The Powerful Story Of God's Redemption In The Distresses Of David's Life
God’s redemption is impressed upon and imbedded in David’s story.
For the past few months I immersed myself in the biblical story of David. His story always captivates me. I have studied about David many times, but every time I take a trip back into the story of his life, I see and understand something more. Something more of what his story tells me about God and how he relates to those who have a heart for Him.
And surely, we know that David had a heart for God. He had the best kind of heart for God, the kind that caused God Himself to testify on his behalf.
“I have found David the son of Jesse,
a man after My own heart,
who will do all My will.'
Acts 13:22b
Look at God’s word about David in Acts 13:22b. Do you see the evidence of what was in David’s heart? Because David had a heart for God, he was willing to do all God’s will in his life. Our actions truly are a testament to our true faith. Why? Because we act out of what we truly believe. If we believe God is truly trustworthy, we act like God is truly trustworthy. If we believe that God is good, we act like we believe God is good.
Now let’s remember that while David received this amazing testimony from God. David was in no way a perfect man. A.k.a. David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. If you don’t remember the details of that story, let me refresh your memory.
David’s Sin
David spied on the beautiful woman Bathsheba bathing. He sent for her and slept with her while her husband Uriah was on the battlefield fighting David’s battles for him. The unrighteous union resulted in a very inconvenient pregnancy. David, to cover his own sin, positioned Uriah on the battlefield among circumstances that assured Uriah’s death.
The problem with David’s method of hiding his sin was that, sin may be hidden from man, but not from God. God sees everything. Which is also why we know that God sees into the depths of our heart. He sees and knows the motivation of our actions and our sin results in us Grieving the Holy Spirit: Crushing God's Heart.
Good news alert:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
So God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David and expose his sin in 2 Samuel 12. God showed David mercy, that his own life would be spared, but his and Bathsheba’s baby would die. Also, Nathan prophesied of future consequences for David’s sin.
Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 2 Samuel 12:11
Fast-forward to 2 Samuel 16.
David’s son, Absalom rose up against David.
Fulfillment of “I will raise up adversity against you from your own house.’”
Then Absalom pitched a tent on top of David’s house and “went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.” (2 Samuel 16:22)
Fulfillment of “and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.”
Seems like some pretty rough stuff David had to go through as consequences for his sin, but the reality is that sin always cost us too much. More than we really want to pay, but knowing that, doesn’t always stop us in the moment. Sometimes the lusts of this world are so powerful that we push the consequences aside and out of sight, just so we can have what we want.
James 1:14-15 shows us the process and cost of sin:
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin,
when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
James 1:14-15
With sin and it’s God-ordained consequences laid before us, let us turn our attention to the beauty of God’s mercy and redemption.
First, realize that David’s story of his sin demonstrates for us that sin doesn’t have the final say, if we act in accordance to God’s will related to our sin. God’s will for us when we have sinned is really quite simple. We are the ones who over complicate it. We often get stuck in shame and condemnation and many times struggle to forgive ourselves and receive the full forgiveness of God.
So back to the simple action God requires when we sin. REPENT.
That’s it. One word – REPENT.
Repent basically means to be walking in one direction and to make a U-turn and go the complete opposite direction. To repent does not mean to be feel bad about yourself, beat yourself up, apologize, and do it again. That dear sister, is bondage to sin.
Repentance is true acceptance of the sin and wrong that we have done against God, accepting God’s forgiveness, and making a determined decision to turn away from that sin to God. And, more good news about the power of true repentance is that God will equip you and empower you to walk and live in freedom from that sin. That is David’s story and mine as well.
Second, God’s mercy and redemption gives us a clean slate to start fresh and have a successful do-over. Am I ever glad about that! I have needed a few do-overs throughout my life. While sin exposes our frailties and failures, through God’s mercy and redemption, we learn lessons that set us up to have a completely different story.
When we fail and get back up to live life with God and experience a different outcome, we carry powerful lessons with us into our future.
Here are a few of those lessons:
Eventually sin costs us more grief and pain than we really want to pay.
What God speaks is true and it happens as He said.
God is good, merciful, and faithful to those who choose to walk with Him.
With God our stories have a different outcome.
David’s story did not end with his sin. Instead, at the end of his life David declared,
“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from EVERY distress…”
1 Kings 1:29
And that is the beauty of God’s mercy and redemption!
Dear sister, even if you can’t see it right now, if you walk with God throughout this life, He will redeem your life from every distress.
