Gen FX — Abuse of Power

A special Gen FX reflection on today’s EFKS message.

Weekly EFKS Theme:
Parables — Old Testament and New Testament

📖 Bible Reading:
2 Samuel 12:1–10
(EFKS Tusi Faitau Aso)

Dear Gen FX,

Power is not always obvious.

It can come through position, authority, influence, knowledge, money, age or simply having more choices than someone else. What matters is what we do with it.

In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan tells King David a simple story about a rich man and a poor man. David quickly recognises the injustice in the story.

What he does not immediately recognise is himself.

THE READING, EXPLAINED

David had taken Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle.

God sends the prophet Nathan to confront him.

Instead of beginning with a direct accusation, Nathan tells David a parable.

A rich man owns many sheep and cattle. A poor man owns only one little lamb, which he has raised and cared for as part of his household.

When a traveller comes to visit the rich man, the rich man refuses to take one of his own animals. Instead, he takes the poor man's only lamb and prepares it for his guest.

David is furious when he hears the story. As king, he immediately recognises the rich man's actions as cruel and unjust.

Then Nathan says:

“You are the man!” — 2 Samuel 12:7

The story was about David.

God had given David much, yet David used his position to take what belonged to another man. Nathan exposes not only David's actions but also his abuse of the power God had entrusted to him.

WHAT THIS THEME IS POINTING TO

David could recognise injustice when he believed someone else was responsible for it.

He struggled to recognise it when he was the one responsible.

Nathan's parable breaks through that blindness.

David was king. His authority was meant to be used to lead and protect God's people. Instead, he used that authority to satisfy his own desires, while Uriah paid the price.

This is what makes abuse of power so serious.

Power itself is not necessarily wrong. The question is whether we use what has been entrusted to us for the good of others or for our own advantage.

The more authority we have, the greater our responsibility to use it with humility, justice and care.

WHERE THIS MEETS REAL LIFE

Think about being given a key.

A key gives you access that other people may not have. You can use that access responsibly, or you can use it to enter places and take things that were never yours to take.

Power works in a similar way.

We may have influence because we are a parent, leader, teacher, older sibling, employer, church member or simply someone other people trust.

That influence gives us opportunities to help, protect and serve.

But it can also be misused.

Nathan's words to David challenge us to examine ourselves before we condemn others. When God entrusts us with influence, the question is not simply, “What am I allowed to do?”

We should also ask, “How am I using what God has entrusted to me?”

ONE THING TO HOLD ONTO

God-given influence is not permission to serve ourselves; it is a responsibility to serve others faithfully.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, help us to recognise where we hold influence and use it wisely. Give us humility to see our own wrongdoing and courage to choose what is just and right. Amen.

Signing off,
Alofa Tunoa

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Alofa Tunoa shares budget-friendly recipes, family meals, one-pan dinners, and Pacific Island inspired food rooted in Samoan culture and faith-filled home cooking.

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