TUSITE ‘EPELELI 7, 2026
2 SAMIUELA 8-11; SIONE 5:37-41
Besides Jesus, no human hero is the Messiah; no human hero is divine; no human hero is perfect; and no human hero has unlimited power. So, besides Jesus, no human hero is worthy of your worship.
Tukukehe pe ‘a Sisu, ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ko ha Misaia; ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e ‘Otua; ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e haohaoa; pea ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e ma’u ivi ta’e fakangatangata. Ko ia ai, tukukehe pe ‘a Sisu, ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e taau ke fai ki ai ha hu.
When you read your Bible, it's important to know what you're reading. Although the Bible is full of doctrine, it is not first a tome on systematic theology. Your Bible is loaded with divine wisdom, but it is not merely a book of wisdom for everyday life. The Bible has many great and interesting stories, but it is not simply a collection of stories with morals for your daily life. The Bible is not solely a compilation of lives of great heroes for your admiration or imitation. The Bible is a story, God's story. It is his biography; he is the hero of every story, and he is always on center stage. Every part of the Bible is meant to reveal God to us, that is, his attributes, his character, his plan, and his redeeming grace. The Bible should cause us to fall on our knees in humble confession and willing submission before the great Creator, Sovereign, Savior King whose glory splashes across its pages.
The Bible confronts our tendency toward hero worship by reminding us of two things. First, the Bible reminds us of the one who is behind every form of human success. The credit for the amazing heroic feats the Bible records always goes to the Lord. Second, the Bible reminds us that every human hero is flawed in some way - except Jesus. David's story is a clear example of both of these facts. His feats of strength, courage, and battle are many and amazing. But David is not actually the hero of David's story; God is. Second Samuel 8 records a list of some of David's many conquests, but note the summary of David's heroics in 2 Samuel 8:14: "And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went." None of these victories is independently David's. None of them are solely the result of his wisdom, strength, or military prowess. David is victorious because the Lord fights for him. Credit for the defeat of every enemy he faces belongs to the Lord.
But something else is revealed in David's story. Like every other human here, except one, David is a sinner, capable of succumbing to temptation and disobeying the clear commands of the Lord. How sad it is to read about David's lust for Bathsheba, his taking her for his own, his murder of her husband, and then his claiming her for his wife. This is the same conquering hero. It is hard to imagine. We find another summary statement about David in 2 Samuel 11:27, this one the polar opposite of the first: "But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD." Great victory and tragic failure in the same man. The story is told this way to remind us that only one great hero is worthy of our worship: the God whose glory is revealed in every biblical story. May we worship him and him alone.
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