“God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10–12)
The Scriptures tell us David was a “man after God’s heart.” What was it about him that gave him this moniker? Was it because he holier than others? Infallible?
No, he was definitely not perfect. Like you and me he was human, born into a sinful world with a sinful nature. He grew up learning from sinful examples. And with his own free will, he sometimes chose to sin. What set David apart was his repentance.
In this sermon series, we’ve discussed a few of David’s sins in weeks past, but this week we’re going to talk about the biggie: Bathsheba.
David was Israel’s greatest hero. He was a giant killer. He was a great king. He expanded Israel from 6,000 to 60,000 square miles. He was undefeated on the battlefield and led a growing economy. He brought the ark back to the tabernacle and had plans for a permanent temple.
It could have been very easy for Israel’s historians to conveniently leave David’s failures out of the written record…especially one of this magnitude. So why do you think God included this account in his inspired word?
I don’t think it’s included in order to bring David down to our level – or to make us feel better about ourselves – or to justify the “little” sins in our lives. That misses the whole point of the Bible’s painful honesty about sin. Paul says “So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Between those verbs “stand” and “fall” is a very important phrase: “BE CAREFUL!” Here’s the message: If it can happen to David, it can happen to us.
Let’s learn from David’s mistakes in this Sunday’s message, “You are the Man!”
See you there!
