~The Dark Side of Power~

2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17

Lust, Kidnapping, Rape, Deceit, Lies, Murder....

POWER....

Who are we talking about? No, it cannot be. We cannot be talking about the one anointed by God through Samuel. The one who repeatedly spared Saul's life. The one who killed the giant with a single stone. The composer of psalms of love. How can it be that today we are reading about the same person?

I think it can be summed up in one word and that is POWER. David, a brilliant leader, has been consumed by his position. No one person is more powerful than God; this is a fact.

When people come into positions of power all too often they lose sight of who they are. We see this all the time in various walks of life from politics and the cooperate to even among some who claim to be ministers.

When in a position of power you have been given a certain amount of control. In David's case he has control over entire armies of men who have pledged their loyalty to him. Men willing to lose their lives on his behalf.

If power corrupted David how can we expect to be exempt from the pitfalls of power?

If you are in a position of power you have a daunting task to stay focused and exercise wisdom in all your decisions. There used to be a little bracelet inscribed with the phrase "What would Jesus do?" I used to think it was a little corny in a way. If we would, however, all take those words more serious we might be blessed to live in a very different world.

David certainly had a relationship with God. He composed beautiful psalms of praise on his harp. But somewhere along the way he crossed to the 'dark side'. I do not think this reading was just about the lust he felt for Bathsheba in her beauty. It was his mind set of I can have anything I want including orchestrating the death of Uriah.

We can find hope in this story because if someone like David can fall to such depths and still be loved by God then we can turn to God too. We have a merciful and all powerful God.

Psalm 51:3

"Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;

in your abundant compassion blot out my offense."

This is the beginning of David's repentance. His Miserere. With help David is led to understand how serious his actions were. He could not hide behind the mask of his human power when faced with the boundless power of a merciful and forgiving God.

In the gospel excerpt from Matthew today we can also see an example of power...in this case the magnificent power of God. God uses his power to make evident his kingdom to us even through something as tiny as the mustard seed.

All too often we fool ourselves into thinking that power makes us more important than God. We pretend that we are invincible that nothing can touch us or that we have all of the answers. We assume that power gives us the 'right' to act in ways that are not at all of God.

Perhaps this is why we have the scripture from Isaiah 55: 8    

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." New Living Translation

Truly God's ways are far beyond anything we could imagine, but we can aspire to be a better person. Remembering when we are in a position of power we can act with God's ways in mind.

Power positions do not give us 'carte blanche' over others...

it is not 'anything goes' as long as it is my way.

David was intoxicated with his position of power...drunk on himself...his own desires.

What would Jesus do? is not such a corny phrase after all.

Original picture is of a wooden figure of a person slumped next to an hourglass. I chose this picture because power can take the natural life out of a person.

This kaleidoscope image if you look closely appears that the image is reflecting itself. When corrupted by power you see only the image of yourself..no one else matters...

it is all about the I.