one of the epic encounters in the old testament involves two commandments: lying and adultery. samuel 2: 12
“and the lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich, and one poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb which he had bought and reared; and it grew up together with him and his sons; of his bread it would eat, and from his cup it would drink, and in his bosom it would lie, and it was to him like a daughter. nd there came a wayfarer to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to prepare for the guest that had come to him, and he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man that had come to him.” And David became very angry at the man; and he said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this is liable to death. And the ewe lamb he shall repay fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” And I gave you the house of your master and your master’s wives in your midst, and I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that were too little, then would I add unto you like them and like them. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in His eyes? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife for yourself as a wife, and you have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. And now, the sword shall never depart from your household for ever because you have despised Me and you have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. So says the Lord: “Behold I will raise up against you evil out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and I will give them to your friend, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you have acted in secrecy, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.” And David said to Nathan: “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “Also the Lord has removed your sin; you shall not die.”
it should be noted how david was quick to outrage and condemnation to the extent of a death penalty until….he was the perpetrator. after he is exposed, he does not impose upon himself immediate judgment, death. like the cancel culture in our society, outrage and condemnation goes only as far as when it involves someone we care about. in david, he was saving himself. damnation for the others but not for me. to that extent, cancel culture is one big lie. those who do it will be exposed as liars when the source of their outrage winds up in their backyard if they are no consistent.
the end of the story has david expressing remorse and in the course suffering the death of child which was conceived via the illicit relationship. god allowed for the sin to be removed against david. it was at a cost.
should those who wish to cancel afford all those to be cancelled the opportunity to correct their course and make amends? alternatively, for those who wish to cancel, should they be consistent and cancel all with no exception? otherwise, the cancel culture movement is simply one big lie.
be well!
The Ten Commandments Project 