2 Samuel 11
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
If you watch any television at all, I am guessing you watch at least one soap opera! If you watch CSI, or even Lost or Star Trek, there is a theme - a thread running through them. You get to know the characters. Most of these programs include at least one or more of the following: lying, cheating, murder, deceit, violence, injustice, disease, death, and yes, sex! Today I want to show you that nothing truly is new under the sun, and that soap operas were around before the time of Christ. I also want to show you how we are all characters in our own soap opera, of sorts, and I want to do so through the story of one of God’s favorite people… David. I believe that we are all modern-day Davids. Maybe we haven’t done all of the things that he did, but in our own way, we are all very much like him… AND… we all have the potential, at least, to develop a “David” heart… and the favor of God.
Now let’s look at this… David is a highly respected and skilled military leader. His troops are out fighting the Israelites, but notice that David is at home, in Jerusalem. And while he is at home, piddling around or doing whatever he was doing, he notices this beautiful woman, Bathsheba, and he wants her. So, being powerful and important, and more than a little self-serving, he sends for this woman, whom he KNOWS is married – and to one of his soldiers – and he has her brought to him anyway, and he sleeps with her, and she gets pregnant.
How many times have we behaved just like David? Let’s not even go into the fact that he had time on his hands and was not where he should have been… which I believe contributed to his problem. And I’m not saying we have wanted someone else’s spouse and conspired to get them… although some have… but how many times have you wanted something you shouldn’t have… and you began plotting and planning a way to get it?
Let’s search our hearts today and see where we are behaving like David. Our problems may not be as big as his, but they are hurtful just the same… to us and to God. Let’s make sure we are where we should be, doing what we should be doing, and let’s ask God to help us to keep our focus and to be obedient in things great AND small.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 11
6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Some of you know that I *try* to sell things on eBay. And lately, eBay sales have really been in a slump. I mentioned this to someone else who sells on eBay occasionally, and they asked if I had tried getting a second ID and bidding on my own things to get the price up. I don’t know if I am naive or what, but honestly, that had never occurred to me. And the more I thought about it, I realized that I don’t want to do that… it’s dishonest, if not unethical, and against eBay policy for sure. I do a lot of writing, and recently I discovered a new website that pays $100 - $200 for personal experience stories. Sort of a “Charles Kuralt meets the Internet” venue, where people share their experiences for others to read and enjoy. I was really excited… I mean, I have lots of great stories I can share, and the prospect of $100 - $200 per story sounded great. The first story or two I read on this site were heartwarming… one about a young boy and his dog, and another about a man whose wife had a cat that never left her side as she battled cancer. “I can write those kinds of stories,” I thought, and so I submitted several.
As I checked to see if my stories were accepted and published, I discovered that the stories were taking a little less desirable turn. One was about a college student who seduced her professor. Another was about getting high on drugs. Yet another was about a man who fell for his wife’s best friend and told about it in sordid detail. Now, I had a choice… I could keep submitting my little stories and hope for the big bucks. But did I really want to be published alongside this type of material? I’m not passing judgment on these folks for their choices, but I can choose my associates, and we are judged by the company we keep!
You see, my point is that we have all, like David, seen something we want… sometimes maybe even for reasons that are not all that bad or selfish… but what are we willing to do to get it? Are we, like David, willing to throw the rules away and take what isn’t ours? For David, it led to some pretty big consequences, and an even bigger mess. I encourage you to search your heart today and pray that God will give you the wisdom and the courage to make good choices that please Him. It may seem at the time like you are giving up something that seems really great or important, but in the end, you will receive a bigger blessing for your faithfulness.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 11
13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Okay, so it was bad enough that David took Bathsheba for himself and got her pregnant, but then, he panicked and tried to cover his tracks. If he could just get Uriah home and get him to spend some time with Bathsheba, everyone would think the baby was Uriah’s and he’d be off the hook! He even went so far as to get Uriah drunk, hoping THAT would cause him to go home to Bathsheba. WOW! We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We’ve all told our buddy, “If my mom calls, tell her I was with you all night.” Or we have made up an excuse or an alibi so we don’t have to go to a boring party. Or we’ve bought a new dress and hung it in the closet for a month or so, then put it on, and when our husband says, “Is that new?” we say, “Oh, no… I’ve had it a long time!” You know who you are!
Look, Satan will go to HUGE lengths to keep us on his side. He will convince us that “little white lies” are okay… and maybe even NECESSARY to survive in this “dog-eat-dog world” in which we live! That is “stinkin’ thinkin’!” If you find yourself in a situation where you even CONSIDER the possibility of covering your tracks, STOP! Ask yourself, “what is happening here? How did I come to this?” And realize that you are not in God’s will, and ask Him to help you find your way back to Him.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 11
14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
I’m willing to bet that almost all of us have been dishonest or deceitful at some point in our lives and then tried to figure out a way to cover our tracks, and that’s just what David was doing on a much larger scale. And when he couldn’t get Uriah to comply, he had him killed. It was supposed to look like an accident of war … he just simply got too close to the front lines and was caught in the crossfire. And David might have gotten by with it, except for one thing… he didn’t realize how much he had angered God.
See, David was supposed to be a servant of God… a believer. Just like many of us, he “played church” on one hand, and served himself and the devil on the other. God had big plans for David… He wanted him, needed him, to fulfill His purposes. So He sent David a huge message.
Is God trying to get your attention? Are you “playing church” and serving yourself? Ask God to forgive you today, and start working on getting your priorities straight by studying the Bible, praying, spending time with Christian friends, and truly spending some time searching your own heart to see where you can improve. God doesn’t want to be upset with you. He loves you, and He will bless your efforts!
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 11
18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
19 And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Misery loves company, right? It’s bad enough that David did this horrible thing and Uriah was killed, but he involved others in his deception. Because Joab was David’s servant, he obeyed the orders, probably fearing punishment or death if he didn’t do as he was told. Notice he tells the messenger to be sure and tell David that Uriah is dead… because David will be upset about the skirmish and the way things were handled until he realizes that this was part of the outcome. So you see, Joab is caught up in this right along with David.
Have you ever been in this sort of situation? Have you ever covered for a friend? Whether you were the one who lied, the one who covered, or you asked someone to cover for you, all are wrong. And all have consequences. The next time you are even remotely tempted to travel this road, think of David and Joab, and ask God to help you to resist the temptation to deceive or provide an alibi.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 11
22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.
23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.
24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Did you ever notice how one lie just seems to lead to another, and they pile up like dirty laundry on the floor? Then, just like that one nice shirt you can’t find at the bottom of the pile, you have a problem figuring out what is really true… if anything… and if you are the one telling the lies, you may have trouble stopping. Here was David’s dilemma. He couldn’t hide his sin with Bathsheba by getting Uriah drunk and making him think the baby was HIS, so he sent him to the front lines of a battle. Not only was Uriah killed, but also some of the king’s servants.Adding insult to injury, so to speak, David involved his messenger, Joab, and probably others who “aided and abetted” in this murder.
Do you see how this mess just gets bigger and bigger and worse by the minute? Does this parallel with anything in your life? Are you in a mess of sorts that seems to be growing with no end in sight? There IS a way out! You CAN stop the madness… and right this minute! Ask God to help you. Just say a simple prayer… “Lord, I need You.” He knows you are in trouble. He knows all of the details of your particular mess. He is just waiting for you to admit you need help and to call on Him, and He will come to your rescue.
Will your troubles all immediately go away? Not necessarily. BUT… God WILL help you find your way back… He will help you crawl up through the pile of dirty laundry and come out on top! I encourage you to ask God for help today. Then keep reading as we see what happened to David, and how God helped him to deal with his problems.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 11
26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Well, well… David was surely a slow learner, wasn’t he?! Uriah is dead, and David is waiting in his home for the “appropriate” amount of time to pass before he calls for his lover, Bathsheba, to come to him. He has the “decency” to marry her before the baby comes, as if that will “legitimize” everything else. He seems to have covered all of his bases… right? The thing he didn’t consider was how much he had displeased God with all of this.
You see, we are often just like David. We do things we know we shouldn’t do, and maybe they don’t go just like we had planned, but in the end, we smooth them over and make it all okay… or so we think! But we don’t stop to consider how God feels about what has happened… or even that He is watching and KNOWS what has happened! We just bounce along through life, covering up our mistakes and messes and smoothing things over, and hoping nobody really notices.
I don’t know what your “mess” is. Maybe you slip things in your pocket at Wal-Mart and don’t pay for them. Maybe you gossip and tell half-truths about others to make yourself look better. Maybe you beat your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend. Maybe you have a drinking/drug problem. Maybe you are sleeping around and being sexually indiscreet. Maybe you’ve been chatting with someone you met on the Internet, and you are now talking about actually meeting. Maybe you are pitting one family member or friend against another… stirring up jealousies or hard feelings. It could be any number of things that seem far less “sinister” than a murder plot. BUT… to God… any deception is deception, and it grieves Him.
When it comes to your relationship with God, there is no such thing as acceptable levels of deception. He takes this very personally. Did you notice the first part of the word “sinister?” It is SIN… and in God’s eyes, there is no such thing as a rating scale for sins… lies are not a 1 and murder a 10. All sins grieve God, and once I truly understood that concept, I knew I did NOT want to cause Him any grief. Do you?
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 12
1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Have you ever had a friend you knew was in trouble or having a problem, and you said, “I’ll go talk to him/her… maybe I can get through.” And you went to talk to the friend and told them, “Look, THIS is what is going on here… THIS is what people are saying/thinking. You’re in trouble, pal, and I’m here to help you figure out what to do.” Sometimes this information is well received… sometimes it makes the person angry. It’s a gamble, but as a true friend, you sometimes have to take this chance and confront the person in hopes of getting through to them.That’s what Nathan is doing for David. HE is intervening for God. Instead of just coming right out and saying, “Look, man, you have really made a mess of things here!” he tells David a story. I guess you could say he sort of “sugar coats” the situation, which seems funny to us, maybe. But in the Bible, a story (or parable) is often used to make a point. I am glad that we are more straightforward today. I, for one, am not always quick to “get it” when people skirt an issue, and in this particular case, I think just telling David that he had messed up might have been better. But it was God’s call, and He chose to send Nathan to tell the story.
Knowing that God’s ways are perfect, I know He had a reason for approaching David like this. And as we will see in coming days, it really WAS the right approach. My challenge to you today is this… when you see a friend who needs a wake-up call, ask God to show you: 1) if you are the right person to confront this friend; 2) the right approach for getting through to your friend; 3) courage and a loving attitude as you speak to this person. Ask God to work THROUGH you… to use you as His agent, as He used Nathan. And trust Him to work out the details.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 12
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
WOW! This is powerful! In other words, David was saying, “That’s an amazing story… shame on that man for doing what he did,” and Nathan says, “Buddy, YOU are that man!” Talk about being “hit upside the head”! AND…even though David does realize what he has done and how serious it is, there are still consequences. Nathan speaks for God and tells David that the things he has done to others in secret, God will now do to him in public! Yikes!
I hope this never happens to you. I hope that your “dirty laundry” is never publicly aired. We all know instances where this HAS happened… primarily to public figures who believe they are above the law or apparently forget they are under constant scrutiny, and they get into hot water big time. One that comes to mind for me is Mel Gibson. Another is the actor Alec Baldwin, and the now-famous telephone message he left for his 11-year-old daughter. Think Lindsey Lohan, Brittney Spears, and Paris Hilton… or even those involved in Watergate in the 1970's or the Iran-Contra Affair of the late 1980's. I could go on and on, but that would start to smack of finger pointing, when we ALL have dirty laundry of some sort… and as I pointed out a few days ago, to God, sin is sin.
The point is this… God WILL forgive us, but there may still be consequences… a price to pay for our actions. Every action truly does have a reaction… and every sin does have a consequence. Remember that God is not waiting to punish you, but to deliver you from your sins. The journey back may be a little painful, and you may not like what He “charges” you for your sin, but the ultimate reward of forgiveness is well worth it!
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 12
15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
Haven’t we all bargained with God? Haven’t we all said, “God, just do this or that for me, and I will never, EVER disappoint you again.” Or, “God, just heal my loved one this one time, and I promise, I will turn over a whole new leaf and spend the rest of my life serving you!” Or, “God, I promise, if you will just let me have this one last party, I will never, ever drink again!” OR… “God, if you will just help me pass this one course, then I promise, I will study from here on… I will never cheat, and I will never ask you to help me with school again! I’ll do it this time!”
You see, God knows us. He knows that when our back is to the wall, we will say and do just about anything to get His help. And it’s not that He doesn’t want to help us… He does! He wants it to be different. But until our hearts are truly softened to Him… until we are truly humbled and ready to serve Him completely, He knows our words are just like spit in the wind. And sometimes, in order to get our complete attention… and to truly capture our heart, He has to punish us. And that’s what He did to David.
REMEMBER… God is not punishing us to hurt us or to be mean or vengeful. He is trying to get us to realize how much He loves us and how important it is that we follow HIM instead of our own selfish desires (which in essence are Satan’s desires). He is reminding us that HE is in control, and we can live a far more abundant life on His terms than if we try to “have it our way.” Search your heart today and see where you need to line up more with God’s ways… then ask Him to help you make your way back to Him.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 12
18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
See, it wasn’t about the baby. I had some students in Sunday School once who were very upset with me… “What kind of God would kill an innocent baby?” I mean, they were ready to turn their backs on God, because they couldn’t understand how I could talk about a loving God who would kill an innocent infant. I’m here to tell you, God did not hurt that baby! That baby left this earth to live in heaven forever. To my way of thinking, God rescued this innocent baby. Suppose He had said, “Okay, David, I’ll save your baby,” and then David, like so many of us, said to himself, “Whew! I dodged the bullet that time,” and over time he forgot his promises to God, and he went right back to what he was doing, and his young child grew up seeing his or her father live life on his own terms and choosing how and when to serve God. What kind of life would that be for the child… what kind of legacy would that be?
I think that God knew David well enough to know that if He truly wanted his attention, and his heart, he was going to have to use drastic measures, and so he took David’s baby. And God may have to use some pretty serious circumstances to get our attention. I’m not here to tell you that God causes bad things to happen, because I don’t believe that. But I do believe that when circumstances present themselves in an unfortunate manner, God often looks at the situation and sees a way to use it to help us grow, or to bring us around to Him, and He never wastes an opportunity to reach us… to draw us to Him. But that is NOT the end of this story… we will look at what happened to David next.
©2007 Debbie Robus
2 Samuel 12
24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.
29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
30 And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.
When it’s over, it’s over. David knew that. Sometimes, we make choices that end badly, and we suffer consequences. Sometimes, God doesn’t answer our prayers like we would like. But God’s plan and His answers are always the right ones… ALWAYS… and when God answers, it is up to us to accept that answer and move on. We can’t change the past. We can’t go back and undo the things in our own soap opera. But, with God’s help, we can write new chapters. Our story can go from “As the World Turns” or “Desperate Housewives” or “Lost” to “Andy Griffith” or “Leave it to Beaver,”… or “Father Knows Best”. Because you see, our Father truly does know best. We are not so different from David… even those of us with the biggest heart for God will stumble and fall at times… but like David, when God shows us our faults and our sins, we can truly, humbly ask for forgiveness, and then get up, move on, and forge ahead.
One last thing… notice that after all of this, David and Bathsheba had another child, and this child was Solomon, who became a king whom God loved and blessed and prospered. You see, if God can restore David and Bathsheba, He will surely restore us. If God will bless David and Bathsheba, He will surely bless us. If we will humbly fall before God and ask Him to forgive us and change our hearts, He will do it. We are all “David and Bathsheba” in some way… the question is, where will you go from here? Will you continue to wander in the darkness and allow Satan to write your soap opera? Or will you invite God to capture your heart and start living for him? The choice will always be ours… but God really, really wants you to belong to Him, and I promise, the blessings He will bring you will far exceed anything you could EVER hope to accomplish on your own.
Where will you land? Will you be like the old David, or will you humble yourself as he did and start writing a new story… one that has Eternal value and the favor of God. The choice IS yours.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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