the poor man had loved and cared for the stolen sheep. He made it clear that the poor man would suffer more for the theft than simply the economic impact upon his resources. Nathan did not seem to really get a chance to finish his story, however, as when David learned of the misdeeds of the rich man, he became quickly indignant. He blurted out a sentence for the guilty man, declaring that he was not only deserving of death, but that he should be forced to restore sheep to the poor man fourfold.

It is easy for us to become indignant with the misdeeds of another. That was part of what Nathan was counting on. He knew that David was at heart a man of justice, a righteous man. He also knew that David had greatly missed the mark. He knew that David was making excuses for himself and his own actions. When David determined the guilt of the rich man in the story, Nathan turned the tables on him.

“You are the man!”

David had everything in abundance, but he was still coveting what was not his. He had riches, wives, and concubines, power, prestige, and influence, but he was not satisfied. That lack of satisfaction was not due to what he had, but that he had laid aside his mission and purpose before God. David's call and mission was to lead the nation after Yahweh's principles and aims. His mission was to provide justice, equity, protection, and security for the poor. That mission granted wholeness and purpose to his life. That mission had given him all he needed. It was when he became distracted from that mission and purpose that he lost his focus and direction.

He needed the reminder that Nathan came to provide. He needed the reminder that Yahweh had appointed him to care for the poor, the lost, the marginalized, the unprotected, and all those whose lives and livelihoods were in jeopardy. Being king before Yahweh was not about self-importance, but about mission and purpose. It was about caring for the weak, poor, injured, lame, and lost. It was about caring for those who were often stepped on by society. That was the reminder that David needed.

To David's immense credit, he accepted Nathan's accusation. He saw in Nathan's words a reflection of his actions. He owned up to his failure and responsibilities. If there is anything special about David in all the stories of him, this is probably the most important. David accepted the prophet's criticism and repented of his actions. He accepted his guilt and turned to God for forgiveness, guidance, and a different path forward. It was this humility and repentance that set David apart from the rest of the kings of Israel and Judah.

The mission set before David is actually no different from our own mission. In Christ Jesus, we are called to care for those around us. We are called to feed the hungry, care for the poor, visit prisoners, and watch over the needs of widows and orphans. This is our charge, not as kings, but as disciples of Christ Jesus. Are we ready to live up to that challenge?

—Pr. Christopher B. Harbin

© Copyright 2017 Christopher B. Harbin.