David & Bathsheba

God is just

Sept 12

I have been listening to the story of David and Bathsheba. It is a sad and yet powerful story. I believe too often we don’t count the cost of our sin, before we act. Then we are begging for mercy and expecting God to put everything right. I so often think of God as merciful and forgiving and He is. But He is also just. There are consequences to our decisions. In David’s case, tragic consequences. Here is the part of the story when David is confronted with his sin.

2 Samuel 12:7-14 NASB

Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. [8] I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! [9] Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. [10] Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ [11] Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. [12] Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’” [13] Then David said to Nathan, “ I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. [14] However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.”

So much was dealt to David, from the hand of God, because of his sin. Evil would rise up against him. The sword would never depart from his house. His wives would be taken from him and sadly this child would die. But in God’s great mercy, after the death of the child conceived in sin, He allowed Bathsheba to give birth to a son, who is loved by God and is in the line of Christ. David is known as a man after God’s own heart. David and Bathsheba’s story doesn’t end with the suffering and neither does ours. I need to remember that we are not at the end of the story yet either. God is still at work. God is merciful and forgives. God is just. I know that God will work all things out for our good and His glory. God has a plan for redemption.