Leader
"And David said to God, 'Was it not I who gave the command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father"s house; but do not let your people be plagued!'" 1 Chronicles 21:17
David's really swcrewed up. He's ordered a census of the people, and it's made God mad. God sent a pestilence on the people that killed 70,000 of them. An angel was dispatched to destroy Jerusalem itself. Now, finally, it occured to David that the fault may be with him and that he ought to own it. He asks for mercy for his people. He takes responsibility. God will later tell David how to atone for what he's done, and David will do it. The place where he does it will become the site of the Jerusalem Temple, still one of the holiest pieces of ground in the world.
Today is President's Day, when we remember and honor the best in American leadership. Certainly American presidents, like Israelite kings, make decisions that have major impacts on their citizens. Sometimes one of those decisions or a series of them, leads to widespread suffering for the people. And I cannot help but wonder: how many American leaders have apologized for the mistakes that have cause others to suffer?
Or never mind presidents. How many leaders in general do that? How often have you done that? The Bible says that even the best leaders screw up, sometimes royally. But an apology, and atonement, a seeking to make it right? That can create holiness right in the midst of the worst the world can dish out.
Lord, if I have been the cause of anyone's suffering, show it to me. And make me strong enough to apologize, then set it right. Amen
Quinn G. Caldwell is Pastor and Teacher at Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC, in Syracuse, New York.
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