Bridge Street United Church

The reading from II Samuel concerns David’s decision to move the Ark of the Covenant, that is the ark containing the two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, to his new capital city of Jerusalem. David has relatively recently become the king of the entire land, not just the king of Judah; in other words, the ten so-called northern tribes, who had retained an allegiance to one of the late King Saul’s sons, have now agreed to have David as their king. The Ark of the Covenant, while historically important for all the people of Israel, had particular importance for those ten northern tribes. Until the Philistines had captured the Ark in a battle with the people of Israel, the Ark had been located in the main worship centre of those northern tribes. David’s decision may well have reflected his own valuing, as a person of faith, of this important religious symbol. However, his decision to move the Ark to Jerusalem also had political value for him. If the Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem, it made Jerusalem not only the political and military centre of this newly united kingdom he ruled but also its religious centre. In other words, while David may have had religious motives for this action, it was also politically advantageous for him.

The story has some troubling details, not least the death of Uzzah who dies after touching the Ark in an effort to stabilize it. But the story raises questions that still have applicability in our time. What is the effect on a religious symbol when it gets used for political purposes? Does such use undercut the religious value of the symbol? This week’s sermon will look at these and related questions.

---

Romans 13:1-7 definitely stands as one of the more of the apostle Paul’s more challenging directives. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” [New Revised Standard Version translation] is how it begins. Indeed, J.C. O’Neill, in a 1975 commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans, wrote: “These seven verses have caused more unhappiness and misery . . .  than any other seven verses in the New Testament.” Various rulers, from sixteen and seventeenth century European monarchs to twentieth and twenty-first century dictators, have used this passage as Biblical warrant for their demand for the absolute obedience of the people of their countries. Certainly some Christians in Nazi Germany appealed to this passage in their demands for obedience to Adolf Hitler. During the Viet Nam war, some American Christians used this passage as a Biblical justification for opposing those who raised questions about American participation in that conflict.

So what do we make of this passage? Do we just ignore these seven verses, as though we could somehow just snip them from the New Testament? Do we believe that we should always “be subject to” the governing authorities, no matter what the policy or matter in question? These questions are important ones for us to ponder, as people of faith. The Canada Day weekend, when we think particularly about our land, its history, and its future, seems a good occasion for thinking about Romans 13:1-7 and the questions it raises.

---

I Samuel, chapter 17, contains one of the Old Testament’s most familiar stories—the confrontation between David and Goliath. We may have learned about the story in Sunday School, if that was a part of our background growing up, or in a Bible story book. Many of the details of the story may not come to mind, apart from the fact that David triumphs over Goliath. However, the story of a young David overcoming the older, gigantic, bullying Goliath is a classic story of the underdog triumphing. Some version of that theme is what many of us, if asked what we remember about the story, would likely recall. That theme is unquestionably there, and it has played an important role for many, especially for children, over the years. That theme also played an important role for the people of ancient Israel. Ancient Israel was a small country, both in geography and in population. Its location along some of the key trading routes of the ancient Mediterranean world meant it often faced threats from whatever empire happened to be dominant in a particular era.

But there are other key themes in the story. One such theme is David’s trust, David’s trust in God to aid him. From time to time, including in our own day, some have asserted that if you have sufficient trust in God everything will turn out well—you will prosper economically, you will find happiness in relationship, you will enjoy good health, and so on. While I think having a basic trust in God is important, I do not think it equates to such “success” in all things. I know far too many people who have led what appear to me to be exemplary lives, but who have had bad things happen to them, for me to accept that equation. While I think there are unduly simplistic and unhelpful equations sometimes made about what it means to have trust in God and what that trust will bring us, at the same time I do think that trust in God has an important place in our lives as people of faith. I want to explore that matter of trusting in God as part of an exploration of this quite well-known story from Scripture.