Given by Rev. Madison Shockley July 25, 2021
Today’s reading is one of the best known stories of the Bible. It talks about what happens on Earth. This story is a painful tragedy. People need a safe place. Pilgrim is a safe church. We do not remain silent when there is abuse. Bathsheba has often been cast as the villain in the story. Many now believe her to be a victim. David was a powerful man, a king. David knew she was the wife of one of his soldiers. David used his power to get Bathsheba to do what he wants. Power is a corruptive force. In the past, we were conditioned by our culture to blame the woman. Bathsheba was silenced by the narrator. She had no choice. David commits power rape and murder. He was not accountable to anyone. Accountability is the answer to the corruptive nature of power. We must un-silence ourselves and speak up and speak out with the truth.
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