David lost a lot of people he loved, but what about himself. David, according to Psalm 32:3-4, was so spiritually empty that his strength was sapped. He put so much into trying to hide his sin that he was overwhelmed with guilt and shame.
A major issue with David’s sexual immorality was the sin that followed.
- He killed Uriah – “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)
- He committed adultery – “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14)
- He stole Uriah’s wife – “You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)
- He had to live a life of lies – “You shall not give false testimony.” (Exodus 20:16)
- He lusted after that which belonged to his neighbour – “You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife” (Exodus 20:17)
And just like that, half of the Ten Commandments broken.
But fortunately, for David, he showed that he still had a heart for God.
Psalm 51:1-4 says;
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
David took the only route back to God; through repentance and confession. I think the key work here is confession though. David didn’t simply apologise and say “Lord I’m sorry for what I’ve done. May you forgive me. Amen. “ Let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t a confession. A true confession requires us to acknowledge our sin and see ourselves as sinful and in need of cleansing.
As sinners, yes you and me, we need to display a true repentance that does not make excuses. There is no place of excuses.
- “Lord, I shouldn’t have let him tempt me. I pray that you’ll forgive me”
- “Lord, I know that I messed up, but it was her who invited me over”
If you read David’s prayer, you’ll notice that he never mentions Bathsheba’s name once. He owns the sin. And just like David, we also must accept God’s judgement. Not everyone will get exposed; it’s God decision, and we have to firm the decision, whatever it may be.
I wanted to find a way to end this on a lighter note, but I guess the best thing we can ever hear is that it’s never too late to confess and repent. God’s plan for your life doesn’t end at the point of sin. There is nobody who cannot be used for God’s goodness. This isn’t to say that we can do whatever we want and ignore God’s law, but really to encourage those of us who have already made mistakes and want to live tomorrow differently to how we did today.
My Sunday Skl 