David and Bathsheba

Up until this point, David has been portrayed as man of deep integrity, but then comes the story of Bathsheba. He displayed in this one account, a lack of self-control (he saw her and took her in response to carnal lust), a lack of loyalty (he knew she was Uriah's wife and Uriah was one of his "mighty men"), a lack of integrity (he sought to cover up rather than take responsibility for his sin), and a lack of morality (he was willing to commit adultery AND murder). David was told that because of his transgression, the child born to he and Bathsheba would die. At first glance, it seems unfair to punish a baby for the sins of his father. But this was not punishment for the child, who was clearly taken to heaven, as evidenced by David's statement that "I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me". It is hard for us, as earth-bound humans, to see death in a positive light, but if we were looking at it from God's perspective, we would not pity the child. The punishment was certainly intended for David and maybe Bathsheba as well, since we don't know her level of complicity. There could be no greater agony than for a parent to lose a child.

David's psalm highlights some doctrinal truths worth mentioning. He states that he was born a sinner, meaning not that he was actively committing sins as a newborn but rather that he was born with a sinful nature. He also states that God did not want burnt offerings but instead a broken spirit. Within the sacrificial system, this was a revolutionary thought... that God would prefer righteousness in our hearts over righteous behavior. David recognized that sacrifices offered in the wrong spirit were of no use to God as what He truly desired was a repentant heart. In his genuine contrition, David demonstrated that even in the midst of his greatest failure, he was a man after God's own heart.

Tomorrow's reading: 2 Samuel 12:26-14:33; 1 Chron. 20:2-3