King David

I have been reading and praying through the book of Psalms over the last couple of months. As I read these prayers from King David’s heart, I began to wonder about David as compared to other kings of Israel. David was called “a man after God’s own heart”, yet he had committed adultery and murder. He was a sinner; what made him any different from other kings of Israel, who were rejected by God?

Take Saul for instance. Saul didn’t kill everybody or everything that God told him to. Saul didn’t kill, David did. It seems like David’s sin of murder would have been worse than Saul’s sin of not killing. But, listen to Saul’s first response to Samuel’s rebuke, “I saved them for God, but we destroyed the rest.” He made excuses. He lied. He never again sought the Lord. And he lost his kingdom.

Contrast that with David’s first response to Nathan’s rebuke about his sin: “I have sinned against the Lord.” That was it. No excuses, no explanations, just acknowledgement and repentance. Yes, there were some terrible consequences David still had to pay, but God immediately forgave his sin. David founded a great kingdom, and he went on to be “a man after God’s own heart”.

Sin makes you hard and bitter; sin separates you from God. Repentance brings life back to a dead soul; it restores your relationship with God.

The question is not will we sin. We are sinners, therefore we will sin. The question is, “What will I do with my sin?” Will I make excuses and blame others? Or will I admit my sin, repent and ask forgiveness?

©Rebecca A Givens, 09/06/09