Repentance

⁵ So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! ⁶ And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”   -2 Samuel 12:5-7

Have we ever found ourselves caught off guard in a sin? Maybe we made some unkind statements about a friend or a joke about someone with a disability; and then we are confronted by them, or someone else. It may be then and only then that we realize how wrong we were.

Maybe we were supposed to take our kids to the zoo or pick up a friend at the airport but we forgot. Maybe our wife/husband was counting on us to do something important and we dropped the ball.

There is that moment that we are confronted with what we have done, or not done, that causes our heart to cringe and hurt.

What about those who are unfaithful to their spouse? The soldier who was asleep on post or not being vigilant and the result was the death of his fellow soldiers? The politician who takes a bribe and loses the respect of his constituents?  

Truth be known, everyone of us has failed another at some point. Unfortunately we are doomed to do it again and again. The big question here is not what we have done, but rather how do we respond once the sin has been uncovered.

It is easy for us to be angry when we see someone else do wrong, but isn’t it funny how we can be lenient on ourselves? For some, they go the opposite route and never forgive themselves. They let regret destroy their life and cause them to cease being productive.

So what are we to do?

David had failed miserably (2 Samuel chapter 11). His head had blown up and he thought he could do whatever he pleased; even taking another man’s wife and murdering the man.

But God wasn’t finished using David. He knew David’s heart, and He knew David would repent when he saw his sin exposed. God sent Nathan the prophet to lay out what David had done but do it in a way that David would not realize he was the man until his own anger was aroused at the hideousness of the sin.

When the truth was revealed, David repented. He was in agony over what he had done. God didn’t let him off the hook, but He allowed David to remain on the throne. God continued to use David.

Dear friend, have you got a hideous past? Have you committed adultery, lied, failed someone, murdered? There is hope. No matter what you have done, “REPENT!” God is faithful to His word and He will restore you. He wants to bring good out of the bad. He can heal any hurt you suffer. He may leave the scars, but He will heal the wound.

If you have sinned but just can’t bring yourself to confess it and repent, I urge you to get on your knees before Holy God and cry out; You are in grave danger.

If you are struggling with a tainted past and feel as though you can’t get past it, please contact your pastor, or a pastor if you are not a member of a church. If you would like to discuss this with me, please feel free to contact me.

The bottom line is we don’t know how long we have to make things right with God. Why wait? Please deal with this today.

I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.  -Psalm 119:7

1 Chronicles 29:10-18 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said:

      “ Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.

 ¹¹ Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,
      The power and the glory,
      The victory and the majesty;
      For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
      Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,
      And You are exalted as head over all.
 ¹² Both riches and honor come from You,
      And You reign over all.
      In Your hand is power and might;
      In Your hand it is to make great
      And to give strength to all.
 ¹³ “Now therefore, our God,
      We thank You
      And praise Your glorious name.
 ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people,
      That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
      For all things come from You,
      And of Your own we have given You.
 ¹⁵ For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,
      As were all our fathers;
      Our days on earth are as a shadow,
      And without hope.
¹⁶ “O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. ¹⁷ I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. ¹⁸ O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You.

Is God Our Passion? Part I

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”                      -I Samuel 17:26

³² Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” ³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” -I Samuel 32-37

David’s confidence was born out of the experience of the Lord’s previous deliverances on his behalf. Further, since God would not allow His reputation to be damaged by this Philistine, David was certain that God would again deliver him in this trial by conflict. 

David had a great passion for God even though he was so young.

¹² Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. ¹³ And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. ¹⁴ Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶ Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.  -II Samuel 6:12-18

The moving of the ark was accompanied by sacrifices, pomp, and great rejoicing. David’s dancing or whirling about was expression of spiritual joy. 

 ¹ LORD, remember David and all his afflictions; ² How he swore to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:  ³ “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; ⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,  ⁵ until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”  ⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of the woods. ⁷ Let us go into His tabernacle; Let us worship at His footstool. ⁸ Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. ⁹ Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy.  -Psalm 132:1-18

Are we this excited about worshipping and being in the presence of God? Do we rejoice at the thought of praying, and reading His word? My sincere prayer is that we would find delight in the thought of meeting with God.