Psalm 51: 10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
The above scripture is a portion of the Psalm that David wrote after he’d been confronted by Nathan, the prophet. On Sunday we delved into David’s lust for Bathsheba, his subsequent adultery, and his murderous plan to have Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband) conveniently killed in battle. If you read through 2 Samuel 11, the scriptures are very clear regarding the lengths to which David went in order to make it look like Bathsheba had conceived while Uriah was home from battle. Uriah, ever the loyal soldier, insisted on staying with his men, his fellow soldiers. He refused to spend even a night in the arms of his beloved wife, Bathsheba. David knew he’d really messed up and was desperately trying to make things look “right” for all involved. When his first cover-up plan did not work, David then concocted the idea to have Uriah valiantly slain in battle.
After Uriah’s death on the battlefield, scripture tells us that Bathsheba and David married after an appropriate time of mourning for Uriah. David was smoothing over his multiple and grievous sins. My guess is that relief flooded over David as life seemed to return to normal around the palace. The servants most likely talked, some having witnessed David’s command to summon Bathsheba on that lustful night. But … David may have felt like he had mostly gotten away with adultery and murder. It wasn’t until Nathan addressed David, and called out his sin, that David finally felt the weight of his evil actions.
Have you ever wanted to turn back time and undo something you’d previously done? Was there ever a time when you deeply regretted a decision you’d made? Swann and I recently watched a Netflix movie entitled About Time. The premise of the movie was that the main character and his father both had the gift of turning back time. They could travel to the past and fix their mistakes, then fast-forward to the present with their prior mistake fixed and their future now secure. If only real life could be fixed so easily!!
In looking at this recounting from the Bible, there is much to learn. First of all, David had to live with the consequences and moral fall-out of his actions for the remainder of his life. Forgiveness from God was guaranteed, but consequences and ripple effects continued well into David’s future. One of the hardest parts of confession and repentance is finding a way to live peaceably with one’s mistake. Outwardly one moves on, but inwardly scars and regret can linger indefinitely. Sometimes the greatest difficulty in forgiveness is forgiving oneself.
Dear Lord, we all live with a degree of regret over unwise choices, hurtful words and actions, and opportunities missed. Help us as we accept your forgiveness and learn to show grace to ourselves. And … as we learn to forgive ourselves, may we become more forgiving of others. May grace abound for all!
Blessings,
Diana
Recent Comments