WALLOWING WITH MARK SANFORD
These
men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is
reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to
the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just
escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they
themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has
mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they
are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been
better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known
it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to
them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and,
"A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud." 2 Peter
2:17-22
There's
more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as
physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since
we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind
of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than
ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in
which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the
sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and
God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you
realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't
you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such
a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property
belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people
see God in and through your body. 1 Corinthians 6:16-20 (The Message)
Do
not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,
for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys
upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes
being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So
is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go
unpunished. Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when
he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him
all the wealth of his house. But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment;
whoever does so destroys himself. Proverbs 6:25-32
"I have been doing a lot of
soul searching on that front. What I find interesting is the story of David,
and the way in which he fell mightily; he fell in very, very significant ways.
But then picked up the pieces and built from there.
"I remain committed to
rebuilding the trust that has been committed to me over the next 18 months, and
it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in Bible - who
after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand. By doing so, I
will ultimately better serve in every area of my life, and I am committed to
doing so." -- Mark Sanford
After admitting he lied about the
number of liaisons he had with his mistress, who he called his "soul
mate", Mark Sanford said he would "try to learn to love his wife
again".
When I began blogging I decided not
to do anything political. For one thing, I don't like politics. More
importantly, politics today is too divisive and I figured doing a Christian
blog was probably divisive enough already. Besides I have no true representation
of my views in government anymore. The one party is blatantly anti-Christian
and just about everything else I value, and the other party often gives lip
service to what I value...but you know the old joke: How do you tell a
politician is lying? His lips are moving.
This post concerns a politician,
but it isn't really about politics. It's about trust and deceit and breaking
vows to God. It is about people who show little or no remorse or regret about
reprehensible behavior and then try to hide behind misinterpreted Scripture. I
have stated this man should do the honorable thing and resign, and if he will
not, he should be impeached.
There have been those who say it is
a small thing and his personal life is no one's business. First of all, if breaking
your sacred vows to your wife, cheating on her, leaving her and your children
on Father's Day no less, with no information of your whereabouts can be taken
as a small thing by those with small moral compasses, it is also true that one
who can't be trusted in small things cannot be trusted in big things.
But he didn't just leave his wife
in the lurch, did he? He left the people of his state in the lurch; people he
also swore an oath to serve. It is for this dereliction of duty that he should
be removed from office, whether he used state funds for his little trips or
not.
Relieve him of the stains and
restraints of office so he has time "to learn to love his wife
again". What arrogance contained in that statement; what utter lack of
remorse. The man cannot be trusted to hold any public trust for he lacks
judgment.
Do
not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,
for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys
upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes
being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
So
is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go
unpunished. Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when
he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him
all the wealth of his house.
But
a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
Proverbs 6:25-32
"I have been
doing a lot of soul searching on that front. What I find interesting is the
story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily; he fell in very very
significant ways. But then picked up the pieces and built from there." Sanford
seems to identify himself with David's restoration, but where is Sanford's
repentance? His real consideration should focus first on David's sins, not
unlike his own, lust, adultery and dereliction of duty. The only thing missing
is murder. If David had been doing his duties as king, he may have saved
himself much grief. So it is with Mark Sanford.
Here was King David. It was springtime. Yes, I know, spring is
when a young man's fancy turns to love. But David wasn't some young shepherd
boy anymore. He was a King and in the spring of those times King's went off to
fight their battles while the weather allowed. But David did not do his duty.
He sent his armies off without him and he dawdled about the castle getting in to
mischief. He went wandering about on the roof one night and spied on a
beautiful woman taking a bath.
Such behaviors may seem strange to us today. When is the last
time you went for a leisurely evening walk across your roof or your neighbor's
wife was bathing on her patio?
Neither would have been unusual in David's time. People didn't
have running water and other modern conveniences. To have a bathing area on a
roof or porch or in an enclosed area wouldn't have been uncommon. Neither would
it be unusual for people to be walking about on their roofs. In warm weather
they would sit or sleep on the roof to keep cooler. We don't need to assume
either had any ulterior motive in their behavior. Nonetheless, David saw this
beautiful woman bathing and he sent for her and she came to him and it resulted
in her becoming preggers. Eventually this all led to David arranging for the
death of her husband.
David did not seem too concerned about what he had done. He took
Bathsheba as a wife and looked forward to the birth of their son. He didn't
fear too much, who was going to confront the king over these things?
Nathan did.
The
LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two
men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very
large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little
ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children.
It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like
a daughter to him.
"Now
a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of
his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him.
Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for
the one who had come to him."
David
burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the
LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb
four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."
Then
Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the
hand of Saul. I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into
your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been
too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of
the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite
with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword
of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house,
because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'
"This
is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity
upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who
is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.You did it
in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'
"
Then
David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan
replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But
because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter
contempt, the son born to you will die." 2 Samuel 12:1-14
Yes,
David did not die for his act, nor did he give up his crown, but he did not
just pick up the peaces and build from there as Sanford claims. David retained
his position and power by the mercy of God. Part of this was David understood
he had sinned against God and repented and part was because God had promised
the Messiah, who would save and eventually rule men forever, would come from
David, and God would not go back on this promise.
God
is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers
23:19.
Sanford speaks of David's
humbleness, but where is Sanford's humbleness? "I will try to learn to
love my wife again," is not the statement of a humble man. It is the
statement of a man with no pity. If anything, he should have said, "I hope
my wife can forgive and learn to love me again."
Sanford seems to pick and choose
his Bible inspiration to suit his own wishes. He would be well advised to
remember it was not easy going for David, who would never be at peace or have a
happy home or rule after his sin. The child died as God said and the sword,
indeed, never left his house. One of his sons raped one of his daughters and a
second son killed the first for it. That second son led a revolt against David
and came to his own tragic demise in the branch of a tree. And that thing about
his wives happened also.
And this is with David having
repented and been restored. Sanford would be better served to remember God
might take back even a promise for those who do not humbly repent and return to
true obedience to God's Word. He might ponder the fate of Eli's sons.
Now
Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel
and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all
the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good
report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people. If a man sins against
another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who
will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their
father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.
Now
a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says:
'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt
under Pharaoh? I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my
priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my
presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by
the Israelites. Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed
for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening
yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'
"Therefore
the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your
father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far
be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will
be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and
the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in
your family line and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will
be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. Every
one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind
your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will
die in the prime of life.
"
'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to
you—they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful
priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly
establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always. Then
everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece
of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly
office so I can have food to eat." 1 Samuel 2:22-36
I am not judging Mark Sanford. He
has in his political career chosen to present himself as a Christian. He has
used this image to his purposes. Christians are not perfect nor are they immune
from temptation and being lured by it to sin. But Christians who choose to
continue in such a sin and not rebuke it and turn from sin must take heed of
the opening verses in this post: If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are
worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better
for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and
then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of
them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and,
"A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
Sanford should resign, but instead he is
wallowing in his sin. His behavior entices others to the same folly.
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