Monday, December 13, 2004 Nativity Fast
Repose of Herman of Alaska
Kellia: 2 Samuel 11:1-18, 23-27 (same vss, 2 Kings LXX) Epistle: Hebrews 3:5-11 Gospel: St. Luke 20:27-44
Blood-guiltiness: 1-18, 23-27 RSV, especially vs. 27: "But the thing that David had done displeased the
Lord." Saint Paul cautions every faithful Christian: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body" (Rom. 6:12).
Blessed Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, in considering sin's power, begs us to note that the Apostle "has not said, let there not
be sin, but let it not reign. There is sin in you when you take pleasure; it reigns if you will have consented." Without
doubt, sin reigned terribly in King David "in the matter of Uriah the Hittite" (1 Kngs. 15:5 MT). Throughout this sorry
chapter of his life, he consented time and again, becoming, in the end, a captive to blood-guiltiness, from which he would
cry, "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation" (Ps. 50:14 LXX).
The matter began with sight and imagination: "he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful"
(2 Sam 11:2). King David, however, neither averted his eyes nor quelled the rising of passion in himself. The small but
treacherous step he took, from "seeing" Bathsheba as she was bathing to the perception that she "was very beautiful,"
reveals an igniting of sensuality within David. St. Gregory of Sinai elaborates on the role which the demons play in the
inflaming of the mind and the emotions so that we progress from mere seeing with the eyes to the generation of images of
pleasure: "the spirits of self-indulgence kindle the soul's desiring faculty, while they also confuse the intelligence and
plunge it into darkness."
Note here: there is a captivity that takes place along with the interior progression from the reception of information through
the eyes, the ears, or the touch, to the awakening of a desire for that which is contrary to the commandment of the Lord. In
St. Gregory's words, "the roving spirits...seek to lay hold of us in order to devour us." Once passion is awakened, the
person is urged into action. David obeyed the demons, for he "sent and inquired about the woman" (vs. 3). Behold how
the king turned slave and obediently followed the command of the demon that was driving his passions, ignoring any echo
of the life-giving commandment of the Lord against adultery! Truly, the spirits reigned and easily plunged him into
darkness.
Note the desperation of a soul sensitive to the word of God as it realized its predicament, when it faced the consequences of
its deeds. A callous ruler might have merely laughed at the situation, savored his pleasure, and used the power of the
throne to protect himself. King David, to the contrary, frantically sought to use Uriah to hide his sin, but the king's soldier
was nobler than his monarch. Uriah would not enjoy the pleasures of marriage while his fellow soldiers were in the field
(vss. 9-13). And, who would have put King David to trial for adultery had he shrugged off his sin? But David could not
quiet his conscience, and so his second sin, like the first, began in his mind with a confused belief, a fond hope that he
could save himself.
The murder of Uriah was easily enough arranged and dispatched by the king's directive. Joab did not question the order
but "assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men" (vs. 16) and "Uriah the Hittite was slain" (vs. 17).
Nonetheless, "the thing that David had done displeased the Lord" (vs. 27). Beloved, the Lord knows all our ways.
Blood-guiltiness might have been stanched if only King David had not entertained a murderous plan in his heart, if only he
had set his earlier sin and its consequences before the Lord. No doubt this failure later caused him to write: "Save me, O
God, for the waters are come in unto my soul. I am struck fast in the mire of the deep, and there is no sure standing" (Ps.
68:1,2 LXX).
Give ye glory unto God. His magnificence is over Israel. Wondrous is God in His saints; the God of Israel, He will give
power and strength unto His People. Blessed is God!
