THE LIFE OF DAVID 5. "David and Bathsheba"

 

Readings: Psalm 89:20-37, Ephesians 3:14-21, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56,  2 Samuel 11:1-15
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, July 28 2024

David in the Bible is usually remembered for three things. Firstly, that he slaughtered Goliath. Secondly, that he was the King of Israel out of whose royal line came the Messiah, and thirdly, that he had an adulteress relationship with Bathsheba. It is the third of those things that our Bible reading this morning focused upon.

It’s a story though that isn’t really about adultery, but about the abuse of power. It’s about how any of us, even the seemingly most godly and blessed, can still be driven by dark thoughts and deceptive hearts. It’s a story about sin and the consequences of trying to cover up our deeds rather than turn to God in repentance. 

Think of it firstly as a story about 'The Abuse of Power.'

It has been said that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. David has reached a position in life where he feels as though he can do whatever he pleases. For sure he has battled strong and hard to get to this place, and there is some justification to notion that it was time that he kicked back for a while and enjoyed the fruits of his labors.

But there seems to be more than that going on in this story. For one thing the text tells us that it was the time of year when he should have been out on the battlefield with his troops, but that he had stayed home. And it’s not as if he is staying home because of any political crisis on the home front that needed his undivided attention. He simply isn’t fulfilling his responsibilities in the way he was expected to.

For another thing he very much appears to have taken on a casual attitude to his life. The scripture tells us that he doesn’t get up off his couch until late afternoon and that when he does the only task he has in mind is wandering around the rooftop to pass away the time. You’ve heard the saying maybe that ‘The Devil makes work for idle hands to do’?

Why did David stay at home when the other kings went out to battle? Was he feeling old? Tired? Worn out? Used up? No longer a fighter but a lover? What did David see in Bathsheba? Another chance to be young? Another opportunity for conquest? Someone he had to have at any cost? There’s a movie called ‘Moonstruck’, in which Olympia Dukakis’s character wonders why men have affairs. Her conclusion? “Because they fear death.” Is that what’s going on here?

It’s the absolute power that David has that leads him to his doom. He sees Bathsheba. He sees that she is beautiful. He knows she belongs to somebody else, but his desire is greater than his convictions. So, he takes her.

In the story we are never told that Bathsheba was a willing accomplice in the affair. Just that David took her. It really was an act of abuse.  What the King wanted the King took. He wanted Bathsheba and as far as we know Bathsheba had no choice but to go to him.

So, she is taken to him. And next thing we hear of her is that there is a baby on the way. The story functions as a warning against the abuse of power. It also warns us that; even the most godly can by driven by deceptive hearts.

David was a great fighter when it came to the battles outside of himself. He was brave, courageous, fearless, and heroic. Yes, he took down giants. But there was one sleeping giant that got the better of him. The deceptiveness of his own heart.  It was one thing to fight the battles outside of himself. It was another to deal with the battle that lay within him self.

When he was younger, he had everything to fight for. He was idealistic, faithful, and full of ambition. But now he seems to have struck some sort of mid-life crisis. His ideals have been circumnavigated. He’s going through religious motions, but his heart is somewhere else. His commitment to God seems to have taken a recess.

One of the doctrines of the Reformed tradition is the notion of Total Depravity. You could describe it in this way. That as we go through our lives, no matter how much we have been influenced by God, no matter how far down the spiritual road we may have traveled, there always remains the inclination for us to go our own way, rather than to seek God’s will.

If I could formulate a doctrine on the nature of man, I personally would suggest not ‘Total depravity’ but ‘Total stupidity.’ I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been in a situation where I’ve just thought, ‘This is so stupid’, where I have thought, ‘How can people be so blind to consequences?’
Sad to say I’ve all too often had to complain to myself, “How could I have been so stupid? How was it I couldn’t have avoided that? How come I never saw that one coming? How did I miss that?” The doctrine of total stupidity. 

In our youth, before we even know what stupid means, we start doing stupid things. We grow up and do stupid things. As we get older, under the guise of maturity we become accomplished in stupid ways and conclude that it’s just the way we are. And so it goes on. The doctrine of total stupidity... you heard it here first.

David does something stupid. He betrays not only his personal integrity, but all that he stood for, his God, his people, his faith. And the frightening thing is, that as he goes through the whole process, he seems totally unaware of the wrongness of his actions, and that stupidity grows and becomes intensified until he’s left in a corner from which there is no escape.

Which brings us to another aspect of this account. It’s a story about sin and the consequences of trying to cover up our deeds rather than turn to God in repentance.

Instead of confessing to his infidelity with Bathsheba, he instead puts himself heart and soul into a cover-up. There was a baby on the way. ‘O.K. Let’s think. I know, I’ll get Uriah, her husband back from the battle, he’ll go home, sleep with his wife and everybody will think it’s his baby. Nobody but Bathsheba will know, and it’s more than her life is worth to convince anybody otherwise.’

So, Uriah is brought back from the battle.  But he is not so easily dealt with. He is a man of commitment and loyalty. He knew he should be out with the troops. He doesn’t want to be disloyal to his king or his fellows out in the battlefield. So, no, he won’t go home to Bathsheba. Not till the battles over.

David even sends him presents and gets him drunk to try and convince him to go home to Bathsheba, but the man’s loyalty to David won’t let up. So, David does the unthinkable. He sends him back to the front line with a letter that was Uriah's death warrant. David’s deception leads to Uriah's death.

Joab, the commander, puts Uriah in the line of fire, and Uriah, along with some others lose their lives. All because of David’s inability to conquer the deceptiveness of his own heart. The consequence of trying to cover up his sin leads to death, to murder and to chaos.  And for a while David thinks he had got way with it.

We have not got time right now to go into the whole story of what followed, but briefly it can be put like this. David is confronted by the prophet Nathan who tells him a parable about injustice. The King is outraged… until he realizes the parable is about him. Only then is he moved to repentance and confession of his deeds.

His sin has terrible consequences. There are a number of deaths in his family. Things do not go well. It’s a mess. When people of power make mistakes, there is always a mess. Private indiscretions can lead to consequences never dreamed of. Who would have thought that David’s sleepy afternoon walk could have led to rape and murder?

Let’s not however leave the story there. Let’s not end today by thinking, “Well, that’s that. We mess up and we’re stupid. There’s no hope for us!”

Into the mess comes the Grace of God.
Out of the mess came redemption.

David turns to God in heart- rending repentance. And now it is God’s turn to do the unthinkable. God forgives David. Is that fair? A man in such a position as he was? A man who had been involved in such despicable actions? God forgives?

Scandalous, isn’t it?  Such is the scandalous nature of the Grace of God. Think of it this way, “What one of us has never messed up things for ourselves and in the process messed up things for others? Who amongst us has never fallen victim to total stupidity?”

But does God stand off from afar and say, “That’s it you blew it. Game over. Go straight to Hell. Do not pass 'Go'. Do not collect two hundred dollars.” Instead, God calls to us from the Cross of Jesus Christ saying, “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus Christ came to the center of the stupidity and mess of our world. Were we thankful? No, just as Uriah’s loyalty led to his death, we betrayed the love of God and crucified His Son on the cruel cross of Calvary’s hill.

But again, God’s love broke through. An empty Tomb. A proclamation that Christ Risen. The growth of the church community in the power of the Holy Spirit. The message at the heart of it all, exactly the same. God can redeem. The mess of your lives is not the last word God has to say about your lives.

Believe that Jesus died on the Cross in order to redeem a life that is as full of stupid mistakes as ours is. Believe in the resurrection presence of Christ, that death nor hell can triumph over such love. Believe in the presence of the Holy Spirit to convict, to renew, to empower, to lift us out of the wreckage and set our lives on a new course.

Believe it or walk away from it and trust the integrity of your own heart to get you through. See yourself in God’s eyes or do what is right in your own eyes. But bear in mind the lessons of David’s fall from grace.

Thinking we are all-powerful can lead to deadly actions. That no matter how much integrity we think we may have, or how virtuous our actions can be most of the time, the heart is a deceptive sleeping giant that can make fools of us when we least expect it.

Finally, don’t let sin have the final word. Seek grace and forgiveness and renewal. Without God we are stuck with the mess and stupidity of our own lives. Whilst that mess and that stupidity always have consequences, it is out of the mess that God brings hope.

From out of David’s actions, God worked to bring about a Messiah for all the world. Solomon was the son of Bathsheba who became David’s successor to the throne of Israel. There is a sense of irony that Solomon, a child conceived by David’s act of stupidity, became known as one who possessed great wisdom.

There is hope for us! The Wisdom of God is greater than our stupidity. The grace of God is greater than our sin. The love of God is greater than the mess of our lives.

Believe it.
Live it.
Thank God.
AMEN.

The Reverend  Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

THE LIFE OF DAVID 4. "David's Dizzy Dance"

“DAVIDS DIZZY DANCE”
Readings: Psalm 24, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29, 2 Samuel 6: 12-19
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY,  July 14, 2024

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA took place a couple of weeks ago in Salt Lake City. As usual there was much heart searching, discussion and debates that went on until the wee hours. Yet the most trending story from the Assembly had nothing to do with the business, but something that happened in the middle of the business.

In a short break between Sessions in the main hall, the music for the dance song known as “The Electric Slide” came over the P.A. System. A couple of folks stood up and started to do the moves, followed by many, many more. Soon the floor of the General Assembly became a dance floor. God’s frozen chosen were, for a brief moment, united by the strains of disco.

Of course, there were instantly critics who thought that this sort of thing was out of place at such a dignified occasion as a General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. But for those who took part it was a welcome moment of relief from the heaviness of a workload that created a lot of tension and disunity.

Our Bible reading today featured David, now King David, traveling to the home of Obed-Edom, to retrieve one of Israel’s national treasures, the Ark of the Covenant. According to tradition the Ark, a large chest, gilded entirely with gold, had been constructed by Moses. It housed the stone tablets of the 10 commandments as well as Aaron’s staff and some of the manna the Israelite's discovered in the wilderness.

If you have ever watched the Indiana Jones movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” you will be aware of the fearsome reputation the “Ark of the Covenant” holds! During some of Israels historic victories the Ark had been carried with them into battle. In one of those battles it had been captured by the Philistines, but it seemed to bring them nothing but trouble.

So, in fear and trembling, the Philistines returned it to Israel. David intended bringing it straight home. But on the way home, one of the drivers of the cart, had put out his hand to steady the Ark, and been struck down dead by God. That was why it had ended up at the house of Obed-Edom. David was like, “Ermm. Let’s not touch it for a while.” It was a terrifying object to be around.

It was at the home of Obed-Edom for three months. During that time Obed-Edom’s home received blessing upon blessing. Hearing of this, David organizes a trip to bring the Ark to be at the center of his Kingdom. That such a thing could now happen, was a source of great rejoicing. Like the good old days, but even better.

It’s here that the dancing comes into the story. We read that as the Ark is traveling home (2 Samuel 6:14) that “David danced before the LORD with all his might.” I’m pretty sure he wasn’t doing the Electric Slide. But whatever moves he was making, as with what happened at our recent General Assembly, there were those who did not approve.

Chief among those that disapprove is David’s wife, Michal. We read in verse 16  “As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.”  

Some things I wish to share from this passage.

1.    There are times we need to celebrate.

The wisdom of Solomon instructs us that there is a time for mourning and a time for dancing. Life is not an endless party. But there are times when exuberant rejoicing is the correct response to make to the grace of God. Bringing home of the ark was one of them. The actions of David are comparable to the reception that the Father gives to his returning son in the parable Jesus told of the Prodigal Son.

You remember the story of how the son goes to a far-off land, wastes his inheritance and returns home expecting to live a life of servitude? The Father sees him far off, and in an undignified manner, the very opposite of what his culture expected of him, drops everything he is doing, picks up his robes and runs as fast as he can to embrace the returning penitent, oblivious to his condition and unafraid of whatever anybody may think was right or wrong.

In a similar way, David is bringing the Ark home. He celebrates to the utmost of his abilities. He just doesn’t care what others may think. His dance is an expression of how he was whole heartedly giving his life over to God.   

Notice this. The parade has form and order. The whole thing reads like a liturgy. There is a procession. There is music. There are sacrifices. There are prayers spoken. There is an offering. At the end of it all there’s food and everybody goes home with something. It sounds almost like an average Presbyterian worship service. But there is also exuberance and freedom and room to express heartfelt praise.
People from different traditions complain that they find our form of worship stuffy. They don’t like our bulletins and our prayers and our formality. They feel it is stifling rather than soul refreshing. There are reasons why people are surprised to see a bunch of Presbyterians at their national conference doing the “Electric Slide.” It is a little unexpected.

One of the things our Reformed tradition has always struggled with is the question of what is and what is not appropriate in times of worship. It’s not just ‘do we dance’ or ‘don’t we dance’ it’s a whole lot more. What words do we use? Do we use King James Bible English and ‘Thee’s’ and “Thou’s” or do we use more familiar terms? What music is the correct music for times of worship? What instruments are best suited? How do we receive the offering? Who sits where and who stands when? How do we “do” communion? Is a time of greeting each other and walking around, a distraction or a way of deepening our fellowship and welcome? And what about the announcements? Do we include community events? Do we say something about this, but not about that? Who is on the prayer list? What goes in the bulletin? And so it goes. I have come to this conclusion.

2.    It’s all about where your heart is.

I have been on retreats where the emphasis has been on silence and simplicity. Where we have been encouraged to take time out, away from the music, away from the constant barrage of media, where there has been no sermon or program or meetings, but a spiritual director on hand whose advice you could or could not seek. And such times have been a blessing.

I have been to music conferences with lots of folks there from a Pentecostal background. A full praise band on the stage playing at a volume that shook the rafters. I once found myself sitting in a row, where my white English face stuck out in a sea of multiethnic faces. When the music started, they were on their feet. Dancing, swaying, shouting and singing their hearts out. I had no option. Go with the flow or go home. And such times have been a blessing.

I have worshiped in tiny country chapels where the informality was like that usually experienced in a family home. I’ve worshiped in huge city cathedrals, amid pomp and ceremony and bells and smells, at conferences, in the open air, in small groups and in vast crowds. With people in their Sunday best outfits and people at the beach in hardly any outfits at all. And such times have been a blessing.

David’s heart was in that moment. David understood the significance of what was taking place. And it was a glorious moment. It was not a time for mourning, it was a time for dancing. Where our heart is determines how our worship will be.

If we have a heart desiring to worship and serve God then whatever the form or the external circumstances around us, we will do our best to enter into that situation and offer ourselves to God.

The occasion may be solemn, or it may be exuberant. Sometimes we will misread it and sometimes we may act in ways that seem inappropriate in other people’s eyes, but as scripture says in 1 Samuel 16:7  “for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” So bear in mind this.

3.    Whatever we do, somebodies going to find a reason to criticize

There was a sermon “On Dancing” delivered in 1845 by a free-church minister, who had received complaints from the local Episcopalian minister about the “Local Dances and Balls” that were attracting many to attend them. The minister points out that in the second book of discipline of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, dancing is enumerated as an offense and that any minister indulging in such a practice should be removed from office.

Furthermore, it is suggested that the undeniable effect of dancing is to encourage immorality among the sexes, lewdness and profanity that is adverse to all serious thought and “distracts congregants from their consideration of death, judgment and eternity.”

In the parable of the prodigal son, it was the elder brother who complained and refused to join a party that celebrated the grace of God. In this story it is David’s wife, Saul’s youngest daughter, Michal, who takes offense.

2 Samuel 16:20 “Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!"

There was a time when Michal was head over heels crazy madly in love with David. When David won her hand in marriage after a victory over the Philistines, she was well pleased. On one occasion when Saul threatened David’s life, he had stood up against her Father and saved his skin. But as years went by her relationship with David had become increasingly sour.

We are not given an insight into how it happened. We do know that by time the Ark came to town, Michals’ love for David had cooled and she felt only contempt and jealousy. As the scripture says, she ‘despised him in her heart.’ The hatred she carries completely blinds her to the presence of God during the events that were taking place. Hate can do that.

She sees no significance in the Arks return. She sees nothing in David’s dancing that has anything to do with devotion or worship.  She accuses him of doing the whole thing as a show for the young servant maids whose attention he was seeking to attract. I think that minister in 1845 would have agreed with her!

But not David. I feel he would be more in sympathy with the words of William W. Purkey. “You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like there's nobody listening, and live like it's heaven on earth”

If you do that, there’s always going to be those who just don’t get it. Who will find a reason to pull you down and criticize and belittle you in their vain attempts to bolster their own self-importance and deal with their personal insecurities.

What I take away from this account of David’s dizzy dancing, is this.

1.    There are times we need to celebrate.
2.    It’s all about where your heart is.
3.    Whatever we do, somebodies going to find a reason to criticize

And in the face of all that, I’ll conclude by saying this. If we live our lives with our hearts set on pleasing God, then for sure, sometimes we will mess up and sometimes we will cause offense. 

But rather that, than never enjoy the overwhelming grace and love of God, that puts us in a place where it’s all we can do, to stop leaping from the pew and doing a little dance for the Lord.

And to God be the glory. Amen

Reverend Adrian J. Pratt

THE LIFE OF DAVID 3. "The Coronation of a King" (Communion Service)

Readings: Psalm 48, 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, Mark 6:1-13, 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, July 7, 2024

As a young boy David had been singled out as a significant person for the life of Israel when the prophet Samuel chose him from among his brothers. We witness him bringing down Goliath, the giant who frustrated Israel’s dreams of progress. When Israel demands God that they have a King, like the nations around them, they are given Saul. Saul, though he walked tall, was not always in touch with the God who had allowed him to occupy a position of leadership, and his interactions with David where at the best, dysfunctional and at their worst threatened David’s existence.

David has remained constant in his desire to see God’s purposes fulfilled. When Saul falls in battle, along with David’s best friend, Saul’s son Jonathon, David mourns their passing and offers a dignified eulogy for Saul that marked the end of an era that had seen Israel’s growth and establishment as a power to be reckoned with.

But now there is a vacuum to be filled. Saul has gone. His rightful heir to the throne, Jonathan has also perished. The obvious candidate is David. We read this morning “All the tribes of Israel came to David and said, "Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led Israel.” The people also acknowledge Samuel's words of promise when they say; “The LORD said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel."

David is anointed as King. Note that this is the second time David has been anointed. The original anointing took place when he was first recognized by Samuel as a leader. We read in 1 Samuel 16:13 “Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers.” In our passage today, David is again anointed for the office he was to occupy.

Over in my homelands a new King recently ascended the throne. In the United Kingdom, anointing remains a sacred part of the coronation ceremony.  It is the only part of the ceremony that takes place, not in public, but behind a screen. During the anointing, the Archbishop of Canterbury poured holy oil, that had been blessed in Jerusalem, onto a Coronation Spoon, with which the King was anointed by placing the oil onto his hands, chest and head, signifying that the King was to serve with his physical presence, with his heart and his mind.

It is too early to determine what legacy the reign of King Charles may leave to history, but the legacy of David’s reign was significant. We read that “He reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.” That he “Became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.” His years as King were looked back to as being a golden age. In prophecies about the Messiah, the ‘Chosen One’ is pictured as being an heir to David. In the genealogies that appear in both Matthew and Luke’s gospels, David is pictured as an ancestor of Jesus. Quite a legacy!

Whenever I read about people leaving a legacy, I am always challenged to consider what kind of legacy our own lives will leave to those who come after us. We may not all get to become literal Kings and Queens, but scripturally speaking we are all, by faith, sisters, and brothers of King Jesus, which marks us all out as spiritual royalty! That’s quite an inheritance to live into. What can we learn from this passage that speaks about the coronation of a King?

I’m going to pull from this passage three simple observations;

•    God has a plan for us.
•    God has a place for us.
•    God has a promise for us.

God has a plan for us

We don’t know much about the inner life of young David when he was a shepherd boy taking care of his father Jethro’s flocks. We don’t know about his ambitions or dreams. Being the youngest of 8 sons in the family, he probably saw his opportunities as being limited. It is doubtful that national leadership was ever on his mind.

You sometimes read the autobiographies of famous characters and they’ll say, “Well I knew right from the day I was born, I was going to be this or going to be that.” Such aspirations seem totally lacking from David’s mind. Even his father Jesse didn’t seem to expect much of him. The prophet Samuel has to ask Jesse, when introducing his sons, “Now hold on, isn’t there another son?” And Jesse, is just like, ‘Oh… only David… but he’s out looking after sheep.”

The only thing David seems absolutely set upon is that he was going to trust God to lead him. He believes that God has a plan, though he himself had no aspiration other than to trust that God was God and could totally be relied upon.

We can sometimes, as we go through life become obsessed with the idea of what we want to be. Our society reinforces that idea. People ask you, “What do you do?” and form a judgement of you based upon your answer. From our earliest days we are asked to make choices as to what stream of studies we want to take, what options we want to follow. Yet I have observed, that even when they go off to college, a lot of kids have no idea if they are actually doing what they really want to be doing!

David seems to have side-stepped the whole process. If you asked him, “David, what do you want to be when you grow up?” I suspect he may have replied; “What do I want to be? Why the same thing as I am now!” We may smile and say, “So you want to be a shepherd for the rest of your days?” “No sir” he would reply, “I want to be faithful. That’s what I want to be when I grow up.”

Fascinatingly, one of the pictures of final judgment is a parable that does not conclude with, “Well done. You made a lot of money and did a lot of stuff.” but “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

I would suggest that one lesson we can learn from David is that our dreams and personal aspirations should take second place to our desire to be a disciple, willing to go, be and do whatever God may ask of us. And we operate that faith with the understanding that…

God has a place for us.

God had a place for David. Eventually that place would be to sit upon a throne and be a ruler for God’s people who united the people of Judah and Israel as one nation and founded the city of Jerusalem as a center for religious life. A place in salvation history in which he would become an ancestor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Before he filled any of those roles there were other situations that he occupied. A fighter. A musician. A leader. A counselor. A defender. His anointing as a servant came early in his life. His anointing as a King came later. We don’t get to be in all situations, in all places, at all times.  Where we are now is not where we will eventually be.

Some people travel through life never going far from home. Some live and die in the place they were born. If you think about the life of Jesus. His influence has far outspread His geographical footprint. As far as we are aware He never wrote a book, occupied a significant public office or was given honors in any civic or national sense. On the contrary, He ended his life on a Cross outside the city walls. Yet nobody has had more of a historic global influence.

St Paul on the other hand never seemed to stop moving around. We know that… from the record of his travels in the Book of Acts. We know that… because of his letters that make up a significant part of our New Testament. Before his adoption of Christianity, he was held in high esteem by his Jewish colleagues. After his adoption into the faith, he was acknowledged as an expert, a leader, an authority, and an apostle by the worldwide Christian community.

It doesn’t matter in terms of geography where we are, where we stay, or where we move to. God has a place for us. It doesn’t matter what position we occupy in our communities. God has a place for us.  Here, there, or everywhere, the love of God surrounds us and calls us to service. Whatever stage of life we are at, God’s grace has a place for us to serve. And speaking of service…

God has a promise for us

A promise of anointing. Anointing not by oil but an anointing of God’s Holy Spirit. Those whom God calls, God equips with the resources and inspiration and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. In John Chapter 16 Jesus talks of the Spirit as the presence of God that would guide the disciples in the ways of His Kingdom, who would be His presence in their hearts and the uniting force in their fellowship. In the Spirit they would find unity and experience His presence continuing to lead them and the Spirit would grace their efforts with God’s love.

The prerequisite for this to happen, is similar to that envisioned by the coronation oil applied to a new monarchs’ hands, chest and head. We must be willing to serve our God with all our strength, with all our heart and all our mind.

For David, his service was a response to the commitment that He felt God had towards those who were faithful, towards those who trusted in God. No matter what his family thought of him, or what the expectations people had of him, he knew God was faithful and so he was going to be faithful to God.

As Christians, we love because God first loved us. Our love is not simply a matter of duty, but a response to the awesome love that is displayed to us in the life, works and words of Our Savior Jesus Christ. In Him we are forgiven, in Him we are saved, in Him we are empowered, in Him we are called children of God.

We bow before the dark shadow of the Cross and gaze in awe at the glory of the empty tomb. Around this table laid with bread and wine is a fresh opportunity to seek the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit upon our lives. God has a plan for us. God has a place for us. God has a promise for us.

The same promise offered to a king at a time of coronation.
The promise of His presence
And all God asks is that we do as David did.
That we trust in God.

And to God be all honor praise and glory.

Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

THE LIFE OF DAVID 2. “See How the mighty Have Fallen”

Readings: Psalm 130, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43, 2 Samuel 1:1& 17-27
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, June 30 2024.

Liverpool was always a busy city. The traffic was always moving. On the go all the time. The shops were busy. Even the Crematorium was busy. When you had a funeral, you only had thirty minutes to get in and out and then the next one would be scheduled.

A minister friend tells of a time he had a funeral at the Crematorium and the minister for the next funeral didn’t show up. So, he offered to stand in and conduct the proceedings. He read a few scriptures, said a few prayers and then when it came to the normal time for the eulogy explained that as he had never known the deceased or his family, it was not appropriate for him to speak... “Would any of those present like to say a few words?” he asked.

The request was greeted with a stony silence as people sought to avoid his gaze. After what seemed like an awfully long time he asked again, “Is there anybody here who could say anything regarding the departed?”.

Reluctantly, an old gentleman at the rear of the chapel rose to his feet. “All I can tell you is this” he said, “He wasn’t as bad as his brother!” It was one of those occasions when a pastor was glad there were time restraints in place, as to prolong the occasion was not going to be a worthy cause. A few more prayers were offered and that was that.

Our bible reading today is a eulogy. David has learnt of the death of the King, Saul, and of his dearest friend, the Kings son, Jonathan. It is understandable that David wants to offer some words of praise to honor Jonathon. They were as close as brothers. He describes their relationship as being ‘more wonderful than the love of women’. (verse 26)

What is surprising is that he should mourn the passing of Saul. Saul had plagued David throughout his life. He acted towards David with obsession and jealousy. David had the opportunity to murder Saul, but walked away from it, as murdering the Lord’s anointed was a line he refused to cross. As it was Saul ended his days at the hand of his own sword, preferring to take his own life than surrender to the Philistines.

David puts aside any personal feelings and, in this eulogy, known in Hebrew as a “qînâ”, three times uses a phrase, which translated has become part of English language:- namely  “See how the mighty have fallen”. He counts both Saul and Jonathan as being amongst the “mighty”.

In verse18 he asks that his song of lament be given the title “Song of the Bow”. The bow was Jonathan’s weapon of choice. Saul was more renowned for his prowess with the sword than the bow, but aside from that one preferential note the poem equally tells of the achievements of two heroes, a Father and a son who stood side by side in life and in death and carved out a future for the nation of Israel.   

The first part of the song speaks of how the loss that has been experienced is not simply the loss of a political opponent and a good friend but a loss to the nation.

"Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places! See how the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.”

It is thankfully not often that as a nation we are called upon to corporately grieve. There are occasions though when such a thing is only right. My own land came to a standstill after the death of Queen Elizabeth. 10 days of mourning.  Something similar was experienced following the assassinations of President Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr. in this country.

There are times when it is right to put differences aside and in the interest of the common good allow room for recalling the noble acts of a leader’s life. A nation needs space to grieve.

David knew that their loss was, for the Philistines, a great victory. Images of your enemies rejoicing at your misfortune, rather like some of those coming from the Middle East following 911, are always disturbing. So, David expresses a vain hope that news of their defeat will not be proclaimed in the streets of the Philistine cities of Gath and Ashkelon.

This second section acknowledges that even though defeat and loss had been suffered on the mountain of Gilboa, Saul and Jonathan had not given their lives in vain. Saul carried a warrior’s shield that was anointed for battle and lived a life that was anointed as King. Saul and Jonathan fought a valiant battle to the bitter end.

"O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. "See how have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!”

The nation had enjoyed a level of prosperity under Saul’s leadership never before experienced. Though this battle had been lost, the fact was that there had been a whole lot more that had been won. Though it was a dark day in their present history, because of Saul and Jonathan they had enjoyed much and because of their legacy they could look to the future.

The poem finishes on a personal note; “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me”. Whilst Saul’s loss was a loss to the nation, the loss of Jonathan was a deeply personal grief for David himself.

What can this passage teach us?

1) There are times when telling the whole truth is more harmful than helpful. David tells no lies about Saul. He is honest and truthful and godly. The Book of Proverbs teaches that the wise man carefully chooses what he will say, and how and when he will say it. That some things are better left unsaid. David tells no lies. In the interest of edifying the nation, he simply does not tell the whole story,

Paul’s letter to the Philippians offers this advice: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8)

In our day everybody wants the gossip. Instead of looking for the good in the person or the situation, people want the juicy details. David grew to greatness as a King because he cultivated in himself the ability to seek the best in the situation and to refrain from disrespecting those who were his opponents. He knew the value of silence. That may be because of a second lesson this passage offers to us.

2) There are times when we need to acknowledge that God’s hand has guided us through our opponents. Those who take an opposite position from us sharpen our focus in a way that yes-men can never achieve. Although Saul had often acted against David, the actions of Saul had been turned to positive opportunities for David to act with grace and wisdom.

David recognized that God was at work as much in his troubles and his defeats as he was through the victories and the things that turned out just as he had hoped. Scripture teaches us that we should give thanks in all things. That’s hard to do when you are traveling through the hard times. Often it is only retrospectively that the ‘thanks’ come!

As I look back on my own life, I see that many doors that I hoped would be opened to me were closed, and because of that my life took on a different course. Other doors opened.

The week before I was due to be married, we had a mortgage set up on a property and I was in a job where I was being offered a supervisory position. Within the space of a week the loan company decided they weren’t going to allow us the money to purchase the house and the people I was working for decided that it was too expensive to pay a married person’s wage. Instead of promoting me they let me go.

Looking back, I see now how those events opened the way for me to move onto other things. Had I been in a job with considerable responsibility alongside meeting the financial demand of paying off a house, would I have been able to respond to a call to ministry? Would I even have considered it? Maybe. Maybe not. Life is full of ‘What ifs?’ Looking back, I see a guiding hand that I didn’t appreciate at the time! The things that seemed to oppose me in the end turned out to bless me.

3) There are times when speaking of our pain and our loss breaks their power over us. David teaches that we cannot move to joy, renewal, and praise too soon. The poetry of pain and grief allowed the lost kingdom of Saul to give way to the renewed kingdom of David. It is helpful to speak of kingdoms we had hoped for that have suffered defeat and is a good thing to express our feelings when events have left us despairing of justice or peace or hope.

Why? For this is the place of the Cross. The brokenness of our lives and our world must be voiced. Otherwise, we are simply avoiding life; we are not living the abundant life Jesus spoke of. Easter needs Good Friday or else Easter Sunday has nothing to celebrate. There can be no resurrection without a death. And the death of Christ goes to the darkest and deepest depths of human suffering.

Was not Jesus crucified because of lies and treachery? Was He not betrayed? Was He not abused? Was He not the victim of unjustified violence at the hands of those who abused their power? Was there ever a more holy one about whom it could be said, “See how the mighty have Fallen”?

We look to the cross as a sign of hope.  We acknowledge that the forces that crucified Him are at work in our lives and in our world. That’s not good. The Good News is that Jesus Christ overcame the forces that crucified him through resurrection to eternal life. The Good News is that He sends the Holy Spirit to give our lives an eternal focus.

Speaking of our brokenness opens us up to receive the Good News. Scripture calls us to repent and believe the gospel. Repentance is acknowledging our brokenness and sin. Believing is acknowledging Christ died for our sins and that in the strength of His Spirit our lives can be made new.

David’s eulogy teaches us important truths. To mind our words and look for the best in situations and people, no matter how they have treated us. To recognize that God is at work in our troubles as much as our victories.  To acknowledge our brokenness that we may find renewal through God.

The time will come for us when we will attend our own funeral. That is one appointment we cannot avoid. What words will be spoken over our lives? Will the preacher have to spare the grisly details and search hard for the good in us? Will it be a case of “Well. He wasn’t as bad as his brother”?  

Or will we be blissfully unconcerned, because the only words we are hearing come not from any preacher, but from God. “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” By the Grace of God may we seek to make such words apply to our lives.

For at the end of the day it is God alone who shall evaluate them. At the last day we either stand through the grace and merit of Jesus Christ, whose love we have accepted and welcomed in our hearts, or we stand before the judgment seat of the God whom scriptures tells us will deal with us according to our sins. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. Saved, through grace, you’ll be safe.!

The Rev Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

THE LIFE OF DAVID 1. “Bringing Down The Giants”

Readings: Psalm 9:9-20, 2 Corinthians 6 :1-13, Mark 4:35-41, 1 Samuel 17:32-49
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church on Sunday June 23, 2024

He was brash, loud, and downright annoying. Nobody argued with him. Why would they? He was bigger, meaner, and nastier than anybody else! His appearance made everyone shiver with fright. He was over nine feet tall, wore a bronze helmet and sported a coat of scale armor of bronze that weighed 125 pounds. On his timber-like legs were coverings of armor as well. He carried a bronze javelin slung over his back and its shaft was like a weaver’s rod with the iron point weighing fifteen pounds! Is it any wonder they called him “a champion”?

His name, Goliath, brought goose bumps of fear to the Israelite army. Every day for weeks he taunted the Israelite army of King Saul. Each morning the Israelites would line up in military ranks until they heard the voice of Goliath. Then they fled to their tents.

One day a mere boy in his mid-to late-teen years from the Judean countryside visited his older soldier brothers at Socoh in Judah, where this morning’s bible reading takes place. The text gives us the order of events that made Jesse’s son David a national hero, a biblical heavyweight, and a spiritual giant, propelling him forever from obscurity into history’s limelight! How did it happen?

I. David’s Confidence Was in God (vv. 32-37a).

The Israelite army including David’s brothers and King Saul had lost their confidence and were ill equipped to find it. They looked for their confidence in their numbers, equipment, fortification, and other warlike material. Each of them had lost sight of the real basis for confidence—God.

It was not the case that the Israelites had never been a people of faith. On the contrary the fact that they were on the battles lines was a direct result of past faithfulness. They still had the promises of God to guide them, but they were no longer reading them or understanding them or seeking to apply them to their situation.

Way back in their history they had a recipe for dealing with situations that involved facing giants. It can be found back in Deuteronomy 20:1-4.

"When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. He shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

A few verses later God instructs the Israelite's to identify those who are fainthearted so that they will not be a discouragement to them. In the situation Israel faced, their discouragement has spread from the top downwards. Saul felt the situation was hopeless. He had lost his nerve. And that sense of futility spread, through him, to the entire body of the people.

For us this passage asks us to consider exactly where we place our confidence. It calls us to make God, and the promises of God, our focus. It cautions us to not put our confidence purely in material things. It advises us to pay no attention to the doubting and faithless voices of those who should know better.

The promises of God remain the same. “I will be with you always” “Trust in me” “I am the Lord Your God and you are my people” “I will never leave you or forsake you” “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble”.

Yet time and time again, we hear the promises; but act as though they had no substance to them. “I have to face this alone” “I just don’t believe God can help me with this” “I feel as though God has abandoned me” “Yes, I trust in you… but…”

We are like the man who fell over the cliff and landed on a ledge, clinging to a tree branch. “Is anybody there?” “Yes” came the voice. “I am the Lord your God. Let go and trust in Me”. So, the man shouts back, “Is anybody else there?”

In our lives we look for solutions by saying, “If only I had this thing” or “If only I had that thing... then all my problems would be solved”. Just like the Israelite's. “If only we had more swords, or more chariots or a bigger army, then we would show those Philistines a thing or two!”

It took a young shepherd boy to remind them that confidence is found through faith in God. Listening to the doubters, even if they were in leadership, wouldn’t provide it. Looking to what they themselves could create or provide wasn’t going to do it .

The apostle Paul, a man who achieved more than you would expect of any man who was once an opponent of the gospel, one who faced overwhelming odds against him, offers to us a maxim that we do well to take note of.  He said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

II. David was comfortable with God’s Plan (vv. 37b–40).

Goliath’s battle plan was intimidation—his brute strength against an Israelite’s brute strength. David didn’t fight that way. He didn’t meet Goliath on the giant’s terms but forced the giant to meet him on his terms: five smooth stones. (and he only had to use one of them.) David understood that to meet this challenge he would do his best and leave the rest to God.

David refused to be intimidated by Goliath’s appearance. Young David was outmatched by size, age, experience, and weapons, but in a moment of sheer abandonment, he approached Goliath in the power of God! With an attitude like his and a faith in the living God, David’s plan succeeded.

Cassius Clay (who later became Muhammad Ali) is probably the world’s best-known boxer. He was practically unbeatable during his prime. The sports announcers always commented that Ali made his opponent “fight his fight.” That Ali set the pace and the other boxer either kept up or ended up on the mat.

Technically some of the other boxers could seem more impressive. Sometimes they had the advantage in terms of size. But Ali knew himself. And he had a way of understanding his opponent’s weakness.

David did something similar. He knew that God had taken care of him in the past. He had been called upon to protect the sheep he cared for from both bears and lions. Though they were physically stronger and capable of making a lot of frightening noises, he knew how to deal with them. Swiftly. Showing no fear. Trusting in God.

He knew God had a purpose for his life. If that purpose was to protect sheep, then God would see that he fulfilled that purpose. If that purpose was to take supplies to his brothers fighting on the front lines, then God would see to it that he got supplies to them. If Gods purpose was that he slay a giant, then God would give the victory.

Central to this idea of purpose was the idea that God would use David, as he was, to do God’s will. That David didn’t have to conform to others’ ideas of how things should be done or achieved. So, when Saul starts to dress him up in all the king’s armor, you get the idea that David knows this is a mistake. The boy can hardly move under the weight of all that steel.  

The greatest weapon that God has provided us with to face the things that threaten our lives is our individuality. The notion that God has a plan for our lives, and that it is an individually tailored one, can enable us to achieve far more than we could ever dare imagine.

The Harry Potter series of books captured the imagination of a generation and have continued to do so ever since the series was launched many years ago. What is the uniqueness of that series? Is not part of it the fact that Harry appears to be just your average kid, yet constantly has to deal with discovering who he really is? Time and time again he faces his fears, overcomes obstacles, and attempts to work out what the extraordinary plan is that is coming to fruition through his life.

What is it we fear? What obstacles do we face? Whose plan are we working on—our plan or God’s plan? We can waste a lot of time trying to be something that we’re not. You can spend a whole lifetime living up to other people’s expectations, putting on their armor, living by their rules, and never discovering what it was God wanted for your life.

Of course, like David, there will always be those who laugh at us. Those who treat our dreams as cause for disdain. Those who have long since lost their own purpose and direction believe that the only way to justify their own sense of hopelessness is by dragging us down to their level.

Discovering God’s unique plan for your own life, is not an easy task. It requires that you totally surrender your will to the will of God. It requires that you completely reassess your priorities and values. It means evaluating your dreams, your hopes, your aspirations... everything... in the light of Christ. Whilst not easy... it is a way that cuts the giants down to size!

III.  David Conquers the Enemy with God (vv. 41-49)

One of the visions of the Christian faith is that our God is not just somewhere in the sky and unconcerned about us. God’s presence strides alongside us as we meet the giants in our life. We take aim with our rocks of faith and God delivers them to the right spot.

In order to be a straight shooter, we need to focus. We have tools to help us do that. One of the most reliable of them is that we become a person of habit. That we habitually attend worship. That we make it a habit to read our bibles and bring our lives before God in prayer. That we consistently look for the good, not the worst in people and in situations.

That we make it a feature of our lives to look beyond the trends and the voices of the present day and to connect with the eternal Holy Spirit of God for direction and leadership. That we recognize that the people of God can sometimes lack direction and offer discouraging words rather than positive ones.

Derl Keefer, one of the contributors to the Abingdon Preaching Series makes the point that; “We either conquer with God, like David, or fail like the army of Israel against the Philistines.” As people of faith either option is open to us. We make the choice.

Davids’s previous experience prepared him for the battle that was at hand and for battles that lay in the future. As we walk with God, we learn not only from our mistakes but from our victories, that God is greater than our sin, and that our lives, placed in the hands of God, can rise to heights and face situations we are totally unable to face in our own strength.

If called upon on by God to face giants, then God will supply what we need to bring them down. All God asks is that we give God our trust and do things God’s way.

•    David’s Confidence Was in God (vv. 32-37a). So, we are called to trust in that same God.
•    David was comfortable with God’s Plan (vv. 37b–40). God has a plan. It may not be our plan. But God’s plan is always the better option.
•    David Conquers the Enemy with God (vv. 41-49). He does not win the victory in his own strength, but through God’s Spirit who empowers him. It should be no different for us.

May God help us to bring down the giants that threaten our spiritual life. And to God be all glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J Pratt B.D.