Participants: Bill Santos
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201308
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00:11 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time....
00:15 God's book, The Bible 00:18 Still relevant in today's complex world 00:24 It Is Written 00:26 Sharing messages of hope around the world 00:39 >>BILL: Welcome to the It Is Written Canada television program, my 00:41 name is Bill Santos, thank you so much for joining me. It was almost 00:47 unthinkable: players throwing the World Series? Yet, that's what 00:55 happened--or maybe didn't happen--in the fall of 1919. The players on the 01:05 Charles Comiskey's 1919 Chicago White Sox team were a irritable lot. The 01:11 club was divided into two "gangs" of players, each with practically nothing 01:18 to say to the other. Together they formed the best team in 01:23 baseball--perhaps one of the best teams that ever played the game, yet 01:28 they--like all ball players of the time--were paid a fraction of what 01:34 they were worth. Because of baseball's reserve clause, any player who 01:41 refused to accept a contract was prohibited from playing baseball on 01:47 any other professional team. The White Sox owner paid two of his greatest 01:53 stars, outfielder "Shoeless Joe Jackson" and third baseman Buck Weaver, 01:59 only $6000 a year. Comiskey's decision to save expenses by reducing 02:06 the number of times uniforms were laundered gave rise to the original 02:12 meaning of "The Black Sox." Comiskey has been labeled the tyrant and 02:18 tightwad whose stingy practices made his players especially willing to sell 02:26 their baseball souls for money, but in fact he was probably no worse than 02:33 most owners--in fact, Chicago had the highest team payroll in 1919. In 02:40 the era of the reserve clause, gamblers could find players on lots of 02:45 teams looking for extra cash--and they did. 02:52 The 1919 World Series resulted in the most famous scandal in baseball 02:56 history. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox (later nicknamed the Black 03:01 Sox) were accused of throwing the series against the Cincinnati 03:06 Reds. Details of the scandal and the extent to which each man was 03:11 involved have always been unclear. It was, however, front-page news across the 03:16 United States and, despite being acquitted of criminal charges, the 03:21 players were banned from professional baseball for life. Included in that 03:26 group of disgraced ballplayers was the great "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. 03:33 The controversy surrounding the 1919 World Series is most confusing 03:38 in regards to Shoeless Joe Jackson. The facts indicate that Jackson had 03:45 no involvement with the fix other than being aware that it was going on. In 03:52 1919, known for his natural abilities on the field and his 03:55 extraordinary home runs, Jackson was well on his way to becoming a baseball 04:00 legend. Today, however, he is remembered for his association with the Black 04:06 Sox. 04:10 Jackson played in that World Series and always pointed to his record as 04:13 proof that he played to win. The real conspirators made intentional errors to 04:20 lose the games. Their records show a combination of poor hitting, numerous 04:24 fielding errors, and second-rate pitching. Jackson's performance, in 04:29 contrast, was blemish-free. He had more hits than any player on 04:34 either team. He scored five runs and drove in six. His batting average 04:39 was .375 and his twelve hits set a World Series record. In the field, 04:46 thirty balls came to Jackson and he made no errors. Legend has it that 04:56 as Jackson was walking through a parking lot after testifying to a 05:01 grand jury on his involvement in the scandal, a small boy came 05:07 up to Jackson and said, "Say it ain't so, Joe." Jackson was quoted as 05:13 replying "It's so kid, it's so." Shoeless Joe was thirty-three when his 05:22 professional baseball career abruptly ended. Many attempts have been 05:29 made to have Jackson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 05:31 Cooperstown, New York, all attempts until now have been denied. 05:41 During his grand jury testimony White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte, a 05:46 teammate of Jackson's, made the following comment: 06:16 "I don't know why I did it." That can be an all too familiar refrain for 06:22 many. All of sudden you are all caught up in this web of sin, with no 06:28 apparent recourse for breaking free. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 . 06:41 All of us have made mistakes, all of us have sinned, but Jesus Christ 06:45 in His endless love for a fallen humanity came and died to set us free from 06:52 the bondage of sin into a life of happiness because we know that our sins are 06:57 forgiven. 07:08 If the Bible had been written by an image consulting firm, I suspect 07:13 that many of the stories that we find in the Bible would not have been 07:16 included. But God wanted us to have a pattern for living that we could 07:21 relate to, the stories in the Bible had to be relevant and speak to each 07:27 of us where we are. One such story is taken from the life of David. We have 07:35 spent the last few weeks studying the life of David and pulling from his 07:40 example some practical life lessons. 07:46 This particular event in David's life is probably one of the darkest 07:52 episodes, if not the darkest episode, in David's "rollercoaster" 07:59 existence. We want to cringe and cry out "Say it ain't so, David!" I 08:05 believe this experience is included in the Bible to warn us of sin's 08:12 destructive power, even in those who love the Lord. David is 50 years old now, 08:22 and has been king for about 20 years. He has fused Israel into a solid 08:26 and powerful nation. He had set himself apart as a mighty warrior, a talented 08:32 musician and a visionary man of God. Yet David is faced with the unrelenting 08:39 pounding of temptation and the seawall of his life is about to give. Although 08:45 David had been following the cultural standard of his day for monarchs of 08:50 accumulating wives and concubines, he was, nonetheless, violating 08:57 God's standard. In Deuteronomy 17:17 God made it clear that Israel's 09:07 king should not 09:16 No one confronted David about his sin. Maybe people felt that as long 09:20 as his leadership was causing the economy to expand and the nation 09:25 remained strong and healthy what difference did it make if he had a 09:30 few "indiscretions" in his personal life, after all his life is his business. 09:40 But these seemingly harmless "indiscretions" were laying some wicked 09:45 roots in David's heart. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets p. 718 10:16 Flattery and the subtle allurements of luxury and power were not without 10:21 there influence of David. Crimes that would not be tolerated in the subjects 10:27 would go completely unmentionewhen they were 10:27 committed by the ruler. 10:34 The monarch was under no obligation to restrain himself as were his 10:38 subjects. This caused David to begin to lose sense of his own 10:43 sinfulness. Rather than draw closer to Jehovah in humility he began to trust 10:50 his own wisdom and might. Never are we more vulnerable to the 10:55 temptations of pride, and self-indulgence then when we have it strayed from 11:01 God, and David was no exception. Before the conclusion of the war with 11:06 the Ammonites, David, left the command of the army to Joab, and he returned to 11:12 his palace in Jerusalem. The Syrians had already surrendered to Israel, and 11:18 the complete overthrow of the Ammonites imminent. Maybe David felt that 11:25 after 20 years of plodding through battlefields he deserved a rest. His army 11:30 was well trained and they were in the hands of a competent commander. Back 11:35 in Jerusalem David was surrounded by the fruits of victory and the honors 11:39 of his wise and able rule, and rather then doing like most kings and fighting 11:46 alongside his men he decided he would delight in the pleasures of his 11:51 success. It was now, while he was at ease and unguarded, that Satan 11:55 seized the opportunity to occupy his mind. 12:02 The fact that God had brought David into so close a relationship and 12:06 had done so much for him should have been, you would think, a strong 12:12 incentive for David preserve his character unblemished. The book 12:18 Patriarchs and Prophets says. 12:42 We begin the story in 2 Samuel 11:2 13:05 The woman bathing catches David's eye, and he stops to look, and he continues 13:11 looking. He loses all awareness of who he is and the danger that lies 13:18 ahead. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Temptation p.33, wrote the 13:23 following . 13:58 David forgot everything, his family, his kingdom and even his God. 2 Samuel 14:08 11:3 14:24 David is so numbed by his lust that his servants warning that Bathsheba is 14:30 married to one of David's elite warriors has no impact on David 14:34 whatsoever. Within a short time the woman is standing before the king. 2 Samuel 14:43 11:4 14:54 The affair is a short one, probably best described as a "fling" or a "one-night 15:01 stand", what's the big deal. David has violated God's law, and as God's 15:08 appointed leader for the nation, the one called upon to uphold God's law, 15:13 David should have known better. 15:16 David abused his power, he took advantage of the privilege that God had 15:21 given him and he betrayed the trust that his people, his family and His God had 15:26 placed in him. I don't think Bathsheba should be let off the hook 15:31 completely, she probably needs to bear some of the blame. She could have 15:35 called out for help, or maybe done something, but nonetheless, David was the 15:39 king, he was God's chosen king and he had the obligation to uphold God's 15:46 law. The story continues . 2 Samuel 11:5 16:01 Now the consequences of David's act are starting to hit home, now the 16:06 reality of what happened begins to set in. But instead of facing his sin 16:10 and coming before God in repentance and humility, for the first time in his 16:15 life David tries to sweep his sin under the rug. You see Bathsheba was the wife 16:22 of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's bravest and most faithful officers. 16:29 What would happen if word of David's affair was to get out? God's Law 16:37 prescribed the death penalty for the adulterer, and what might Uriah do, 16:44 after all he had been wronged, he might want avenge himself by taking 16:52 the life of the king or by inciting a revolt. Something had to be done. 16:59 2 Samuel 11:6 - 8 17:28 It does not take a rocket scientist to see what David's plan is here. He 17:33 is not interested with how the war is progressing, he is simply concerned about 17:39 getting Uriah home to his wife. But the king underestimated this 17:45 warrior's strength of character. Rather than going home to his wife, 17:50 this soldier sleeps alongside David's servants at the door to the palace. 17:56 When asked by the king why, he replies . 2 Samuel 11:11 18:26 The Commander-in-Chief is taught a lesson in integrity by one of his 18:31 soldiers. Uriah is completely dedicated to his country, to his king 18:36 and to his Lord. 18:40 David makes one last attempt to get Uriah to go home to his wife. David 18:43 decides he will get Uriah drunk, but even in a drunken state, Uriah shows 18:49 more self-control than David, and Uriah refuses to go home. What was David 18:56 to do? Every attempt to conceal what he had done proved unavailing. David 19:03 had betrayed himself into the power of Satan, the situation around him was a 19:10 dangerous one, he was facing a dishonor more vicious than death. There 19:17 appeared but one way to get out of this predicament, and in his 19:21 desperation he was about to add murder to adultery. By Uriah's own hand David 19:30 sends Joab a message to put Uriah on the front line of battle and abandon 19:36 him there where he will surely die. This time the plot works, Uriah is 19:43 killed and along with him other soldiers also. 2 Samuel 11:24 20:02 If the adultery alone was not difficult enough to cover up, now David has 20:06 not only the adultery but the innocent blood on his hands. Joab sent word that 20:12 Uriah had been killed in battle with some soldiers, David offers a deceitful 20:17 reassurance . 2 Samuel 11:25 20:42 David now moves to final phase of his plot . 2 Samuel 11: 26 - 27 21:09 Bathsheba observed the customary days of mourning for her husband; and at 21:15 their close "David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his 21:19 wife." The same David whose conscience would not permit him, even when his 21:26 life was in peril, to put forth his hand against Saul, the Lord's anointed, 21:31 this same David had so fallen that he could wrong and murder one of his most 21:40 faithful and most valiant soldiers, and hope to enjoy undisturbed the 21:48 reward of his sin. 21:52 David must have sighed in relief thinking that he had gotten away with 21:56 murder, literally. But God sees things differently . 2 Samuel 11: 27 22:10 With that sobering statement of God's justice, this dark episode 22:16 in David's life comes to an ominous end. The fact that a godly man like 22:22 David would succumb to such ungodly desires gives us much to ponder. 22:30 According to Maggie Scarf, author of "Intimate Partners", first published 22:36 in 1987 by Random House, re-issued in 1996 by Ballentine. 23:06 A few years ago USA Today ran this article. 24:05 No matter which stats you choose to accept the undeniable fact is that we 24:13 have a crisis on our hands. Scripture gives us two important principles 24:20 on this matter. Romans 13:14 24:29 The second one is found in . 2 Timothy 2:22 24:45 Here are a few practical things that can help put these principles in 24:50 practice in your life. 24:53 1. Establish boundaries that keep you out of compromising situations. 24:58 Do not put yourself into situations where you are likely to be tempted. 25:03 2. Do things with your spouse, make time for yourselves. 25:09 3. Have a friend, someone you trust, hold you to your standards. 25:15 4. Do as the Bible suggests in Philippians 4:8 25:42 Be conscious of what you are feeding your mind. We become what we behold. Be 25:48 selective in the movies you watch, books you read, and the places you 25:52 frequent. 25:55 5. Most importantly, cling to God in daily dependence. Take hold of 25:59 God's hand and never let go regardless of how Satan might tempt you. Make your 26:05 communion with God the first and most important activity of your day. No 26:10 matter what other obligations try to snatch this previous time away, 26:16 make it a priority to pray, and study your Bible. 26:24 If someone had told David when he was a boy that he would one day commit 26:31 adultery, father an illegitimate child and murder and innocent man, 26:36 David would have exclaimed, "Never!" Yet it happened. We are never to 26:42 old to sin, as long as our flesh is alive we have the potential of committing 26:49 the worst sins, join me know as we pray that God may protect us against 27:00 moral failure. 27:03 Father in heaven we thank you for the guidance you provide 27:08 for our lives through Your Holy Word in the examples of men like David. May 27:13 each viewer today submit their lives entirely to You, help us to make time 27:18 to pray and study Your Word, help us to resist Satan's temptations and 27:26 forgive us for where we have failed, in Jesus name, Amen 27:37 >>BILL: I've put all of the messages into a small book called "David friend 27:42 of God". If you would like to get a free copy here is the information you need. 28:11 >>BILL: Let me thank you for joining us here. Remember to visit our web 28:14 site www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca Go to our Facebook page 28:19 and "Like" us. We hope we can be together again next time. Until then remember, 28:25 It IWritten man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 28:32 proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06