King Saul died a tragic death in
I Samuel 31. Mortally wounded, he fell on his own sword. The Philistines found his body, cut off his head, and took his body and those of his sons and hung them to walls of the city of Beth Shan.
Life is full of indignity. Many things are the result of our own choices, self inflicted wounds. Other indignities are the result of outside forces, wounds from friends, family, coworkers, and other Christians. Life can leave us feeling stripped, naked, like we've lost our head, nailed to the wall, ashamed and violated.
The story continues that when word reached the citizens of Jabesh, courageous citizens of that city rose up that night and took the bodies of Saul and his sons down off of the walls of Beth Shan. They took the bodies back to their city, burned the bodies and buried their bones, giving them a decent, dignified burial. And then they fasted seven days.
The calling of the church is to bring dignity back to people who have been shamed, abused, beaten, ripped apart and violated by sin and its consequences. Like the folks of Jabesh we are called to gently care for those who have become the trophies of hell, nailed to the wall, publically embarrassed and humiliated, take them in our arms and dealing kindly with them, to bring them to a place of dignity. We must be willing to take them home with us, invite them into our lives and in so doing help to burn away the memories of defeat and tragedy and help bury the past.
Jesus was publicly shamed for us all. Defeated by the forces of darkness he was nailed to a cross for all the world to see. Abused, violated, beaten and wounded, Jesus bore the brunt of our defeat and our shame. A group of friends begged for His body, they asked permission to take His body down, to clean it and to prepare it for burial. They were given permission and they gave Jesus a dignified and decent burial. As a result, these brave and kindhearted friends of Jesus helped set the stage for His resurrection.
We have the opportunity to help people make a comeback. We have the opportunity to help people to become victorious. We have the opportunity to help people find cleansing and restoration. There's a chance for renewal and new life when the Church rises up and helps to bring dignity back into the lives of the broken and defeated.
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