“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses” (1 Kings 8:56).
Dear loving Heavenly Father, How sweet it is to be in Your Presence, where we find acceptance and forgiveness, mercy, and blessing! Please keep us close to Your side. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus the Christ, Amen.
Today we will conclude our devotional on the promise of Forgiveness. In the first half, we looked at David, pre-fall and post-fall. Now we will see how this promise was fulfilled in his life.
David was confronted with his sin, in the form of a parable, by the prophet Nathan. Indignant at what he thought was someone else’s sin, he inadvertently pronounced judgement on himself! Had a man stolen a sheep from his neighbor, he would be required to restore four sheep for the one stolen (Exodus 22:1). This was not a sin unto death.
When he was made aware that he was that person, the very first words that came out of David’s mouth were, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13a). According to the law, he deserved to die (Leviticus 20:10) as an adulterer, and as a murderer (24:17). But immediately, the response from God was uttered by the prophet Nathan, ” ‘ “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die” ‘ ” (2 Samuel 12:13b). Oh, the depth of God’s forgiveness!
However, he would pay for his sin. What he did, before his family, and before the people who looked to him as their king, would create repercussion. He had failed to lead by example, and because he was in a position of such high visibility, the lives of many, were affected. He paid with the lives of four of his children (the baby that was born as a result of his sin with Bathsheba, Amnon, at the hand of Absalom his brother, Absalom, at the hand of Joab, the captain of David’s army, and Adonijah, through the conspiracy of Solomon, his brother). His daughter Tamar was raped by her brother Amnon. Sin always brings with it, its own punishment.
But God’s promise is, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And God keeps His promises (Numbers 23:19).
David not only acknowledged his sin against the LORD; he confessed it from the depth of his heart! His confession was so profound and sincere! I invite you to read his complete confession in Psalm 51. In this Prayer, he also claims cleansing, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (2, 7).
The God who delights in forgiving us and cleansing us, is always willing to listen to our prayer of repentance.
“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18, 19, emphasis supplied). And He leaves them there!