“David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”
Going through the Bible today, this passage stood out to me in a few ways. For context, this passage follows David after he had an affair with Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite’s wife. Then, after David got her pregnant, he conspired with one of his generals to have Uriah killed in battle.
When he is caught and confronted by the prophet Nathan, this is his confession. Is this the confession that God accepts? At first glance it just doesn’t make sense. David sinned against a great number of people by his actions. What about Uriah? What about Uriah’s family? What about his own army? Did he not betray his own troops, sending them into harm’s way to have them abandon one of their own? This is a betrayal of country, family, and loyalty. This is a deep betrayal of God, as well. God chose David and honored him above all others in his day. David was supposed to be God’s representative—more than that—the leader of God’s chosen nation. The depth of this scandal sinks deep. It’s not just David’s own repuatation that is on the line here. This is God’s reputation and HIS name that is being tarnished.
As I reflect on this, I am reminded of the leaders that we raise up. Who we raise up as role models and leaders within the Christian community speaks volumes to our character. It is one thing when someone, who we trusted, betrays us, as David did here to God in besmirching HIS name. It is much worse when we do this intentionally, with political leaders who despise decency and act in a way that I would reprimand a 5-year child for. I expect very little from a party that doesn’t even give lip service to the Bible as an authority. What worries me is when ‘our’ own party drags the opposition down into the mud and starts winning.
This speaks to our own moral turpitude as a democratic nation. I have much contempt for the evangelical leaders who compromise in their political endorsements. Our God has never called us to compromise. He often calls us to ‘lose,’ but never to compromise. In the eyes of the world, Daniel ‘lost’ right before he was thrown into the lions den, his three friends ‘lost’ right before being thrown in the furnace. All of the apostles were ‘losers’ in the eyes of the world with 11 being tortured and executed and the 12th dying in exile. Jesus ‘lost’ that day on the cross, but that following Sunday there has never been a victory more sweet, complete and final. All these people were ‘losers’ in the eyes of the world. They looked forward to a greater kingdom and the message of hope and faith in God, refusing to compromise the standard that God calls them and us to.
More personally, we all have our own failures and shortcomings. There are issues that I struggle with daily. I sin every day. Against my neighbors, close relationships, sins against even myself. Ultimately, my sin is against God, as the author of all creation.
Father, as I live out this week, deepen my appreciation for your creation and my place within it. Help me to see where I fail YOU and help me to see all sin as a failing of YOUR goodness and divine plan. Forgive my sin, remove my iniquity, and help me to forgive all those who sin against me. Help us to worship you in spirit, truth, deed and thought. I pray for the project of the CWC app, please be with the dev team as we work out the bugs, and try to make improvements. Help me to prepare well to be a father. Help me to be a good husband and leader. Watch over those who are serving as volunteers and please provide them with opportunities to share your word and encourage those who are seeking you. I pray that our outreach would be effective, that people would encounter YOUR Word, would encounter the Gospel, would encounter YOU, and come to both a saving knowledge and saving faith in your Son, Jesus Christ.
*Please note that these are simply personal Bible study notes that I am processing and posting live - the views expressed herein do no nessecaarisy reflect the views of CWC as an organization. Please forgive any typos, errors, omissions, and poor grammar.