The Words Come Alive!

I am a reader!  I like to read more than I like movies.  As I read, the words just come alive in mind.  I had one of these amazing moments yesterday.  Seriously, my girls probably thought I was crazy, and yes, I know I am easily amused!☺ 

We were reading 2 Samuel 12.  It is the chapter following David and Bathsheba's affair.  (I'm sure you know the story, I am just going to do a quick, or not so quick, recap!) 

David sent his army off to wage war against the people of Ammon.  Normally, the King would have gone as well, but for some reason David decided to stay behind.  One day, David got up from a nap and was looking out from the top of His palace.  He sees a beautiful woman, asks about her, and calls her to the palace.  (You know the rest!)

Bathsheba finds out that she has conceived and sends word to King David.  David knows he is in a jam, so he calls for Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to come home from war.  David talks with Uriah about how the war is progressing, and then sends Uriah on his way to his wife.  Uriah, however, had other plans, and slept at the entrance to the palace instead of going home.  (What a loyal soldier!)

David hears that Uriah did not go home to Bathsheba, and knew he had to take drastic measures to cover his scandal.  So he invites Uriah to dinner, and gets him drunk.  Still, Uriah will not go home.  What to do?  What to do?  Well, Uriah has to be put out of the picture!  King David writes a note to Joab, the commander of his army, and asks for Uriah to be put on the front lines, and then pull back so he will be killed.  David sent the letter containing this death sentence by Uriah's own hand.  (Right about now, I have some great mystery music playing in my head! LOL)

Indeed, Uriah was killed in battle.  Bathsheba mourns her loss, but goes to live in the palace as a wife of the king and bares him a son.  BUT THE LORD IS VERY DISPLEASED!  (This is where we were yesterday morning, and we read chapter 12!  You are probably not near as excited as I am, just wait!)  

It has been about a year, since Bathsheba became David's wife (one of them anyway!).  Nathan the prophet comes to David and tells him a story.  (Go read it here.)  Through this parable, David comes to find out that Nathan knows what he has done and that the Lord is angry.

David is repentant.  Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.  Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord by doing this, your child will die.” ( vs. 13-14)  The Lord sends an illness on the son of David and Bathsheba.  David fasts and prays for the life of his son.

Here is where I got so excited!  (I will understand if you think I'm kind of weird.) I glanced at my footnotes as I was reading this to my girls, and noticed that during this tragedy, King David wrote Psalms 51.  So I couldn't help myself and flipped over to the passage.  When I begin to read this chapter that I have read many times, it came alive to me.  I could imagine what grief David was feeling.  I could imagine the thoughts going on in his mind.  "If only I had not...", "Punish me, not my son."  Now I don't have to wonder.  I have his very own thoughts RIGHT HERE! 

Psalms 51

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.⁶ Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.⁸ Make me hear joy and gladness,That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
⁹ Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.¹⁶ For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸ Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.¹⁹ Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

This is reading King David's personal diary containing his very private thoughts and prayers.  I don't know about you, but revelations like this make me hungry to spend the rest of my lifetime trying to discover all the wonderful and interesting details of God's Word!

After reading this, one of my girls asked why David was called a man after God's own heart if he was such a bad man.  I had to think of a good answer for this one.  The thing that makes David stand out to me is that when the Lord spoke, he was quick to listen and quick to repent.  You can generally tell a parent has won their child's heart by how quickly their children obey.  The child doesn't doubt their parents instruction or ability to know what is best for them.  David's desire to quickly obey His Father demonstrated who had his heart!  I hope that when I am gone to be with the Lord, the testimony of my life will be the same as David's. 

 

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 

As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. Proverbs 27:19 

Thanks for coming on this journey with me!  I hope you have a great weekend!