SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

DEVO:

Sometimes the valley we find ourselves in is a web we have woven for ourselves. These can often be the most difficult ones to navigate. On one hand, it can be easy to recognize how you got into a situation and, therefore, easy to devise a plan for how to get out and how to learn from your mistakes. On the other hand, situations where we make decisions that lead us or our family into painful circumstances can be accompanied by overwhelming shame, so much so that we have trouble mustering up the motivation and the courage to move in a different direction.

In 2 Samuel 11-12, David finds himself in the middle of a tangled web of lies and deception that leads to some major heartache for both him and the people he cares about deeply. The beginning of Chapter 11 describes how David is looking out from his terrace when a beautiful woman bathing on her rooftop catches his eye. We could stop right there and notice a couple of problems with this. First of all, David should have never been on his rooftop. He shouldn’t have been in his palace for that matter. It was Springtime—the season where all other kings were going out to war. Secondly, rather than campaigning to protect his nation’s borders, he finds himself desiring to encroach on someone else’s relational borders. The woman he was watching from the rooftop was Bathsheba, and she was the wife of one of David’s best friends and greatest commanders—Uriah. Uriah was one of the faithful men we learned about a few days ago that surrounded David in the cave of Adullam.

On top of this, David knew that putting himself on a rooftop this time of day would expose himself to things—or people—he shouldn’t see. Whether he considered himself above the law or if he was just resting on his laurels, David sees Bathsheba and decides his lust is too much to contain. He calls her in, sleeps with her, and sends her away, hoping this one-night-stand will be swept under the rug and they can both go about their lives. Everything seems to be fine until one day Bathsheba sends word that she’s pregnant. 

In a panic, David calls Uriah off the battlefield to entice him to go home and lay with his wife, whom he hasn’t seen in months. Surely Uriah will enjoy reuniting with her and everything will be fine. Uriah, however, refuses to sleep with Bathsheba knowing it will dull his mind—as his attention needs to be on war and the safety of his men. David tries again the next night, but this time uses wine as an aid. When that doesn’t work either, David calls in the captain of the army and orders Uriah be put on the front lines of the battle where the fighting is most fierce, indirectly issuing Uriah’s death warrant.

When Uriah in fact perishes in battle, David tries to appear as the heroic friend and takes Bathsheba in to be his wife, promising to care for the grieving widow. Everything seems to be covered until the prophet, Nathan, confronts David with his sin. In an act of divine judgement, David and Bathsheba lose the baby and both David and Bathsheba are left feeling the grave ramifications for their sin.

What’s interesting and quite unexpected is how David responds to Nathan’s confrontation. Psalm 51 is David’s response and it begins with, “I have sinned against you and you alone, Lord.” This is confusing because clearly David sinned against a few people here. Yes, he sinned against God, but he also sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba. Not to mention he’s broken the trust of his constituents in the Kingdom. 

Yet there seems to be a direct correlation between David’s response and his ability to walk unencumbered by shame. What we see from David when his baby dies is a humble acceptance of the consequences of his sin and a resolve to move forward in life. This resolve, I believe, comes from a deep remorse for his sin against God. This is what scripture calls, “Godly Sorrow.” In 2 Corinthians 7:10, the Apostle Paul contrasts the difference between two sorrows: “Godly” and “Worldly”. Worldly sorrow is the type of remorse that stems from being found out by others. It occurs when you're more worried about your reputation than you are about true repentance. Godly Sorrow, however, stems from a heart that knows your sin hurts the heart of God. It leads to true repentance regardless of how it may taint your reputation—and this true repentance leads to restoration. 

In God’s kindness and grace, David and Bathsheba get pregnant again, and this time the baby boy lives. They name him Solomon and he becomes the King that builds the sacred and long-awaited temple—a place of worship for God’s people. God chooses to use the offspring of Bathsheba to form the direct lineage of our Savior, Jesus. David’s story of adultery and murder reminds us that even out of the worst of sin God can bring both redemption and restoration. We don’t have to sit in shame. We can step into God’s grace and allow him to heal our hearts and alter our future.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND JOURNALING:

1. Is there some sin in your past (either hidden or not) that holds you in the shackles of shame?

2. What does David’s story tell us about what God can do to redeem even our worst mistakes?

3. What we feel ashamed of, God is inviting us to give to Him. To lay it at His feet. Begin making a list of the things that you’re ashamed of about your past or your life now and pray over these things, claiming God’s mercy and grace in your life.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you that You offer forgiveness, grace, and mercy for even the worst of my sin. Thank you, Jesus, that You died to take the punishment of my sin on Yourself so I wouldn’t have to. Please help me to recognize the difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow in my own life. Help me to step into complete repentance in the areas that I’ve hurt Your heart.