Eduguéjnai David chácare iji Jerusalen
The sins of King David who lived long ago:
The kings of old went to war at the end of winter. But one winter, King David didn’t accompany his soldiers but sent the official named Joab to fight in his place. And David stayed in Jerusalem.
One night, David couldn’t sleep and left his bed and was walking about on the roof of his palace. But as he was looking about from the roof of his house he saw a woman. He sent his servant to ask her the name of her husband.
His servant returned and said: “That woman’s name is Bathsheba and her husband’s name is Uriah.”
David knew that Uriah had left for war. Therefore, David said to his servant: “Go to that woman and bring her here.” When they arrived with her, David slept with her and then it was that she returned to her house.
But that woman discovered she was pregnant, and she sent her servant to David to tell David that the child in her womb was his child. David sent a letter to the official Joab and this is what he wrote: “Joab, place Uriah very near your opponents, and he is to be left alone there so that he will be killed in the war.”
When he got word that Uriah had been killed, then it was that he took his wife again to his house and considered her his own wife. And he hid his sin, but Dupade knew about it.
Dupade sent one of his prophets to David whose name was Nathan:
Dupade sent Nathan to see how David was. When he got there, he spoke to David and said, “Listen to what I have to say, David. I’m going to tell you about two men who live in the same town. One is rich, and one is poor. The rich man has many sheep, but he wanted the little lamb that was the poor man’s pet. He took it away from him and killed it and ate it.”
This made king David angry. And he asked the name of the rich man.
Nathan told him, “You are that man.”
Then, David knew that Dupade knew about his sin and then he confessed his sin to Dupade. (2 Samuel 12:1-13)
Nathan brought David’s sin out into the open:
Nathan went to David long ago and told him this story about the little lamb that was the poor man’s pet but was killed by a rich man for food. He told him this story to bring David’s sins out into the open, and the lies he had told. And what follows are the words of David who lived many years ago when he returned to Dupade. (Psalm 51)
Ecarai explains that whoever hears Dupade’s Words, should heed them.
What I want to read to you are these words of Dupade that say: “If you hear my words, listen to them.”
We do not know that we’ve ever actually heard Dupade’s voice, but it’s clear that we have, because Dupade’s Words talk to our hearts. And we remember Dupade’s state of being a Savior. Our Savior said: “Don’t close your ears to me, instead obey my words, hear them.”
“Not just words to read, they are spoken,” he said, “so don’t close your ears to them,” he says. “Obey Dupade’s Words, listen to them,” he says.
I know that we hear Dupade’s Words every day here in our village when we gather to study his words, but we don’t always hear them. That is when sin finds us, because Satan tempts us so that we will not hear and follow Dupade’s Words.
Dupade’s Words tell us about David, the man of old that thought about killing a young woman’s husband and ended up doing it. But, in vain, he tried to hide the ugly thing that he had done.
Dupade’s Words tell us that when his fellow man revealed to him the ugly things he had done, only then it was that he felt sorry for what he had done.
But King David returned to Dupade that very day and these were his words: “Have mercy on me, Dupade, because this is what I’m going to do, I’m going to respond to your mercy,” he said.
We know that a person might feel sorry for his fellow person, but only to give him something like food. But Dupade not only provides food for us, he provides us with strength. Therefore, David who lived long ago, said: “Dupade, be compassionate with me for this is what you do. You are merciful to us people on earth, so please erase my sins right now.”
But those sins he had done originated from wrong thoughts. And so the ugly things David did were three. He knew Dupade’s Words, but he didn’t listen to them. He slept in the presence of a young woman who already had a husband. But when he knew that she was pregnant, he sent her husband into the fighting to be killed by their enemies. But David dug-at-Dupade’s- insides and said to him: “Dupade, remember that compassion originated with you,” this is what he said. “So, be compassionate and erase my sins right now.”
Dupade’s Words instruct us to close our ears to Satan’s words:
These words of David’s were very long when he presented himself to Dupade and told him that his sins were against him. I’m going to read what Dupade said in response. This is what he told that man who lived long ago: “Hear Dupade’s Words,” he said, “don’t close your ears to them,” he said.
I know that we hear Dupade’s Words every day, and even at night. But if one of us doesn’t hear Dupade’s Words, then Satan will tempt him. He will confuse him and say, ‘That’s not what Dupade’s Words mean.’ But what Dupade’s Words mean is this: ‘Close your ears to Satan’s words when he talks to you.’
Dupade knows what’s in our hearts whether our faith in him is true or not, and he blesses his true believers.
We know that Dupade counsels us with his words. He says: “If your Father Dupade talks to you, don’t refuse him.” He says: “If your fellow man trusts you when he’s going through painful things, don’t let him down. Then, when you’re on the other side of that big trial that your fellow man trusted you with, it’s very true that he will praise you. And that is how it is with Dupade’s Words which say: ‘Dupade lifts us up.’ If Dupade has trusted you to serve him and to be strong in his words, then Dupade will lift you up. This faith of yours, didn’t come from you, but from his words. (Romans 10:17)
If you listen to Dupade’s Words, then Dupade will work in you and no longer will you be tempted to do ugly things. You won’t have dry years with few crops at all. I don’t know where in Dupade’s Words it says this, but it’s in the Old Testament, probably in Deuteronomy, where Moses says: “You will be blessed in your land and won’t see any bad years at all.”
And Dupade’s Words mean this: “You will be blessed, and, in your land, you won’t experience any dry years at all. He will bless you and you won’t see any miscarriages.” This is what it says. “He will bless the cattle, and you won’t see any of them miscarry.” That’s what it says. “But it will be like this only if you listen to Dupade’s Words.”
Afterwards it tells us what Dupade disapproves of and it says: “If Dupade disapproves of what you do you will not have good crops at all,” it says. “You won’t have safe births,” it says. “You won’t have good cattle. And your herds will not carry their offspring to full term.”
And what is told applies to us. When we sin after hearing Dupade’s Words then Dupade will not approve of us and will not give us good crops.
You know, I think Dupade must have heard our prayers here in Tobité in the years past. Back then we never had bad years, not even a little bad. But that was because Dupade was helping us in Tobité so that we would not experience dry years. And that was because we heard and paid attention to his words. We didn’t know much about our state of being believers back then, but Dupade knew our hearts and he knew that we truly did believe in him. And he said, because of that, he would bless us, and we wouldn’t have bad crops, nor would our women have miscarriages. We wouldn’t even have trouble raising chickens. That’s what Dupade said.
If we hate what we’ve done against Dupade, we should do what David did:
You know that David, who lived long ago, presented himself to Dupade and he said to him: “Dupade, have mercy on me, have mercy on me because of your grace and then I will follow your path.” Then he said: “Erase my sins. Erase my ugly ways,” he said. “If you erase what’s in my heart, then my heart will be very clean,” he said. “Completely obliterate my sins and my sighing will not come back to discourage me again.”
And it’s true that when we hear Dupade’s Words and we hate what we’ve done against him, we are doing what King David did when he said to Dupade: “Stir up before my eyes all of my sins and then I won’t have to see them again. And I won’t have to endure your disapproval any more.”
And these things he said are about hearing Dupade’s Words and not refusing to do them. For if we refuse Dupade’s Words and go on sinning like the men of old did, then Dupade will give us ugly years without good crops. He’ll give us hunger. He’ll give us sickness.
But David said to Dupade: “Dupade, mercy comes from you. So have mercy on me. Erase my sin and with your hyssop clean my heart, and it will be whiter than hail. Only your hyssop can wash me. Put happiness in my heart. Cause my bones to be strong again.
Wayne Gill exhorted Ecarai:
This teaching of mine is for you, but at the same time it is for me also. For I have sinned.
That is why the missionaries these days have been telling me to read Psalm 51, which was written by that man of old called David. When Wayne counseled me, the one who was burned long ago here in Tobité, he said: “Father of David, other tribal people have sinned. That’s because they do not know that Dupade hates sin,” he said to me. “One of those tribal people, a woman, said to us that we can obey Dupade’s Words in our hearts, and let our flesh sin, that’s what she said. But she didn’t know the meaning of Dupade’s Words. For our flesh always wants to do ugly things.” (Galatians 5:19)
But Wayne, the one burned by fire, explained these things: “If you have done ugly things you must do what David, the man of old, did. He said: “Dupade, you are the originator of mercy, so please erase my sins, and apply your hyssop to the place in me where my sins are hidden that it might be clean and white again.”
I don’t know if Dupade has a literal hyssop, but he tells us that he can wash away all our sins. King David knew that the priest in those day had hyssops. And they would dip the hyssop in the blood of animals and sprinkled it on things to take away their state of being impure, and afterwards they were pure. King David wanted his state of being righteous, and that is why he mentioned the hyssop. But Cristo sacrificed himself and his blood is what erases our sins. (1 John 1:8-9)
And Dupade did erase David’s sins.
Wayne said to me: “Be like David, the man who lived long ago. Dupade applied the hyssop to the place where his sins were hidden and left it whiter than hail. Hail covers the ground and the ground is white. And when Dupade erases sin from someone, he causes the place where the sin was hidden to be white again.
Therefore, all of you fellow believers, hear what Wayne said to me: “I know that all of the people on earth are always looking for ways to sin. And Satan comes to us and tempts us. What he wants is for us to not pay attention to Dupade’s Words,” this is what Wayne said. And then he said: “Come and stop sinning and go far away from sin.”
He went on exhorting us and said: “We believers have a right to be truthful and to want to follow Dupade’s Words like David did,” Wayne said. “David said to Dupade, ‘Erase my sins. Wash my sins away with your hyssop, the place where they are will be clean and white.”
And this also is what ‘don Wayne’ said to me: “Remember that long ago Dupade wanted to use you and to send you forth to preach his words. So, come back to Dupade if you want to preach his words in this world. That’s what the men of old did, they went everywhere preaching all by themselves throughout this world. Those that hate us and attack us who preach Dupade’s Words today, hated them and attacked them also.”
That’s why I’ve told you what Wayne said and what he taught us. He wanted us to realize that even though it’s not for all of us, I know it applies to me, and that’s why I’m telling us this.
David, the man of long ago, really wanted the young woman named Bathsheba. And not only that, he killed her husband and hid his sin of adultery – he slept with her without marrying her and she got pregnant. But then Dupade sent his prophet Nathan to reveal to David that he had sinned. When he told him this, David felt sorry for himself. And he returned to Dupade.
And that’s why ‘don Wayne’ exhorted me and said to me: “Feel sorry for your fellow Ayoreos who you have prayed for, and don’t be ashamed before Dupade’s healthy, strong believers. Dupade will apply his hyssop to your sins and heal you.” That’s what Wayne told me.
Key:
To dig-at-someone’s-insides – Plead for, to beg for
Dupade – God
Dupade’s Words – God’s Word.
Ecarai – Tobité, Bolivia. – 1970.
Transcribed and translated by: Maxine Morarie
