mel gibson, david, and us
Last Thursday night, Hollywood actor/director/producer Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI. His BAC was well over the legal limit, he was horribly abusive to the police officers who were arresting him, and, clearly, he endangered other people driving drunk. On Saturday, Gibson issued a statement of apology.
Gibson took full responsibility (as he should) for the incident. He expressed remorse, called his behavior despicable, told how deeply ashamed he was of his actions, and apologized for his actions. He also acknowleged that his actions put other people's lives in danger, admitted to being an alcoholic, and apologized for disgracing his family. He also apologized for the abuse he directed towards the arresting officer.
Today in church, our pastor's sermon dealt with King David and Bathsheba. Our pastor promised that the sermon would be just as steamy as the weather outside, and he did not disappoint! For those unfamiliar with the story, King David happened to see Bathsheba taking a bath. The woman was very beautiful (and very married) and David was filled with lust. He had her brought to the palace, whereupon he slept with Bathsheba and got her pregnant. In an attempt to cover up his sin, David arranged for Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to be killed. 2 Samuel 12 talks about how David was confronted by Nathan concerning his sin, how he then confessed and repented, and finally, what the consequences were of David's sin. David took full responsibility for the incident, he expressed remorse and shame, he confessed his sin, he begged God for forgiveness, and he repented.
What lessons can we learn from these two stories?
1. We learn about the importance of repentance. The Bible is filled with stories about people who, like us, are full of sin. The Bible tells us that confession and repentance are the difference makers in reestablishing our relationship with God.
2. We learn that even a man like David, a man the Bible calls "a man after God's own heart", is a sinful man capable of committing horrible crimes. So are we.
3. We learn that Gibson is a man of spiritual integrity. Read Judges 2:1-4. My Life Application Study Bible has a note that says, "The people of Israel knew they had sinned, and they wept aloud, responding with deep sorrow. Because we have a tendency to sin, repentence is the true measure of spiritual sensitivity. Repentence means asking God to forgive us, and then abandoning our sinful ways. But we cannot do this sincerely unless we are truly sorry for our sinful actions. When we are aware that we have done wrong, we should admit it plainly to God rather than try to cover it up or hope we can get away with it."
4. We learn that Mel Gibson is a pretty rare individual. How many times do we see some celebrity get in trouble, and then try to make excuses, cover it up, blame other people, etc.? I'm thinking of people like Ted Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo (what is it with these Kennedy's?) , Pete Rose, Bill Clinton, and so on, and so on. Way to be a standup conservative, Mel!
Deuteronomy 31 would be an appropriate part of the Bible to read in order to tie these lessons together. We must make repentence a daily part of our lives, we must study God's Word daily so as to know when we have sinned, and we must pass this knowlege on to our children. God bless each and every one of us, and God bless America!
Gibson took full responsibility (as he should) for the incident. He expressed remorse, called his behavior despicable, told how deeply ashamed he was of his actions, and apologized for his actions. He also acknowleged that his actions put other people's lives in danger, admitted to being an alcoholic, and apologized for disgracing his family. He also apologized for the abuse he directed towards the arresting officer.
Today in church, our pastor's sermon dealt with King David and Bathsheba. Our pastor promised that the sermon would be just as steamy as the weather outside, and he did not disappoint! For those unfamiliar with the story, King David happened to see Bathsheba taking a bath. The woman was very beautiful (and very married) and David was filled with lust. He had her brought to the palace, whereupon he slept with Bathsheba and got her pregnant. In an attempt to cover up his sin, David arranged for Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to be killed. 2 Samuel 12 talks about how David was confronted by Nathan concerning his sin, how he then confessed and repented, and finally, what the consequences were of David's sin. David took full responsibility for the incident, he expressed remorse and shame, he confessed his sin, he begged God for forgiveness, and he repented.
What lessons can we learn from these two stories?
1. We learn about the importance of repentance. The Bible is filled with stories about people who, like us, are full of sin. The Bible tells us that confession and repentance are the difference makers in reestablishing our relationship with God.
2. We learn that even a man like David, a man the Bible calls "a man after God's own heart", is a sinful man capable of committing horrible crimes. So are we.
3. We learn that Gibson is a man of spiritual integrity. Read Judges 2:1-4. My Life Application Study Bible has a note that says, "The people of Israel knew they had sinned, and they wept aloud, responding with deep sorrow. Because we have a tendency to sin, repentence is the true measure of spiritual sensitivity. Repentence means asking God to forgive us, and then abandoning our sinful ways. But we cannot do this sincerely unless we are truly sorry for our sinful actions. When we are aware that we have done wrong, we should admit it plainly to God rather than try to cover it up or hope we can get away with it."
4. We learn that Mel Gibson is a pretty rare individual. How many times do we see some celebrity get in trouble, and then try to make excuses, cover it up, blame other people, etc.? I'm thinking of people like Ted Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo (what is it with these Kennedy's?) , Pete Rose, Bill Clinton, and so on, and so on. Way to be a standup conservative, Mel!
Deuteronomy 31 would be an appropriate part of the Bible to read in order to tie these lessons together. We must make repentence a daily part of our lives, we must study God's Word daily so as to know when we have sinned, and we must pass this knowlege on to our children. God bless each and every one of us, and God bless America!
posted by hondo at 10:57 PM
8 Comments:
To you I say:
Jimmy Swaggart and Newt Gingrich---christian conversative hypocrites who committed adultery while hoisting themselves up as false prophets.
The founding fathers were primarily Deists, not Christians. Just in case you didn't know that.
One more thing. Mel Gibson is a Catholic extremist as well as an anti-semite.
Please think before you post.
In Vino Veritas.
Gibson could have killed someone....would an apology have been OK then?
I contrast the reaction to Gibson's folly to that of Russell Crowe.
Crowe had an altercation with a concierge (who was clearly not doing his job properly) lost his temper and hurled a phone which struck the concierge in the face.
Crowe is arrested and hauled off publicly downtown by the Police. The police report states Crowe was not under the influence of alcohol, was respectful and cooperative to Police. He goes on to apologize for the incident in full, explaining he was trying to call his wife and son in Australia and got upset.
He has been castigated as the anti-christ ever since.
Gibson, in contrast, is drunk, disorderly and abusive.
But he's a 'CATHOLIC' in Big Capital Letters. So all he has to do is say sorry and do a confession and 'sOK.
In Vino Veritas.
Gibson could have killed someone....would an apology have been OK then?
I contrast the reaction to Gibson's folly to that of Russell Crowe.
Crowe had an altercation with a concierge (who was clearly not doing his job properly) lost his temper and hurled a phone which struck the concierge in the face.
Crowe is arrested and hauled off publicly downtown by the Police. The police report states Crowe was not under the influence of alcohol, was respectful and cooperative to Police. He goes on to apologize for the incident in full, explaining he was trying to call his wife and son in Australia and got upset.
He has been castigated as the anti-christ ever since.
Gibson, in contrast, is drunk, disorderly and abusive.
But he's a 'CATHOLIC' in Big Capital Letters. So all he has to do is say sorry and do a confession and 'sOK.
ll he has to do is say sorry and do a confession and 'sOK.
In your haste to protect and defend Mel Gibson you fail to realize that it is a bigger man who controls his vices and his mouth than one who simply apologizes for his actions afterwards. True he is only human and we must understand that he has shortcomings however his display of complete lack of control is inherently at odds with his faith. Ergo an action on his part showing truw remorse and a willingness to learn from this unfortunate episode would go alot further than mere words.
Mel is correct in his mindset. The passion film was true to the facts. Jews need to come to terms with those who speak against them. They are the only group of people who have been continuously opposed since just after the beginning of time. Why?
Because they have never learned how to co-exist without screwing their fellow man out of their piece of the pie. This is why God has let these action against the jewish people occur. Just as Israel bombs the Lebanese, God arranged for Mel to drop a bomb of his (”God’s”) own to warn Israel to behave.
Hondo,
How kind of you to trivialize the crime of Drunk Driving, I'm sure when someone in the local area strikes and kills a child while driving under the influence you're the first to go to his trial, stand up in court, and shout 'He apologized! Shouldn't that be enough?'
I'd hardly say that Mel's statement falls under the category of integrity - the 'Statement of Apology and Contrition' is standard fare whenever any Hollywood figure runs afoul of the law. If Mel Gibson wants to impress me with his integrity, he should have taken a cab home - of course, maybe your standards of integrity are lower.
A few specific comments:
1. When did Newt Gingrich EVER hold himself up as a false prophet? He was (is) a Reagan conservative, "preaching" for tax cuts, smaller government, stronger national defense, fewer entitlement programs, and less government interference in the lives of "we the people." Anonymous is a little confused.
2. The Founding Fathers were not Deists. Most of them were strong Christians who believed in the idea of building this fledgling republic upon the foundation of Christianity, as taught in the Bible. I intend to devote an entire post to this very topic in the very near future. Oh, and by the way, bigotry reflects a complete absence of thought. Please think before you post!
3. The Jews have "never learned how to co-exist without screwing their fellow man out of their piece of the pie."???? Terrorist attacks against Israel are inspired by God? Israel is "attacking Lebanon"? Wow! How does one respond to such ignorance? Anti-Semitism rears its ugly head! Israel is attacking Hezbollah, a terrorist organization which violates the Geneva Convention by setting up their terrorist operations in heavily populated neighborhoods. Israel has given away land, they have negotiated, they have appeased, and they still get nothing but hate, death, and condemnation in return. My hope is that they turn a deaf ear to world opinion, and kill as many terrorists as they possible can. That would make the world a safer place!
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