Confession Brings Hope and Healing

When King David was in his fifties, at the zenith of his reign, he fell into grave sin. He was headed down a path of destruction, but God shook him, and he repented.

Confession Brings Hope and Healing

"Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions."

(Psalm 51:1)

The inscription of this psalm in my Bible reads: "To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba." The events surrounding this psalm are recorded in 2 Samuel 12-13.

King David is in his fifties and on top of the world. God has blessed him enormously. He is at the zenith of his reign. David chooses not to go out with the army and fight but instead to stay home. While at his palace when he should have been leading his troops in battle, he sees a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, and she is bathing. David does not look away but gazes upon her. He then asks about her, and he is told this is Bathsheba, Uriah's wife. Uriah was one of David's mighty men.

At this point, David is heading down a slippery slope of destruction. He orders that she be brought to his palace and there commits adultery with her. She sends news back some time later that she is pregnant, so King David, the man described as a man after God's own heart, begins a plot to cover up his sin. He calls for Uriah to come home so that he might be with his wife, and all will think the child to be born is his. Because of his integrity, Uriah will not follow the king's plan, and so David orders him to the front line of battle where he is killed. The good king is a betrayer, liar, adulterer, and murderer.

But God sees it all and brings heavy conviction upon David. I heard Pastor Bruce Frank say that you can cover up your sin and God will uncover it, or you can uncover your sin and God will cover it.

Now what will the king do? He can live in denial and suppress the conviction of God and his conscience, or he can confess his sins, repent, and return to God. Fortunately, David chose the latter.

We will continue discussing King David's repentance tomorrow.