Living in the Spirit
July 30, 2018
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, ‘There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.’ Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ –2 Samuel 12:1-6
Nathan was a wise man. He understood that humans define justice based on their personal experiences and culture. One person’s right is not always the way others define right. The righteousness, the justice for which we are to strive must be based on God’s standard. Nathan tells David a simple story with a straightforward message that mirrors the situation David had created through his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.
As we work to be in alignment with God’s justice, it might be helpful to view the issues we are considering from a totally different vantage point.
How else do we discern God’s standard of justice when some of the stories of God captured in parts of the Bible describe justice that differs markedly from the ways of Jesus? Had Nathan followed the laws of Leviticus 20:10, David and Bathsheba would have both been executed: If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. Was an exception made for a King or had the execution practice fallen from use years before? We do not implement the same justice on powerful or wealthy people as we do on people living in poverty. We also have laws still on the books that have not been enforced for years. Twenty-one states in the USA still identify adultery as a crime mostly punishable by a fine and rarely if ever enforced.
God’s standard regarding criminal justice as exemplified in the life of Christ has a redemptive quality what we call restorative justice, returning people who have committed offenses against others to wholeness.
Most of the major justice issues with which we deal today are not necessarily related to criminal matters but are related to treating people differently for personal gain without provisions for equity or equality. There is no justice in a world where God provides enough resources for all when a few hoard much of it at the expense of the many. Nathan’s story is very relevant to our times.
Prayer: God of Justice, align our hearts and minds with your standard of Justice. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.