All summer at The Way, Pastor Laura has brought life lessons from the life of David in 1 Samuel. David may have been a man after God’s own heart, but he was not a man without faults.
David’s most notable sin, of course, was taking another man’s wife (Bathsheba) and arranging for that man (Uriah) to die when Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child. The LORD was not pleased with David and sent the prophet Nathan to confront him.
Nathan told David a story about a rich man who takes a poor man’s lamb and when that riles up David’s ire, Nathan informs David that he is that rich man. David immediately acknowledges his sin and repents.
“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. However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.’” [2 Samuel 12:13-14 HCSB]
Whenever I read those verse, I am reminded that when we repent in humility and truth, God forgives our sin. It will not follow us into eternity nor be recorded against us. But … BUT … sometimes in this life we must live with the consequences of our sins.
Consequences follow us in this life. I have ministered to countless people who sinned and while forgiven by God, will spend much of life dealing with the consequences of their sin. And yet … YET … even in those consequences God’s grace is abundant and His mercies new every morning.
David and Bathsheba will have another son … Solomon … and it is through Solomon that the Messiah, Christ Jesus our Savior and LORD will come. [Matthew 1:6]