Forgiveness

26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she cried for him. 27 After she finished her time of sadness, David sent servants to bring her to his house. She became David’s wife and gave birth to his son, but the Lord did not like what David had done.

2 Samuel 11:26-27 New Century Version

Last week, I gave you an assignment: read 2 Samuel, chapter 11. If you didn’t get around to it or hadn’t read my blog last Sunday, here is the short version of the story.

King David sent his troops off to war but he stayed behind. One day he was hanging out on the roof of the palace when he saw a beautiful woman bathing on her roof next door. David was so taken with her that he invited her over, they had sex and she got pregnant. David tried to resolve this, but the woman’s husband did not cooperate. So David sent the woman’s husband to the front line in the war he was fighting and so he was killed in battle. After the woman mourned for a while, David invited her to live in the palace with him.

Wow, it’s bad enough to have a fling with a married woman and even worse if she gets pregnant, but to see that her husband dies just to cover up your indiscretion, that seems like a new kind of low. It always makes me laugh to read the line “the Lord did not like what David had done”. Doesn’t that seem like an understatement? Yet every version of the Bible said it just about the same way – “God was not happy”, “God was displeased”.  

Wouldn’t you think that God would have been wild? Don’t you think He would have kicked David out? Taken away his kingship? But God knew what was in David’s heart. God was able to forgive him, no matter what his sins.

And it is the same for us. No matter what we have done, no sin is so great that God won’t forgive us. All we have to do is ask.

Lord, God, Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die for our sins. Thank You for granting us forgiveness so that one day we may join you in our eternal home. Amen.