Above: David Entrusts a Letter to Uriah
Image in the Public Domain
2 Samuel and 1 Corinthians, Part VI: Positive and Negative Influences
AUGUST 19 AND 20, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 11:1-27 (August 19)
2 Samuel 12:1-25 (August 20)
Psalm 136 (Morning–August 19)
Psalm 123 (Morning–August 20)
Psalms 97 and 112 (Evening–August 19)
Psalms 30 and 86 (Evening–August 20)
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (August 19)
1 Corinthians 12:1-13 (August 20)
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What one person does affects others for good or for ill. That is a basic truth, one which occupies the heart of these days’ readings from 2 Samuel and 1 Corinthians. David’s murder of Uriah the Hittite and adultery with Bathsheba had consequences for more than just Uriah and Bathsheba. And, as Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians, the church is the body of Christ, and therefore ought not to be a context for seeking self-interest at the expense of others.
Interdependence is a basic act of human life. Nobody ever did anything important without the help of others somewhere along the way. I think, for example, of professionals in various fields whom I have heard give much credit to certain teachers. I point to a few of my teachers more than others, but all of them helped me to progress to the next phase of life. One, in particular, did much to prepare me for college by insisting that I know how to write a proper research paper before I graduated from high school.
The proper functioning of society–or just of one’s daily life–requires the input and labor of many people. I do not think often about good roads because I have access to them. The labor of those who built these roads and of those who have maintained them helps me to do what I must do and much of what I just want to do. On the other side of the coin, some people have acted in such ways as to affect me negatively, sometimes with devastating consequences for me. I wonder what my life would be like had they acted differently and reinforce my longstanding commitment to fulfill my responsibilities to others, bearers of the image of God. Quite simply, I rededicate myself to not doing unto others as some have done unto me.
O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 134
Here ends the lesson. Go, O reader, and act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 COMMON ERA
PROPER 29–THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST–CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SQUANTO, COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING
THE FEAST OF JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF THE HOLY CROSS
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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