2 Samuel 13, 14
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”
--NIV
In the name of the Lord, amen.
This passage comes from a true story that is as full of intrigue as anything on TV today. A king who should have been at war falls in love with a married woman. Day after day he longs for her. He invites her over and the passion builds until they find themselves in bed together. A child is born and they are in trouble. How can they cover it up? They try to get the woman’s husband to sleep with her, but he is an honorable man—he will not sleep with his wife while his countrymen are in battle. This only shows how dishonorably the king has acted.
So the king sends the man back into battle with a note for his commander, “Put him in the front line where the fighting is fiercest, then withdraw from him.” Lust, murder, the heat of passion, cover up, deceit…doesn’t sound unfamiliar at all does it? Doesn’t sound too different from things we are selves have done, or come close to doing.
But the story doesn’t end there. The king lived with his secret guilt. It must have affected his life. In the back of his mind he was haunted. What if people find out and rebel? Can he really trust people? Worst of all, how could he do this against God? How he must have tried to keep such thoughts buried.
Even for this criminal there was forgiveness. God went and sought him out through a prophet. God brought him to sorrow over his sin, to repentance that threw itself on God’s mercy. And he was forgiven, immediately. However, a consequence still remained.
So it is for us. God is eager to forgive. But often a consequence remains. The consequence is there to remind us, and others, that sin is a serious and terrible thing. But with the consequence comes the Gospel which gives us the power to go on, to stand up under the burden of what we have brought on ourselves. Instead of spiraling downward into despair, our hearts are lifted up with joy. For David this was expressed in many beautiful psalms; for you is might be expressed in a different way, but true joy is yours in the Gospel. May God give you that joy without limit. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, you are always searching for those who have lost themselves in sin. When we stray away from you, look for us quickly. Return us to your family. Take away our guilt, and give us the joy our Savior won for us by His death on the cross, amen.