Bible in a Year Series - Day #135 - This post is
part
of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the
Bible. Click here to learn more. You are most welcome to
join along at any time.
Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: 2 Samuel 13-15.
Many years have now passed since David's sin with Bathsheba, and we are now deeply mired in Nathan's prophetic condemnation of King David:
"Now therefore 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.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of 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. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” (2 Samuel 12:10-12)
Furthermore, Nathan prophesied:
"And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord..." (2 Samuel 12:13b-14a)
What pain it must have brought to David's heart to know that he had "utterly scorned the Lord". God had blessed this man with so much. Furthermore, God told him that he was prepared to give him even more:
"I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more." (2 Samuel 12:7b-8)
Yet, for some reason we find that David made the dark exchange of God's glory for the selfish pleasures of his own lusts.
And now, we find King David weeping his way atop the Mount of Olives as his whole world has ferociously spun out of control. I also found it interesting that this is also where, centuries later, Jesus ascended and spent his horrible night in Gethsemane.
The battle that began in the Garden of Eden is on full display here. The "man after God's own heart" has given in to his flesh, and will now spend the rest of his life under God's condemnation.
It makes one wonder if this man fell to his flesh, what chance do any of us have? Or...were his temptations greater because of his position? And...was his condemnation also much greater because of his position?I suppose, after mulling this over in my mind for quite some time, we should all be very thankful for God's grace. In spite of David's great sin, he was still the beneficiary of God's unmerited favor (grace), and today is hangin' with Moses undoubtedly talking about God's great grace in spite of their great shortcomings.
This all produces a great deal of chin rubbing, doesn't it?
