Through the Fire – David & Nathan

Read 2 Samuel 11

What David did in this passage should horrify us. This man, chosen by God to lead God’s own people, used his power, influence, and position to commit terrible acts of violence against others. David commanded that his employees (the people he was supposed to be leading with fairness and integrity) fetch him a woman—a married woman—he was attracted to so he could sleep with her. (This wasn’t exactly a request this woman would have been permitted to refuse.) Then, when he found out she was pregnant, David tried to cover up his crimes by manipulating her husband into coming home. When Uriah refused to leave his fellow soldiers behind while a war was raging, David again used his power and influence and conspired to have him murdered. This was not an accident. This wasn’t a mistake made in the heat of the moment. Each of David’s sins were willfully selfish and destructive acts that hurt people and disobeyed God. This was a big deal. God was not going to let these acts go unchallenged.

God spoke to the prophet Nathan with a message for David. Read 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Wow. There is so much we could talk about here, like Nathan’s wisdom in how he approached the situation, his courage as he spoke truth to the king, David’s willingness to accept correction, God’s justice as He judged David for his actions, or God’s mercy when He spares David’s life.

I would love to talk about all of these things, but let’s stick to the topic at hand: speaking truth when a friend is out of line.

First, let’s look at Nathan. Here’s what I see when I look at Nathan’s actions:

He let God lead. I don’t know exactly how this line of communication worked between God and His prophets, but I know Scripture tells us God sent Nathan. He didn’t act alone.
He chose his words carefully. He had a plan. He was in control.
He spoke truth. And he spoke it bravely.
He gave David another chance. Well, actually God did, but Nathan was the messenger. While Nathan condemned David’s actions, he didn’t condemn or give up on him.

Now let’s look at David. Here’s what I see when I look at his actions:

He listened. He didn’t get defensive. He didn’t get angry. He heard what Nathan said and he received it.
He confessed. David knew he had done wrong and he owned it.
He repented. If that word is unfamiliar to you, here’s what it means: David did more than just apologize. He turned away from his sins and made a significant change in his life.

I know this moment must have been painful for both Nathan and David. But this wound was the start of much healing. This fire was the moment that let David be purified.

Through the Fire – Ruth

There’s a book in the Bible called Ruth—it’s a pretty good title because it’s all about the story of a woman named (you guessed it) Ruth. Here’s how her story begins.

There was a happy couple named Elimelech and Naomi. They had two sons. They lived in the land of Judah (which today is part of Israel and Palestine), but decided to move to Moab (which is part of Jordan today) because there was a famine in their homeland and they were starving. There was a slight problem with this move, though. Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons were Israelites, which meant they served the God we know from the Bible. But many of the people of Moab believed in what the Israelites believed to be false gods. Moab had food, but these different people groups did not exactly get along. This move to a new country was probably pretty scary for Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons, but things seemed to be going well—at first.

Shortly after they arrived in Moab, Elimelech and Naomi’s sons both married Moabite women. Their wives were named Orpah (no, not Oprah) and Ruth (so this is where Ruth comes into the story). But here’s where the story turns. Shortly after the weddings, Elimelech and Naomi’s sons both died. And so did Elimelech. Suddenly, Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth found themselves alone, in mourning, and (for Naomi) in a foreign country.

Naomi, grief-stricken, decided to return home to Judah. Orpah and Ruth planned to go with her.

Read Ruth 1:7-14.

Imagine this. Imagine, like Naomi, that your entire family was taken from you in an instant. You’re angry, grieving, desperate, and hopeless. You have only two people left in the whole world. One (Orpah) you’ve just pushed away and will probably never see again. Ruth, however, isn’t leaving.

If you’re wondering who your true friends are, here’s a hint: take note of the people in your life who stick by you, even when you try to push them away.

Read Ruth 1:15-22.

If I had been through what Naomi had been through, I would’ve been angry and hopeless too.

In Hebrew, the name Naomi means “pleasantness,” which is why she was so insistent that Ruth call her by another name: Mara, which means “bitterness.” Naomi was a broken, grieving woman, but Ruth wasn’t giving up on her. Ruth left her home and traveled with Naomi to a foreign country, with a foreign language and foreign beliefs. Ruth vowed to stick with Naomi for the rest of her life, no matter what. By the way, do you know what the name Ruth means in Hebrew? “Friend.”

So Naomi was bitter and Ruth was her friend. Finding healing for your bitterness in the middle of your fire, or grief, or anger isn’t easy for anyone, but a friend can help.

Fortunately for Naomi, she had something I pray each of you will always have when you need it: a friend who promised to walk alongside her through her pain. That kind of friendship in the face of fire can often be the key to our healing.

Through the Fire – David & Jonathan

One of the most famous friendships in all of the Bible is the friendship between David and Jonathan. These two men were both pretty impressive people when they met each other. David was famous for having killed the giant Goliath and Jonathan was famous for being the son of Saul, the King of Israel.

Now here’s where the trouble starts. Saul was the King of Israel and had been very powerful for a very long time, but he was getting older. I know being rich, famous, and powerful is most people’s dream, but here’s the problem with power: the more powerful you are, and the longer you hang onto that power, the more afraid you become of losing your power. That’s what happened to Saul.

Read I Samuel 18:6-9 

May 2017 Newsletter: What Our Friendships Tell Us About Our Faith

Last month in our mentoring series, we talked about how our friendships can help connect people to the church. Basically, if we want to be people who grow in our faith (and ultimately help connect others to the church), we first have to be a friend to others.

The next step is that we have to offer something of value to our friends. The idea is that owning your faith is about more than just going to church or being a friend who helps others come to church (although that’s certainly part of it).

So what does it mean to bring something of value to my friendships then? It might mean that my friendship makes them better on some level. Good friends can have fun together, but do we change each other for the better?

We can discuss lots of areas that might influence this either positively or negatively: