Almighty God, whose will it is to heal all division and discord among those who call upon the name of your Son: We thank you for the good will shown in your servant John, and we pray that we may always be ready to hear our fellow Christians with humility and a willingness to learn, and may also speak the truth in love, to the healing of faction and the renewed witness of your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.
"In the spring of the year, the time when kings to out to battle, David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem."
So opens the eleventh chapter of 2 Samuel, with hardly any indication of the treachery, betrayal, and murder that is about to bring hardship upon Israel's greatest king.
"It happened, late one afternoon. . ." Now, we know what's coming next. David eyes Bathsheba. Bathsheba is married to one of David's most trusted and loyal soldiers. But Uriah is off at war and David is at the palace in Jerusalem. An adulterous liaison results in Bathsheba's conceiving a child. David tries to cover it up by recalling Uriah, but Uriah will not afford himself the pleasure of his wife's company while his fellow soldiers are encamped on the battlefield. So, David sends him back, with orders that he be placed on the front line, guaranteeing his death. With Uriah out of the way, David takes Bathsheba as his wife. "But," we are told, "the thing that David had done displeased the LORD" (2 Samuel 11.27b).
This is not the first time David takes in a widow whose first husband has died under mysterious circumstances. In 1 Samuel 25, David takes in Abigail, widow of Nabal, who was struck dead by the Lord after refusing hospitality to David and his men.
Absent the filter of preconceived notions planted mostly by the heroic stories we learned in Sunday School, the biblical account of David's life does not always paint a very flattering picture. Here is a man who could just as easily be scorned for his ruthlessness toward both friend and foe as praised for his faithfulness to the God who raised him up from a simple shepherd to a mighty monarch.
One may well wonder just what kind of God is so willing to stand by so flawed a man as David. But, in the end, that is the whole point of the story. For all of his exploits--be they good, bad, or just plain ugly--David is not the hero; God is. It is God's faithfulness to David, not David's faithfulness to God, that secures David's legacy as the greatest of Israel's kings.
David uncensored is a man whose commitment to decency, morality, and justice is sporadic at best. But, as we see in today's Psalter reading, he is brought to his knees when confronted with his failings. It is not his own desire to be godly which leads him to repent but, rather, his humble recognition of God's desire to use him as an instrument in bringing about Israel's (and the world's) redemption. David realized that in spite of all his wealth, fame, and power, he was only a man. It is for that reason alone that he is remembered as "the man after God's own heart."
Depth of Mercy
Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.
I my Master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed Name,
Put Him to an open shame.
I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!
Lo! I still walk on the ground:
Lo! an Advocate is found:
“Hasten not to cut him down,
Let this barren soul alone.”
Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move,
Justice lingers into love.
Kindled His relentings are,
Me He now delights to spare,
Cries, “How shall I give thee up?”
Lets the lifted thunder drop.
Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.
There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.
Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?
If I rightly read Thy heart,
If Thou all compassion art,
Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.
Pity from Thine eye let fall,
By a look my soul recall;
Now the stone to flesh convert,
Cast a look, and break my heart.
Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
- Charles Wesley
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