God saw everything. Then He sent a prophet to condemn Mr. Sinner. Consequences followed: Mr. Sinner’s child became ill and died. Then a son of Mr. Sinner raped his half-sister who was the daughter of Mr. Sinner. Then another son killed the rapist brother. Mr. Sinner banished the avenging son. Later, Banished Son attacked Mr. Sinner’s kingdom, launching a revolution. Mr. Sinner ran for his life. Then Mr. Sinner’s wives were publicly ‘taken’ by the rebel son. The civil war raged on and when it ended, some 20,000 were dead, including Mr. Sinner’s son who began the whole thing—and whom he loved very much.
Mr. Sinner is David, of course. God saw him steal the wife of Uriah, get her pregnant, then send Uriah into battle to be “murdered by the Ammonite’s sword,” as Nathan described it in 2 Samuel 12:9. David committed adultery and murder.
God saw it all, and God punished David severely, promising “the sword will never leave your house because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.”
David immediately repented. Psalm 51 is his raw statement of grief over his sin. Its honesty and emotion makes it a treasure among Biblical literature.
But God is the hero of this story. His forgiveness is IMMEDIATE:
David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Then Nathan replied to David, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die.” 2 Samuel 12:13-14.
But even more significant—God chose to continue the royal line through Solomon. Who was Solomon’s mother? Bathsheba. God chose the son of Bathsheba. Though David had some 700 other wives, it was through the line of Bathsheba that the Messiah would come.
Think about that—Jesus is descended from David and the woman with whom David nearly destroyed his kingdom and even his life. Notwithstanding the ‘origin story’ of adultery and murder, God was gracious. God never saw Solomon as ‘less than.’
God, help us speak truth like Nathan… but also speak grace like Nathan. Help us see people the way You see them.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 