2 Samuel 11-15

What a mess!!  How can God make anything out such a circus?  How can this be the family of a man after God's own heart?

The story of David and Bathsheba is a story of the fallen nature of man.  David with all of his wives and concubines saw another beautiful women and desired her.  What is that 10th commandment?  Something about coveting another man's wife.  David sinned in his heart and then he sinned in the flesh and then he sinned again by trying to cover up his sin.  the result......a murder and the death of an innocent child.  What good could ever come from such a person.  I do not try to defend any of this, but then their is the story of his great remorse.  "I have sinned against the Lord!"  this is far different from King Saul's refusal to confess his sin.   David confesses and repents.  There is  the residual damage of the sin.  there is the death of Uriah and the death of the child.  We cannot escape the effect of our sin even if God forgives us of that sin.  David sat in sack clothe and ashes, refused food for 7 days in the hope that God would spare the child, but he did not.  The consequences of our sin are ever before us.  We hurt and even destroy others.

Remember Nathan's prophecy, "God will raise up adversity in your own house."  And then, before you know it, here it comes.  Even though polygamous marriages are allowed in the Old Testament, nearly every example of familial life is filled with discord.  Amnon rapes Tamar.  Absolom kills Amon in revenge for his sister.  Absolom flees Jerusalem to escape the blood avenger of his 1/2 brother.  David forgives Absolom and calls him back to Jerusalem.  Absolom sees weakness in his father's actions and plots an insurrection.  David flees the city fearful of his life.  Can it get any messier than this soap opera?  But there is David.....a man after God's own heart.  you can see it in his words as he sends the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.... "if God sees fit he will bring me back, but if not let him do to me whatever seems good to him."  Can you see the humility before God? the faithful belief that whatever God allows is righteous and good.  that is the characteristic in David that God can use to bless the world.  That is the characteristic in us that God can use to bless the world.  Would that we could endure the difficulties of this world in the knowledge that God is in control and whatever seems good to him will be best for us.  Now that is a belief that will see you through hard times.  We will discover in the next few chapters that just such a faith saw David return from exile although the familial tragedy continued.

Hope your Sabbath was filled with blessing.  Have a God Blessed week.