Reflections on “OT Sidekicks: “Nathan”; 2 Samuel 12;

Sunday was World Communion Sunday.  I had never preached this text before, but it is a powerful text.  I hope the sermon revealed some of the power!

 “OT Sidekicks:  “Nathan”; 2 Samuel 12;  October 1, 2023; SAPC, Denton; Dr. Richard B. Culp

¹and 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. ²The rich man had very many flocks and herds; ³but 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 meagre fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴Now there came a traveller 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.’ ⁵Then 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; ⁶he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’

7 Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; ⁸I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. ⁹Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. ¹¹Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. ¹²For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’ ¹³David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan said to David, ‘Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.

Introduction:   another week of OT sidekicks.  This fall, when we are not doing stewardship, we are reading some wonderful narratives from the Old Testament and looking particularly at how the sidekick impacts the story.

Not the main character, but the sidekick, the person whose presence makes the story happen.

As we reflect on these stories, you might consider what sidekicks you have in your life;  

or maybe how you live into the role of sidekick for someone else’s life.

Move 1:  King David has so much power he does not need anyone (or so he thinks).

a.  David is the king of Israel.

1. Powerful military leader.

2. Made Israel a power in the Middle East.

3.  David Can basically do whatever he wants.

b.  Proof of his power? The first part of the story we read this morning reveals his power.

1.  King David is so powerful he can take Bathsheba for himself, even though she is married, and then he orchestrates the death of her husband Uriah.

2. Literally, no one is in a position to challenge 

King David 

or hold him accountable for his actions.

or even notice that his actions seem contrary to how things ought to be done.

3.  King David is a king with unchecked power.  he says do, and they do it.

no one wanted to tell King David anything but what David might want to hear.

c.  Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. 

1.  The museum houses a giant Swedish warship from the early 1600s.

2.   The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated

Gustavus Adolphus (1594–1632) has been considered one of the most successful Swedish kings in terms of success in warfare. When Vasa was built, he had been in power for more than a decade. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)

4.  Design - The king wanted more cannons - he was an artillery guy;  he had approved the design that included two decks of cannons and portholes for them to shoot.

3. the Vasa was built -  Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, the most powerfully armed ship in the world.

4.  But, there was a problem, the Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull.  too many cannons; too many portholes

In fact, a few days before the ship was to sail for the first time, an admiral from the navy onboard to witness a stability test.  thirty men ran back and forth over the upper deck to make the ship roll. After just a few trips, the ship was tipping from side to side so badly there was great fear it might capsize in dock.

But no one wanted to tell the king.

it set sail just as the king ordered. 

made it about a 1/4 of a mile, faced a strong breeze, and keeled over.

and sank.

3.  no one had dared to tell the king the truth about his design and the shortcomings of his beloved ship.

He needed a Nathan. 

Move 2:  David had Nathan.

a. Nathan had little power, except he had access to speak to the king.

1. In this case, speak an important truth to King David about David’s actions.

1. Notice he does not come right out and say, “David, you have sinned.  

Or, David you have abused your power.”

2. Nathan is more subtle.  

He tells David a story about an unjust person in power.

David identifies the injustice and demands the man be held accountable.

then, Nathan offers the surprise - King David, you are that man!

3.  A subtle, sly approach, (Perhaps we might remember that approach when we feel compelled to speak the truth to power), but an approach that grabs David’s attention and calls him to change.  

b.  King David needs Nathan.

1.   Did you notice that the story begins with the comment that the Lord sent Nathan to confront King David.

2.  David needs Nathan because David cannot continue as a faithful servant of God if he cannot escape his own sinfulness.

3. God desires that David move forward and get his life on track.

4.  I am reminded of a comment Norman Pritchard as told by Dennis Piermont:  God loves you as you are, but God loves you too much to let you stay the way you are.

5. God wants all of us, whether we have unbridled power like King David, or not, to confront that which keeps us from growing in our discipleship.

from becoming new creations as the Apostle Paul would describe it.

that which keeps us from moving beyond our sinfulness to new life.

6.  we need people to point us in the right direction.

We all need a Nathan in our lives.

c.  World Communion Sunday sometimes brings out my cynicism - we gather around our Lord’s Table, speak part of the liturgy in different languages, and make grand statements about how we are united around our Lord’s Table

and then we leave our worship and go into a world that is still so divided.

1.  but in a way, World Communion Sunday serves as our Nathan,

pointing out how far we fall short of unity in Christ

holding us accountable for what we are doing that feeds division instead of creating unity.

calling us to new ways of living that promote unity.

2. We all need Nathan, or someone or something that calls us to get back on track, to call us to the new life desires of us.

Move 3:  Final thought - the story is about more than Nathan

a.  yes, Nathan is the invaluable sidekick who calls King David out for his actions.

b.  But, David recognizes his faults and repents.

1.  How hard it is sometimes to acknowledge where we have erred or gone wrong, but David did so.

2.  and he not only recognized his shortcomings but willingly repented.

3.  David recognized the gap between the life he was living and the decisions he was making and the life God desired of him.

and he repented.

c. Nathan and David together offer us a powerful reminder of our calling.

1. sometimes, we need to speak truth to power,  to live into our role of calling out injustice and holding people accountable.

2. Sometimes we need to listen as others call out our sinfulness and then repent.

3. Wouldn’t it be nice if all we had to do was be Nathan and point out the flaws and sins of others?

4. But that is not true to who we are  - sometimes we are the sinner in need of repentance; sometimes we are the ones who recognize the sins of others.

All of the time, we need to wisdom and insight to know the difference!

Conclusion: if we read a couple of more verses in the story, we would read that  “Nathan went back to his house.”

The story begins with the lord sending Nathan and ends with Nathan simply returning to his house.

A sidekick simply doing the job God sent him to do.

May we all be that willing.

Reflections on "OT Sidekicks: Balaam's Donkey" Numbers 22

This fall, when I am preaching sermons not connected to our stewardship series in October, I will be exploring Old Testament stories that have a minor character who is important to the story.  I have tried to pick some fun narratives - Nathan confronting David; Jezebel; and the widow of Zarephath to name a few.  For this sermon, the puppet troupe told the story in a fun way, which helped set the stage for the sermon.  The reference to Burrito late in the sermon connects to Burrito the talking donkey, who is part of the puppet troupe.

the sermon covered so much material and such a rich story, I had trouble narrowing down the focus.  The ending was a bit abrupt!

 “OT Sidekicks:  “Balaam’s donkey”; Numbers 22: 22-38;  September 17, 2023; SAPC, Denton; Dr. Richard B. Culp

Numbers 22: 22-38

God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back on to the road. ²⁴Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. ²⁵When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck it again. ²⁶Then the angel of the Lord went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. ²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. ²⁸Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’ ²⁹Balaam said to the donkey, ‘Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!’ ³⁰But the donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you in this way?’ And he said, ‘No.’

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face. ³²The angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is perverse before me. ³³The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely I would by now have killed you and let it live.’ ³⁴Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now therefore, if it is displeasing to you, I will return home.’ ³⁵The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men; but speak only what I tell you to speak.’ So Balaam went on with the officials of Balak.

36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at Ir-moab, on the boundary formed by the Arnon, at the farthest point of the boundary. ³⁷Balak said to Balaam, ‘Did I not send to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honour you?’ ³⁸Balaam said to Balak, ‘I have come to you now, but do I have power to say just anything? The word God puts in my mouth, that is what I must say.’

Introduction:   We begin our fall preaching series - it’s a collection of sermons from three categories:  Dr. Patterson will preach a couple more sermons like last Sunday that grow out of her Clergy Renewal time;

we will have a three-week series of sermons on questions about stewardship we’ve wanted to ask but never have;

and then the rest of the sermons will reflect on sidekicks we discover in the Old Testament, except, of course for the Fall Festival of Faith worship service which will be a glorious worship service with music, movement, and much more.

Old Testament Sidekicks - this means we are going to be reading some wonderful narratives from the Old Testament and looking particularly at how the sidekick impacts the story.

Not the main character, but the person, or in the case this morning, the donkey who helps out the main character.  

sort of looking at the story and seeing how Robin helps Batman; or R2D2 helps Luke Skywalker.

As we reflect on these stories, you might consider what sidekicks you have in your life;  

or maybe how you live into the role of sidekick for someone else’s life.

Move 1:  Before getting to the sidekick this morning, let’s take a moment and see how the story we read calls us to look beyond ourselves and our normal patterns of connecting to God.

a.  If we read through the whole story cycle, it runs through Chapter 25, we recognize that the story is about God blessing Israel.

1.  In fact, by the end of the story in Chapter 25, the Israelites will indeed receive a blessing, which means taht the God who rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is now continuing to bless them in the wilderness.

2. In fact, part of the problem that leads to King Balak wanting to curse the Israelites is how well they are doing in battle with others;

how much they are multiplying and growing as a people, 

which makes them a threat to the Moabite.

2.  But, throughout the story the Israelites are not aware that God is acting on their behalf.

3. The Israelites are not involved - 

Balak is a foreign king (

and Balaam is a non-Israelite.

4.  You might say this is a side story with a sidekick which tells a truth about God’s blessing for the Israelites.

5. But, despite the Israelites being unaware of what God is doing,  God acts to bless Israel.

b.  Reminder to us - God is at work in the world, whether we are paying attention or not.

God is at work whether we choose to align ourselves with God or not.

God is at work whether we interpret our story with God in it or not.

1.  We cannot assume that God is only at work when we make the plans for God to be at work.

2.  or that God is at work only in the places we think God ought to be at work.

c.  we push beyond our walls and go into the world because Christ sends us into the world as the body of Christ.

1.  But we also need to go out into the world because we find God out in the world again and again.

2.  We go into the world because God is at work in the world and calls us to join in the work.

Move 2:  Balaam does not see the angel of the Lord, but his donkey does.

a.  Balaam seems like a person who would see the angel of the Lord.

1.  Balaam is a diviner, a prophet kind of guy, who calls on the name of Yahweh 

2.  Balaam uses God’s personal name at least nine times; 

3.  Balaam is sent by God and seems to be doing God’s bidding.

4.  But, Balaam is also told: “Do only what I tell you to do.”

5. And somewhat Balaam does not hear what God is saying at a critical moment;

Balaam does not see the angel of the Lord when the angel is right there before him on the road.

b.  But his sidekick donkey does. 

1. IN fact, Balaam’s donkey tries very hard to make Balaam see and hear.

2. three times, three times the donkey dramatically intervenes.

 first, he detours into a field, 

then, he squeezes round by a wall (hurting Balaam's' foot) and, 

and finally when there is no alternative route, lying down in the road. (https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/the-bible/a-word-in-time/2016/8-14-may-2016/friday/)

4.   Even when Balaam threatens his donkey, his donkey will not let Balaam do what the Lord does not want him to do.

5. Balaam cannot see or hear God, but his sidekick donkey intervenes and makes Balaam see.

c.  We need people, and situations to open our eyes to see.

1. That is one reason why God calls us to be part of the body of Christ.

to surround us with people with whom we can engage.

2. Over the years, i have become accustomed to members of the congregation telling me their story about a  big change of heart they have had or a big decision they have made being shaped by someone else or a group with which they are in community.

People who can listen and observe and then suggest how they see God might be working in a situation;

Or sometimes asking questions that call us to reexamine how we had been planning to act.

3.  Or, I have heard stories about situations in people's lives that call into question what they are doing.

4. The power of God to be at work through our sidekicks to guide and direct us.

5.  Look back over your own “aha” moments when you figured out in that moment what you need to change or what you needed to do.  I bet there was someone there to help guide you or a situation that pushed you to clarify what God was doing in your life.

Balaam needed his sidekick donkey to open his eyes and ears to see the angel of the Lord in the road and hear God’s command.  

Move 3:  Balaam’s donkey is doing God’s work and Balaam does not notice.

a.  The talking donkey?

1.  Except for the serpent in the Garden of Eden, no other talking animals in the biblical stories.

2.  How can Balaam not understand that something incredible is happening.

3. Balaam does not stop and go, “Wow, the donkey is talking.”

4. No he just gets mad at the donkey.

5. maybe the lesson for us is that if the donkey talks, we better listen (even if it Burrito!).

b. It seems to me that Balaam cannot cannot get over himself.

1.  Humility in our discipleship.

2.  We do not have all the answers.

3.  Better link ourselves to God.

4. Anyone or anything that can help us listen to God or see God is a welcome sidekick,

Conclusion:  God continues to act in the world.

God calls us to act.

Are you looking and listening?