GUILTY... As Charged!

“It is good to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God that David carried his sorrow: It was to God that David confessed his sin.” – C.H. Spurgeon

King David’s greatest sin was probably his illicit relationship with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11). Not only did he commit adultery, but David tried to cover up his sin by concocting an evil plan. When Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, proved too honorable to go along with the scheme, David indirectly had him murdered by ordering him to the front lines of a battle where he was sure to be killed.

David was also a poor father, who raised some very impulsive sons that he refused to properly discipline. He also sinned when he ordered Joab to count the people of Israel (2 Samuel 24), a self-reliant move that revealed a deep-seated issue with pride.

David’s infidelity caused the death of his first child by Bathsheba and his poor parenting skills resulted in the executions of Absalom and Adonijah. Even worse, his order to take a census caused a plague that claimed the lives of 70,000 Israelite men.

And yet, despite these immense character flaws, God repeatedly referred to David as “a man after My own heart” (Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). He also said that Solomon was not loyal to Him “as was the heart of his father David” (I Kings 11:4). In fact, God went so far as to say that Solomon did evil in His sight by not fully following Him, “as did his father David” (I Kings 11:6).

Finally, in I Kings 14:8, God instructs the prophet Ahijah to tell Jeroboam that the kingdom is being stripped from him and his descendants because he had not acted like His servant David, “who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes.”

So, how can an adulterer, a murderer, a liar, and a bad dad be considered a man after God’s own heart who kept all His commandments? Simply because the desire of David’s heart was to obey God and, even when he failed miserably, he didn’t make excuses. Unlike Adam who tried passing the blame onto Eve (Genesis 3:12) or King Saul who threw his people under the proverbial bus (I Samuel 15:15 & 21), David repented instantly and sincerely.

“You are the man!” the prophet Nathan declared. “I have sinned against the LORD,” David replied. No ifs, and, or buts. No excuses or rationalizations. Instead, David openly acknowledged his sin and resigned himself to God’s righteous judgment… and tender mercy.

“The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” 2 Samuel 12:13b (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President