Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of the Hebrew Bible Readings from the
Australian Prayer Book.
2 SAM 11:26-12:15.. 3rd S. after Pentecost, Year C .... (For LK
7:36-8:3
scroll on site.)
NOTES: 1]Always read the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our Christian understanding of God revealed in Jesus.2] David may be known as the ideal
king, but this, & other incidents, show he could also be a rotter!
Here, David having seduced Bathsheba, made her
pregnant,
arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle, and married
her, is faced with all this by the Prophet Nathan. For the whole story,
read from 11:1, and on from 12:15.
WARMING UP: Have we ever
been tempted to steal someone else's 'lamb' - of any kind?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
26-27 Does Bathsheba's lamentation for Uriah bring to
mind any issues concerning mourning practises today - e.g. issues like
grief, (in)sincerity, doing the right thing, (not) speaking ill of the
dead, family disagreements or feuding, etc.? Are we always as aware as
we might be of issues families can have over deaths &
re-marriages,
ours, theirs, or
anyone else's? Is it ingrained (or inspirited?) in us that our starting
place always needs to be whether the way we approach
an issue 'pleases the Lord'?
1-6 Are we
ever aware of someone, not necessarily in a formal
religious role, being 'sent' to speak 'God's mind' to us? If someone
wants to make a point to us, are they more likely so succeed
using parables, as Nathan uses here, or by 'cutting to the chase'?
Are we likely to respond more to an illustration in a sermon, or
reasoned teaching? Is there a lesson in Nathan's story for us about how
scrupulous we need to be in all our dealings of any kind?
Is there more than one way of stealing from another person? What about
stealing a reputation, or an opportunity, say?
How's our indignation rating?
What kinds of things make us indignant? Can we identify any ways in
which we cause indignation in others? Or, does a question like that
just make us
indignant?! Is there a religious version of 'road rage'?Has 'shooting
the messenger' become par for the course in
public life as a result of more people refusing to be accountable to
God in the
first place, or anyone else? Is 'having no pity' another root cause of
societal crumbling?
7-15 How free do
we feel to challenge people if we believe they are doing something
really wrong? Isn't the messenger still likely to be shot in
interpersonal as well as public life? How do we discern when something
is or is not our business? What makes something 'God's business', or
'our business'? Is there anything that's not God's business? Are we
ever guilty of 'despising the word of the Lord'? Does this inevitably
lead to us doing 'what is evil in his
sight'? Does God ever 'raise up trouble against us'? Is such an
understanding of God compatible with the God revealed in Jesus? Given
we would all (hopefully!) nod assent to God forgiving David (&
Bathsheba?) what about the matter of the child dying? Would God really
bring about a child's, any child's death? Or is this simply an ancient
Hebrew Bible way of looking at things superceded by our better
knowledge of God through Jesus? (Maybe not all Jewish believers would
believe that of God today?) Have we ever worked through the
differences between the God we know revealed in Jesus causing bad things to happen, allowing them to happen, & knowing they may or will happen?
Where do Prophets come into this process today? Or are they too few
& far between for that to be an issue?
