As an adolescent David defeated the giant Goliath. As a man he practiced repentance on an ongoing basis. As king he learned the hard way that obedience is not a natural human tendency.
Like King David, we all have allowed our flesh to rule our lives at one time or another by lying to ourselves. Believing our sin will not hurt others and…
My sin will remain my little secret.
Keeping sin a secret is like holding your breath. No matter how hard you try. Sooner or later it comes out.
Thankfully, the Lord never allows sin to remain hidden in the darkness. By doing so. He protects your soul from sin’s seductive destruction that
- leaves you hollow and broken.
- imprisons you.
- prevents you from becoming the person the Lord envisioned when He created you.
- conceals God’s love.
- rejects God’s grace.
David foolishly believed his night with Bathsheba would remain his little secret. It did for a little while. Until the day when Bathsheba sent David a message saying, “I’m pregnant.”
Immediately, David decided to do whatever it took to make sure no one found out what he had done.
David sent word to Joab. “Send me Uriah the Hittite.”
So Joab sent him to David. When Uriah arrived David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along, and how the war was progressing. Then he told Uriah, “Go on home and relax.”
David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace, but Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.
When David heard that Uriah had not gone home he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”
Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”
“Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.”
So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk; but even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.
So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”
So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. When the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight. Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers. 2 Samuel 11:6-17
When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead. She mourned for him. When the period of mourning was over. David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives.
Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done. 2 Samuel 11:26-27
David soon learned sin has consequences because God will judge us for everything we do. Including every secret thing, whether good or bad. Ecclesiastes 12:14
With each sinful act, David willingly chose to travel down the path toward destruction. Retreating further and further from the Lord. This distance lulled David into a false sense of self-determination. Self-preservation at all costs permeated his life.
Since David either was not listening or could not hear the voice of God. On His behalf, the Lord sent the prophet to confront David.
“The sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household. I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed, you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.”
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin. You shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born to you shall surely die.” 2 Samuel 12:10-14
David publically repented. Confessing his sin. Psalm 51 is this declaration.
Look on me with a heart of mercy. O God, according to Your generous love. According to Your great compassion, wipe out every consequence of my shameful crimes.
Thoroughly wash me, inside and out, of all my crooked deeds. Cleanse me from my sins.
For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong, and my guilt is there. Staring me in the face.
It was against You. Only You that I sinned. For I have done what You say is wrong, right before Your eyes.
So when You speak. You are in the right. When You judge. Your judgments are pure and true.
For I was guilty from the day I was born. A sinner from the time my mother became pregnant with me.
But still You long to enthrone truth throughout my being. In unseen places deep within me You show me wisdom.
Cleanse me of my wickedness with hyssop, and I will be clean. If You wash me, I will be whiter than snow.
Help me hear joy and happiness as my accompaniment. So my bone, which You have broken will dance in delight instead.
Cover Your face so You will not see my sins, and erase my guilt from the record.
Create in me a clean heart O God. Restore within me a sense of being brand new.
Do not throw me far away from Your presence and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me.
Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by You. Let Your willing Spirit sustain me.
If You do, I promise to teach rebels Your ways and help sinners find their way back to You.
Free me from the guilt of murder, of shedding a man’s blood. O God who saves me.
Now my tongue, which was used to destroy will be used to sing with deep delight of how right and just You are.
O Lord, pry open my lips. That this mouth will sing joyfully of Your greatness.
I would surrender my dearest possessions or destroy all that I prize to prove my regret. But You don’t take pleasure in sacrifices or burnt offerings.
What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit. Because a broken spirit, O God, a heart that honestly regrets the past,
You won’t detest.
Be good to Zion. Grant her Your favor. Make Jerusalem’s walls steady and strong.
Then there will be sacrifices made, burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. With right motives that will delight You. And costly young bulls will be offered up to Your altar, only the best.
More about Psalm 51 next week.
Be a VOICE shouting into the wilderness.
“CHRIST is returning!”
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