Strength for your journey

Meditation for your Inspiration and Elevation

2 Samuel 12:1-6 1And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor 2The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! 

                                 God Don’t like Ugly  

   During this Black History Month, I am sharing condensed versions of some of the Black History Month sermons I did over the years. Today’s meditation, “God don’t like ugly” is one of them. I think it is as relevant now as it was when it was first delivered many years ago. God still has a disdain for ugly behavior.

Just about every Black child growing up in the South during my youth often heard the expression, “God don’t like ugly.” Whenever we did or said something that was not in line with Christian teachings and community standards, it was deemed ugly, and we were reminded that “God don’t like ugly.” 

And we knew the things that were ugly in the eyes of God; they were told to us by the church people, who were the eyes of God in the community.

 It was ugly to disrespect your parents, women, and the elderly. It was ugly to use profanity in the presence of women and children. Generally, it was ugly to do anything that was not pleasing in the eyes of God, and when you did such a thing you were reminded that “God don’t like ugly.” And inherent in the reminder that God don’t like ugly was the assurance that God was watching us and would hold us accountable for our deeds.

When we talk about Black history today, we often focus on the academic, cultural, and sports accomplishment of Black people, which are worthy and abundant. But there is a spiritual side to the Black journey in America that is just as important, and I am convinced that the spiritual side provided the strength for success in everything else. And I believe that now, more than ever, it is that spiritual contribution that today’s Blacks, and the nation need most of all. 

            Our nation could benefit immensely from Black people’s historical challenge to live lives of moral decency and divine direction. Blacks have played that role well in the past. A strong case could be made that there was a time in our history when Black people were the moral conscious of America.

Blacks took it upon themselves to live Godly lives and challenged America to do the same. Blacks then challenged this young nation to live up to the true meaning of its creeds; to be fairer and more humane in its administration of justice, to be more compassionate and outreaching in its distribution of its resources; and to be more careful and responsible in the use of its military might. 

            It was the moral decency of Black people that gave Black leaders a platform from which to criticize America for its indecency toward them, and others. Just as Black people told their children, “God don’t like ugly,” they also told the country, “God Don’t like ugly.” They held that nobody is above the laws of God, and ultimately, everybody must answer to God, White and Black alike, including those in high places.

In the scripture that serves as the background for this meditation, we have an ugly deed done by a person of high position. king David had used his power to do something that was ugly in the eyes of God. He used his God given advantage to take advantage of someone who was at a disadvantage. I believe that using a God given advantage to take advantage of someone who is at a disadvantage is among the ugliest of ugly behaviors. I also believe that it is one of the behaviors that God dislikes most.

And since David was King, there was no one who had the authority or courage to call his hand on his bad behavior; nobody but God, or one acting with Godly authority. So, God sent Nathan, the prophet, to tell David, the king, that his behavior was ugly, and God didn’t like it. 

It takes courage and conviction to speak truth to power. Black people of the past demonstrated that courage and conviction. With them, nobody was above God’s laws, not even the powerful. And the more powerful you were, the uglier your ugly deeds were to God.

David’s deed might not have looked so bad had he been an ordinary citizen, but he was a king. His responsibility was to look out for his citizens, not to take advantage of them. So, Nathan had to stand up to him.

 Black people in our history stood up to people who were doing ugly things. They believed that they were charged by God to speak on His behalf against ugly ungodliness. Some of them risked all, standing up for justice. Some gave their lives in their efforts.  

And to be clear, there were many white people among them who gave just as much and suffered just as much to stand up against things they believed were ugly and ungodly that should be denounced by those who wish to please God. We need more such people today!

So, as we reflect on the journey of Black people during this month, it would be a fitting tribute to our Black ancestors if Americans would take seriously the admonition that God don’t like ugly and clean up our public discourse and private lives. By so doing, we would really be taking a step toward making American great for the first time and we might even get to the point where we could sing with sincerity, America the Beautiful.

William Jenkins