ODJ: too big to fail
April 25, 2011
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man!” (v.7).
READ: 2 Samuel 12:1-14
Jerry terHorst resigned as US Press Secretary when his friend President Gerald Ford pardoned disgraced former President Richard Nixon. He told Ford that he didn’t know how he could “credibly defend” the President’s decision to pardon Nixon when common citizens were being punished for conscientiously refusing to serve in the Vietnam War. For his part, President Ford did not want to pardon his predecessor, but he thought it was necessary for America to put the “long national nightmare behind” and move on.
Isn’t that how it goes? The people on top get away with more than those at the bottom of the food chain. Entry-level staffers are imprisoned for their crimes, but prosecuting a President would be too difficult for a nation to endure. Workers lose their jobs and go bankrupt while large banks are bailed out because their failure would devastate the world’s economy.
We rage at the politics of such injustice, and yet we may do it too. We cover for a pastor to preserve the reputation of our church or dismiss the misconduct of our candidate in order to win the election. The bigger you are, the less likely you are to fail.
Not in God’s world. James said that leaders in the church “will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1) and Paul wrote that all leaders will be held accountable (1 Corinthians 4:2-5). Jesus reproached the religious elite for turning their converts “into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!” (Matthew 23:15). Rather than be intimidated into silent consent, let’s follow the example of Nathan who spoke truth to King David. He didn’t rationalize David’s adultery and murder, but boldly declared “You are that man!”
The bigger you are, the harder you will fall. Let’s lead others in integrity and honesty that honors God. —Mike Wittmer
Are you becoming “too big to fail”? How have you used your power to smudge the rules and get away with sins that you wouldn’t have tried before?
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