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A Story of Redemption

2 Samuel 11:2-5: “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the palace’s roof. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now, she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.’”

This is a heavy story. David witnessed and watched a woman bathing. Uriah, one of the men fighting in David’s army, was the husband of Bathsheba. When David slept with his wife, he was fighting, leading to a surprise pregnancy. David’s sin didn’t end there. He put Uriah in harm’s way, hoping he would be killed in battle. He was.

God sees all. Nothing is hidden from Him. Choices we make sometimes lead to guilt, shame, and consequences. It can be easy to “live in the moment” - caught up in cravings and desires without considering the painful consequences for us and others. Because of David’s actions, Bathsheba’s baby would die as one of the consequences.

We see the cry of David’s heart in Psalms 51:1, “When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” He was in the growth of repentance, and the Word tells us those who confess will be forgiven. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

David’s story is also a story of the redemptive work of God. Shame and guilt do not have the final say. God is a God of second chances. Jesus would be born through David’s lineage, so the legacy is not destroyed. (Luke 1:30-32).

David’s writing in Psalm 40:1-3 brings great comfort and reminds us that even in the times we fall short or struggle so deeply, the Lord comes to our aid:

"I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, and out of the mud and mire. He set my foot on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God, many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.”

David writing Psalms reminds us that God wants our whole hearts. He wants us to bring him every heavy weight in our lives. We see David’s deepest sorrows in Psalms. Psalms is a book many people go to when they feel or experience challenging circumstances. Even though David fell short, God used Him to impact people even to this day.