So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 2 Samuel 8:15
When I first tried out for Pee Wee baseball, I found myself intimidated by all the other kids. I just didn’t understand baseball and it seemed like everyone else did. There was, however, one kid who had it far worse than me. He came from a rough home and showed up on day one with a tiny plastic glove that must have come from the dime store. He didn’t fit in and that toy glove made it so much worse. Did that thing come with marbles? I cringed as the other kids made fun of him. I was probably five years old, but I can still see the bully who said it and I can still see and feel the rejection on the other kids face. It broke my heart, and it wasn’t surprising that he never came back. To this day, I wish I’d have stuck up for the kid with the plastic glove. Sadly, I now know that the bully came from his own dysfunctional background and came to his own tragic end only a few years later. The world is a cruel place, and it’s a hardest on those who’re most vulnerable.
Unless you’re exceptionally calloused, you feel for both those kids in the story because they were both victims of a cruel world that failed them. We’ve all been hurt by the malice of others and so, unless we’re sociopathic, we dislike seeing others hurt. When we see injustice, we should be offended, and we should want to stop it. Often though, we feel powerless to do anything. I think that is, in large part, why superhero films are so popular. In those films, those with power always stand up for the little guy.
King David wasn’t a superhero, but he did wield tremendous power, which he used to administer justice and equality to all his people. Today’s passage explains that as King, David didn’t use his power to serve himself, but to serve the powerless.
As a Christian, I should strive for justice and equality. I may not wield a lot of political power, like king David, but I have my own circle of influence. That bully at Pee Wee baseball had the power to make that other kid feel small and stupid. He was older and bigger than me and though I didn’t have the power to stop him from being mean, I should have stood by that other kid, befriended him, and let him know he wasn’t alone. I wish I would have. The world can be a cruel place. I can’t stop that. I can though, seek justice, kindness, and fairness in my own circle of influence. If I don’t, then that other kid will see me as being on the side of the bully.