Have you ever felt like you have blown it so badly that you can never make things right again? Have you triggered a downward spiral in your life that only continues to build momentum, taking you down faster and farther than you ever dreamed?
I have one name for you – Solomon.
The birth of Solomon is an amazing illustration to us of a God of mercy and second chances. We can see through him a God who does not write us off when we screw up, nor does He hold our folly against us forever. We are reminded that we have not messed up too severely for God to continue writing His story of triumph, restoration, and grace through our very lives.
While reading this story in 2 Samuel recently, this realization popped out at me with such force that I cannot keep it to myself. Admittedly, Beth Moore was instrumental in helping me see this aspect of the story that I had never considered before from her Bible study of David, but it has had such a profound effect on my heart that I have to share it with you.
Picture this:
David was a man, as the Bible says, “with a heart after God’s own heart.” Tracing his steps from his father’s sheep pasture to the prized throne as God’s chosen king over Israel, we could construct quite an impressive resume’ with examples that reveal a pure heart truly devoted to God and a rock-solid moral character.
Consequently, upon arriving at the pinnacle of his reign, after years of running, hiding, and battling his way into his God-ordained position, we begin to recognize the slippery slope upon which he begins his decent into sin. His first mistake was to ignore the command of God in Deuteronomy 17:17: “The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord.” Hence, his first mistake that set his course.
You may very well be familiar with this part of the story. David sees a beautiful woman bathing on the rooftop of her house while her husband is away at war. Why David wasn’t fulfilling his responsibility as commander in the war, we may never know. So, with idle hands and an indulgent lifestyle, He invites temptation to reel him in. He watches her, and he is overcome with an unbearable yearning for her. Unable to stand it any longer, he sends his servant to bring her to him. He knows with everything that is in him that what he is doing is just plain wrong.
Yet, the temptation consumes him, and he takes the plunge!
We have all been right there. We knew at the moment we sinned that it was wrong. We wanted to do the right thing, but the desire to indulge rose higher in us than our desire to run far away from the snare that would entrap us. Consequences? Who cares at this point!
Perhaps we crossed the threshold of no return by allowing ourselves to enter a compromising situation. Could we have prevented the fall before the enticement became too irresistible? We have a promise in God’s Word that whenever we are tempted, He would always provide an escape. (1 Corinthians 10:13) If only we had taken the escape route before we went too far!
Oh how vile we usually feel afterward!
Perhaps, like David, instead of making things right at the onset, we tried to cover our mistakes with even more mistakes, snowballing into a string of events that seem impossible to turn around. When David discovered that Bathsheba was expecting a baby, his baby, he practically knocked himself out trying to get her husband, Uriah, to sleep with her in order to cover up his dilemma. That would solve everything! No one needed to know what he did.
What he hadn’t counted on was that Uriah was a man of character. He would never have sacrificed his honor for a moment of comfort or indulgence!
What was David to do now? Murder, that’s what! He instituted an elaborate scheme to have Uriah killed in battle in order to take Bathsheba for his own.
Was this the same man we have come to admire as the one who had a “heart after God’s own heart?” How had he fallen so? Can you imagine the anguish he felt? The dark heaviness of his heart now?
Yes, we can. We may have never committed anything as heinous as what David did, but we relate to that heaviness under which he found himself buried. For about a year, he refused to own up to the vile deeds, and he began wasting away with the poison of his sin. Psalm 32:3-4 describes it this way:
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Have you ever felt such misery? Has something from your past ever trapped you in such a state? Perhaps you feel that there is no way to ever make it right after you have messed up so badly. Have you wondered away from God, believing that there is no way back? Perhaps you feel that you have gone too far and have been away too long.
Well, I sure am glad that this is not the end of the story! Finally, David decided to take ownership of his despicable act. In the next verse, he says,
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
This was the start of a huge turn around for David! It was time to find his way back. Let’s fast forward a bit.
David has repented and has received forgiveness. God has restored David’s heart. All is well, right? Unfortunately, even with forgiveness, David and Bathsheba could not get away from the consequences of their behavior. Their child had become deathly ill, and David begged and pleaded for him to be spared. However, that was not to be. There was a price to pay for his grave sin. Eventually, the child died.
Immediately, David took a bath, ate a meal, and then went to the temple to worship God. Isn’t that interesting? As grievous as it was, it must have been a relief to finally have that episode behind him. It was done. Because he repented, he could finally make a fresh start.
Do you ever feel that something you have done in your past is too wretched for God to forgive? Does the idea of a fresh start seem too far-fetched for you to even imagine? Consider David’s words after he had finally admitted his sin and turned from his revolting situation:
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit. Psalm 32:1-2
If David was able to say these words with all the despicable things he had done, you can too! Forgiveness and grace are in your grasp as well. Even if there is no escape from the consequences of our rotten choices, a fresh slate is offered to each of us if only we would turn to the only One who can restore us and make us new.
Here is the most beautiful part of the story that just leaps out at me from the pages of Scripture. Notice the words of 2 Samuel 12:24:
David went and comforted his wife Bathsheba. And when he slept with her, they conceived a son. When he was born they named him Solomon. God had a special love for him…
Photo credit: Joe Alblas from The Bible Series on The History Channel
Do you see it? God blessed them with another son, and He loved that boy with a special kind of love. His birth proves that God is a God of mercy and second chances. Solomon eventually became the one God chose over all of David’s other sons to bless and to anoint as the next king. God endowed him with more splendor and majesty than any other king of Israel of all time.
God did not look at David and Bathsheba as too shameful or too contemptible to ever use again for His glory. Neither are you! Be sure you get this! You are not too much of a disgrace for God to ever use again. He has not turned His face away from you in disgust, never to look upon you with grace again. He can give you a fresh slate, just as He did for David and Bathsheba.
Now, tell me that God cannot turn your situation around!
He can take your past and use it to birth something special in your life as well. What do you want God to do for you? Isn’t it time to come back home? Can you accept that He will not reject you? That He can forgive and restore you completely? Are you ready for a fresh slate?
A great place to start is through the very same words David prayed when he finally decided to turn his life back around. Conclude this by reading the words of Psalm 51 aloud and make this your heart’s deepest prayer. You can have a second chance and a glorious next chapter too!
Be sure to let me know if you prayed this prayer or if I can pray for you in any way. God bless you!
