Word of Encouragement (11/01/2023)
David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.... 21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 22 He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me." 24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him.... (2 Sam. 12:16-17, 21-24)
You know the background. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, a loyal captain of David’s army. When he found out that she was pregnant, he tried to conceal it by having Uriah come back from the battlefield and sleep with Bathsheba. When Uriah refused to do so out of loyalty to David and his fellow soldiers, David had him killed on the battlefield and took Bathsheba as one of his wives. God was angry with him and sent Nathan the prophet to expose his guilt. When David confessed, the LORD relented and did not take his life. However, God declared that the son conceived by the adultery would die. This announcement was the reason for David’s prayer.
Imagine what David must have felt. For his sin, his son would have to die. What could be worse for a father than his child(ren) suffering the consequences of his evil deeds? How could David simply say, “Oh, well, I guess that’s the way it’s going to be.” No, he had to seek the LORD on behalf of his son. He fasted seven days and nights. He prostrated himself before God and pleaded with Him day and night for a whole week. Concerning this, he said later, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live.”
Was this David’s stubborn refusal to accept God’s verdict? The Bible does not present it that way. God did not rebuke David as He did Moses when Moses continued to plead with God to allow him into the promised land. God told him, “Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again” (Deut. 3:25-26). Humanly speaking, how can we blame David for praying like this for his dying son? We cannot help but imagine God looking down on him with pity and compassion when we think about the sorrow God the Father must have felt in looking down on His beloved Son as He hung on the cross, dying for the redemption of His sinful people. There was a world of difference between the holy God and the guilty David, but they shared the sorrow of seeing their sons die (humanly speaking).
Even so, God did not spare David’s son. So great was David’s guilt. Even though God had forgiven him fully in His heavenly tribunal, God inflicted this temporal punishment on him. This reminded David and the people of Israel that Israel’s kings were still the LORD’s servants, who were accountable to the true King of Israel.
We are also reminded that, as long as we live in this world, experiencing the temporal consequences of our sin is inevitable. If we confess our sins, God will forgive us fully and completely. That is the blessed truth of the gospel. But we must face the temporal consequences of hurting others, betraying their trust, or breaking the law. This is sobering. But we can have the courage to bear and grow through them because we have the assurance of God’s forgiveness. Are you going through what David went through in varying degrees? First, confess your sins to God and know that God will forgive you. And with the assurance of His forgiveness and love, endure the temporal consequences with patience and humility.