Today’s
Scripture Reading (April 26, 2019): 2
Samuel 9
I got the strap in school once. (I know, there actually was a day when teachers, or
principals, could use physical violence as punishment on a student. What were
we thinking?) At the time of this episode of “teacher
on student physical violence,” I was six-years-old and in grade one. The crime
was the theft of a Gumby. I cried out that I was innocent, and I was. But the
problem was that I was holding a key piece of evidence in my hands – the Gumby.
My defense was that this was a different
Gumby. I had brought this particular Gumby from home. At the time, the strange
bendable figure was fairly popular. So,
the young Garry was charged with theft, then had his property removed from him
and given to another kid.
Convicted of a crime, that afternoon I made a slow walk toward home,
and when I reached the spot where I could see my house, I was devastated to see
the Pastor’s car sitting in front of my house. I was sure that the Man of God
had been summoned to deal out more punishment
on me, a lowly sinner. I snuck into the house and refused to come out of my
room until long after the confused pastor had left, and supper was on the
table.
I don’t think I told my parents about what had happened that
night. I was just too embarrassed. I also don’t think that they noticed the
missing Gumby. The next day, I went back to school. I didn’t want to, but I
didn’t have a choice in the matter. And at school,
the teacher was waiting for me, with my Gumby in her hand. New evidence had been discovered during the night. The stolen
Gumby had never actually been taken; the
student had left it at home. Gumby number two had never come to school in the
first place. I was vindicated, but it left me with a permanent dislike for
school and distrust for authority. I still suffer from it.
David was King. There was no palace coup, but a new King who was
unrelated to the previous King was on the throne of Israel. The usual course of action was that the new king
would execute all of the family of the former king so that there could be no
one else who might lay claim to the throne. These murders were committed out of
expediency and not morality. But David had a high sense of morality. He had proven that during the life of
Saul, refusing to lay a hand on the King.
But Mephibosheth may not have known that, and even if he did, he
could not know if the King’s mercy extended to him. Mephibosheth had done his
best to fly under the radar and keep away from the attention of the King. But
now, he was being called into the presence of the king. And he must have been
very nervous about the reason why. The question in the center of his mind had
to be “could this be his last day on earth?”
David understands the emotions flowing through Mephibosheth. And
so his first words are “Don’t be afraid.” My intention is not to do you harm,
but to honor you as a descendant of the king. I am not a danger to you unless,
of course, you are a danger to me.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 10
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