No matter where you live, there will always be a group of people who think that they are better than others. People of African descent and Jews know this experience more than most people. Even in all Black communities, there will still be some who would want to put others down. It is one thing if idiots, wrapped up in their ignorance, try to put you down. It is a sad but completely different matter if you put yourself down and don’t believe that you are good for anything. Especially for Christians, we read about people in the Bible and some us don’t believe that we could ever measure up to their faith. Before you put yourself in this category, just read the Bible a little more faithfully and examine the life of your favorite Bible character - of course, other than Jesus. He makes all of us look really, really bad
Almost every Christian, regardless of race or denomination, has a favorite human Bible character. My favorite Bible character is Prophet Jeremiah. As Jeremiah tells it, he was chosen to serve God before he was even born (Jeremiah 1: 1-10). Yet, this servant of God did not have a life of peace and prosperity. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah’s life was full of so many struggles that he cursed the day he was born.
14 Cursed be the day I was born!
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?
Jeremiah 20:14-18
My wife, Maria, has her own favorite Bible character; and it is King David, the shepherd boy who brought down a mighty giant (1 Sam.17). When Maria talks about David, I almost want to get jealous, but then I realize that this guy has been dead for more than 3000 years. I should have nothing to fear. Yet, I won’t let her off so easily. I would quickly remind her that David committed adultery (2 Samuel 11:4-5) and if she wanted, I could be like David. We both have a good laugh and she decides that she doesn’t want me to be totally like David.
It is very interesting how we can love someone for one thing and yet reject other aspects of that person’s character. In a strange way, God is like that. When we consider King David, he broke most of the Ten Commandments in a single affair. From the security of his palace roof, David saw the nakedness of Bathsheba as she bathed (2 Sam. 11::2). He immediately coveted her, another man’s wife, and broke the 10th Commandment (Ex. 20:17). He sent for her (essentially stealing another man’s wife) and committed adultery, breaking the 7th and 8th Commandments (Ex. 20:14-15). When David found out that Bathsheba was pregnant, he tried all he could to get her husband to go home and sleep with her so that she could lie and put the pregnancy on her husband (2 Sam. 11:5-11). Lying is a violation of the 9th Commandment (Ex. 20:16). When all of his schemes failed, David plotted the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband (2 Sam.11:12-21). Uriah, a loyal patriot, died in battle believing that he gave his life for his country, not knowing that he was murdered so he won’t discover his wife’s adultery with the King.
Imagine if David was President of the United States. The self-righteous elements of the Christian community, using the pulpit and every medium at their disposal, would rip through his character, declare him unfit to serve, and even impeach him. If Teddy Kennedy could not overcome Chappaquiddick, you know that David would not have stood a chance in American politics. Yet, David was a man loved by God. How could this be? How could a man with such great moral failures be loved by God?
In spite of his tremendous character flaw, there was one great anchor in David’s character: he never ever tried to excuse his moral failures. When Prophet Nathan confronted David about his adultery and the subsequent murder of Uriah, David’s first words were, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam.12:12). David offered no excuses; instead, he admitted his errors. He was extremely remorseful for his moral failures. It was at this time in his life that David, the Psalmist, wrote Psalm 51 which begins with a plea for mercy.
David was loved by God for several reasons. First of all, he did not pretend to be a perfect man. Unlike some of the politicians who went after President Clinton, David did not publicly condemn others in areas in which he failed privately. Secondly, when exposed, he admitted his sin and did not justify or excuse his actions. Third, his confession was followed by a genuine repentant attitude that sought God’s mercy. Finally, even when God punished David and refused to spare the child’s life, David responded by worshiping God (2 Sam. 12:15-20).
Looking at David only in the light of society’s standards, he doesn’t look to be anyone you would want to be a role model; but if you see this man in terms of his relationship to God, he is more than what many preachers could ever be. He did not allow his failures to separate him from God, and he was always prepared to take action to set himself right with God. And for this attitude, God loved David very dearly. When David’s son, King Solomon, failed God, God did not take the kingdom away from Solomon for one reason: for the sake of David (1 Kings 11:9-13). Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, was able to keep a portion of the kingdom for this same reason.
No matter who you are, there will always be people who want to use your failures in life against you. You may think you are nobody because you have spent time in prison, abandoned your wife and children, been strung up on drugs and alcohol, or just because you are poor and Black. If you are ready to do the right thing, especially get right with God, you may never be good enough for man, but you will be good enough for God.
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