2002.6.30. Rev. Sang Keun Kim

Strength of David

II Samuel 12:13-17

As I begin today's sermon, I must mention about the Korean soccer team. It was a fresh shock to all of us that a whole country can change because of one outstanding soccer coach and 11 soccer players. It was truly amazing if 47 million people recovered confidence that "we can start anew again" because of one excellent leader. The nation torn by the Japan's colonization and exploitation, the nation divided by the Korean War, the nation divided between the military and non-military dictatorship, the nation divided between the wealthy and the poor, the nation divided between South and North, and East and West, we, holding our breath, watched this nation being united and reconciled by only one soccer coach and 11 soccer players.

Most of all, the World Cup semi-finalist myth made all Koreans confident that "we can start again." A Korean newspaper article reported a local college student's interview. The student said that "Until now, I wasn't sure of myself and had little hope because I was attending a mediocre local college and I was not so smart but now I regained confidence that I too can challenge." A group of students from a school for the blind in Seoul went out to a street for the first time to join the cheering crowd of normal people. With this, the blind students are erasing the thinking that they are disabled different from healthy people.

One leader can change so many people like this. Looking at the leadership of Hiddink who accomplished the myth of the World Cup semifinalist, I got to think once again about where true leadership comes from. Moreover, I reflected on the leadership in the Bible and the leaders in the Bible.

Through the Old and New Testament, we are able to meet many leaders. Abraham who moved his family from Ur of the Chaldeans to Palestine was a great leader deserved to be called as "forefather of faith". Moses who led the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt to the entrance of Canaan, the land of milk and honey, passing the forty years of living at desert, was a great leader too in the history of Israel. Many prophets of the Old Testament, apostles of the New Testament, Apostle Paul who spread the gospel to the Mediterranean bordering cities, also were truly great leaders of faith.

Today, together with you all, I'd like to meditate and share who can become a true leader by looking at the success and failures of King David, a great leader in the Bible, through the lessons of his stormy life.

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David was a man with good appearance. He was a good looking man. The Bible records about David's appearance, "He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features." (1 Samuel 16:12) David who had healthy and handsome man's face color had beautiful eyes and find looking face. While all women of the world longed for him, he had handsome looking appearance which all men on the earth would be jealous of. David also had a god given talent in music. It was due to his excellent harp performance skills that David, a mere shepherd in a rural village became a close staff to royal family. David not only was able to play harp well, but also an able composer who wrote beautiful music. Of the 150 chapters in Psalm, almost a half, 73 of them is said to be written by David.

David was good looking and had an outstanding musical talent. Moreover, he was a courageous soldier who would not retreat at war. It is explained in 1 Samuel 16:18 about David. He is "a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him." It is said that David was brave, fast, and spoke well. In terms of appearance, talent, and courage, he was exceptional in all aspects.

The stories showing David's courage are recorded in many places in the Bible. Among them, the duel between David and Goliath written in 1 Samuel chapter 17 is too well known. Young boy David holds a battle of death with the giant Goliath of Philistines. From the beginning, it was no match. However, Goliath was knocked down by a small stream stone young boy, David, threw on his forehead and amazingly a young boy, David wins.

This famous story of the duel between David and Goliath is used as the favorite story for the Sunday school or Vacation Bible School. I, too, listened to the story so many times and used to think something was amiss. It is true that David was brave but I thought Goliath was really dumb. When David threw a stream stone, Goliath could have avoided the stone by lowering his head just a little bit…… I used to think.

David was not only a brave soldier who was gifted in war but also able politician who united South and North Israel. He built Jerusalem as the capitol of a new kingdom, which is still Israel's capitol to this day. Wise king David not only made Jerusalem as the new kingdom's capitol but also kept the holy ark of the Lord in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). In doing that, He made Jerusalem, "The House of the Lord".

Yes. David was outstanding in all aspects. David was handsome, wonderfully talented in music, brave, and wise. He was a warrior who knocked down Goliath with a small stream stone. He was an insightful Lord who united South Judah and North Israel. He was a wise ruler who established Jerusalem as the capitol of his new kingdom.

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Then, was this how David became a magnificent leader of Israel? Due to these outstanding accomplishments, was David able to become a great leader? Fine appearance, god given talents, unbendable courage, and judicious political decision, did David become a great person of the Bible because of these characteristics?

No. In Matthew chapter 1, the new covenant or New Testament begins by reviewing the people of Old Testament. Through the genealogy of Jesus, people of Old Testament is organized into one collective list. It is a great honor to have your name on the family tree of Jesus. On the family tree of Jesus, David's name is recorded like this. "David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife" (Matthew 1:6). It is not recorded as "David with handsome look, musical talent knocked down Goliath with a small stream stone, united South Judah and North Israel, and built Jerusalem as the capitol of new kingdom. David's life was summarized into one sentence. That is "David fathered Solomon from Uriah's wife.

David's life was not summarized as his outstanding talent or accomplishment but rather his painful mistake, his irrevocable error, and sinful crime before God.

Looking at it from a different angle, a great leader, David, is remembered among us today, not for his fine appearance, or his excellent talent, or his courage to defeat Goliath, or his life time achievement, but for his irrevocable mistakes, regrettable errors, and his crime with Uriah's wife before God.

Do you remember Uriah's wife?

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Throughout the whole Bible, the event of David and Uriah's wife, Bathsheba is one of the most wicked and evil conspiracy filled stories. King David, after sending his army off to war, was walking on the roof of the palace and saw Uriah's wife, Bathsheba taking a bath. We don't know why David went up to the roof at that late hour or why Bathsheba was taking a bath at that hour. Anyway, David called Bathsheba into his palace and Bathsheba became pregnant from that night's improper relationship. David comes up with a wicked plan to conceal his moral failure. He brings back the loyal general, Uriah, to have him sleep with his wife, Bathsheba. However, the faithful general, Uriah's refusal to go back to his wife at home, thinking about his army at war front. David's first plan failed because of Uriah's loyalty.

David doesn't stop here but devise an even more wicked plan to get Uriah killed by enemies. He sends Uriah's to the front with many enemies and has his army retreat leaving him at the front alone to get him killed. Once David heard the news that general Uriah got killed by enemy soldiers, David takes Bathsheba as his wife as he planns.

From this incident, David committed a huge crime God cannot forgive. Not only he took someone else's wife improperly, but also he drove his loyal army commander into death for his greed. Matthew chapter 1 is recording this. Therefore, Matthew chapter 1 exposes David's huge crime and wicked conspiracy to the whole world.

The Lord God sends out a prophet, Nathan, and scolded. As you all know, prophet Nathan uses a fable to expose David's crime. In a castle, there were a rich man and a poor man. The wealthy man took the poor man's only possession, a little ewe lamb inappropriately. That rich man is you. You who took Uriah's wife Bathsheba is that person-This is how he pointed out David's sin indirectly like this.

Today's scripture verses explain David's response. David, upon listening to Nathan, answered right away. "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13) David recognized his sin and mistakes, confessed to God loudly. "I have sinned against the Lord."

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True strength of David didn't come from his fine appearance, his outstanding talents, his courage, or his shining achievement. Rather, David's true strength was from his wrongdoing, his painful mistakes, and instantaneous repentance. "I sinned against the Lord." Because of his instantaneous confession and repentance, David's greatness started showing. David's true greatness was revealed in his own relationship with God.

If we get many chances of success in our lives, that is a joyous thing. But there are times when you experience bone crushing failures. How good would it be if we always see happy times only in our short lives? However, we are from time to time confronted by miserable times where you can't see even an inch ahead. We try to live with not a single strand of shame before God and people. But we find ourselves making mistakes and committing sins before God and people in a flick of a moment.

The success and failure of our lives, happiness and misery, moral life and immoral fall doesn't determine our lives. Rather, the true meaning of my own life is discovered in my relationship with God.

What we can learn in the case of David is that God still bestows grace and mercy on us through our failures and mistakes. From David who confessed "I sinned against the Lord." right away and repented before God, we can see what a man of great faith and great leadership. True power of David did not originate from his appearance, talents, or courage but rather from his confession before the Lord God on his irrevocable mistakes. David's true greatness is shown in his relationship with God.

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However, because of his sin, David loses his first son. Today's scripture records well how earnestly he prayed to the Lord for the son. Overwhelmed with the fact that his son will die because his wrongdoings, "David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground." Recognizing his mistakes instantly, David pleaded for the Lord's grace and mercy-that sincere heart made David a great person of faith.

When David confessed in a loud voice, "I sinned against the Lord" and "fasted and went into the house and spent the nights lying on the ground", God listened to David's voice. Because of David's such repenting heart, David became the Bible's great person and great leader. Not as an image of success and happiness, but of failure and repentance, he became a great leader of Israel. By recovering the relationship between himself and God, he became a great person of the Bible.

Because of his irrevocable crime, David eventually lost his first son. But God of grace and mercy gave the repentant David the second son. To contrite and penitent David, God gave second chance. That second son was Solomon who succeeded king David to rule Israel for forty years with magnificent wisdom. More surprising thing is that Jesus Christ was born from the bloodline of that David and Solomon.

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Today, through David's sinning and repentance, we get to meet the Lord God who gives us second chance. When David who sinned before God and people confessed, "I sinned against the Lord" and "fasted and sent into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground", God of grace gave him another chance.

The Lord, God who showed grace and mercy to repentant David is God who shows grace and mercy to us. God gives us another chance to start again when we show penitence and contrition.

The strength of great leader of Israel, David was not in his handsome appearance or outstanding talent. The power of David, a great leader of Israel did not originate from his brilliant achievement. Rather the strength of David was in recovering his relationship with God.

Before showing off your possessions, put down your penitent and prostate heart before God. Before being proud of your talent, put down your penitent and prostate heart saying "I sinned against the Lord". Before bragging about all your achievements, put down your penitent and prostate heart so you can "fast and go inside to spend the nights lying on the ground." Recover your relationship with God first.