The Most Shocking Part of David’s Story Isn’t His Sin

Psalm 51: 10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

As much as I love and admire David, he really messed his life up this time! If he had just been with his army like he was supposed to have been, he wouldn’t have seen Uriah’s wife bathing on the roof. But that led to lust, and that led to immorality. The unexpected pregnancy led to fear, intrigue, lies, deceit, murder of an innocent man, and a political cover up. I’m tempted to say, ‘unbelievable’, but that stuff is commonplace today.

The real unbelievable thing in this story is not David’s utter failure, but after David completely ignores and rejects God’s will in all of this, that God would wade into the filthy mess and draw David out!

A second amazing thing in this story is that after getting this deep into sin that David’s black heart could actually be turned back to God. But God’s love is amazing, and while He won’t make the choices for us, He knows the right things to say and situations to put us in, to draw our hearts to Him.

A third amazing thing in this story is that David listened to God, repented of his wickedness, and cried out to God for salvation. David came to himself and finally saw his black, wicked heart. He asks God for a new one, which God gives him. He asks God for a right spirit, which he desperately needs, and God provides that as well. David realized how far away from God he had gone. He asked to come back, and God brought him back to Him. David asks that God let His Holy Spirit remain with him, even though he didn’t deserve him. The rest of the psalms that David wrote after this show that the Holy Spirit stayed with David. God eventually gives David joy, and He upholds David to the end of his life.

God gives David all he asked for!

Why?

The bottom-line answer is, because God is so good.

But David did have a response to make. He understood a truth about God that he acts on. And that is, that the sacrifices that God delights in are a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Psalm 51:17 –“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

When David genuinely humbled himself before God, allowing his heart to be truly broken over his sins, he knew God loved that. That kind of sincere humility is almost irresistible to God.

The question to us is obvious. Is there some black area of our lives that we have been covering up? If this story about David’s darkest time proves anything it’s that our amazing Father in heaven has not abandoned us. He finds a way to draw us back to Him. But He will not make the decision for us. He leaves that up to us.

A broken and contrite heart, God will not despise.

Maybe this is the day to do that heart inventory we are so desperately in need of.