King David: 9 September 2006
II Samuel 11:1-12:23
I remember well when I was in Conroe High School studgying the Greek myths and tragedies. As if it were yesterday I remember our English teachers getting it across to us that the heroe always had a character flaw that would doom him to failure. At the time, young and foolish as I was, I thought that this was a Greek precocupation and had to do with their understanding of all things, including the Gods being controlled by fate. Now I come to see that we all have at least one character flaw that dooms us eternally unless we allow Jesus into our heart and the Ruach haKodesh to control our lives.
This is well seen in the Tanakh, where almost everyone has obvious and distressing flaws. Look at King David. He consorted with the enemy, killed his soldier for his wife, and was a terrible father, yet received promises from God that were ultimately fulfilled in Yeshua haMoshiach. What was so wonderul about King David. We are told that it was the condition of his heart.
Briefly looking at one episode in David's life, his encounter with Bathsheba. To summarise in brief. David, while his army is at war is walking on the roof of his palace when he spies Bathsheba bathing on the roof of her house. David calls her to his house, and has a one night stand with her, which results in her pregnancy. Daavid to cover up his sin, calls Uriah the HIttite, Bathsheba's husband in and arranges for Uriah to be albe to spend the night with his wife so as to cover his sin. Uraiah, behaving in a more righteous way than David (men were to abstain from sex while fighting) stays outside of his own house, leaving no good explanation of Bathsheba's child, so David arranges for Uriah to die in battle and even has Uriah carry the orders with him for his death. Nathan confronts David over his sin. David's response is characteristic, "I have sinned."
In other word, David takes full responsability for his sin. This is a very important reason why David is a man after God's own heart. He recognises his sin, and he accepts responsability for it. He does not make excuses. He does not respond, everone else is doing it. What he does is to fast for the life of his son, but after his son dies, he accepts God's punishment.
The Tanakh in addition to pointing the way to Jesus and our salvation clearly lays out God's spiritual laws, one of which is responsability. From my experience in modern America, I see few people willing to take responsability for their actions. It is all too easy to blame sickness, weakness or everyone else for our iniquities. Unfortunately, sin must be punished (even though Jesus pays that punishment), and even though Jesus bore our sin for our justification, sin results in consequences that must be dealt with. The consenquences for David were great problems with his children, and eventual splitting of his kingdom under his grandson. Of course for the punishment of sin to pass to Jesus, we must aknowledge that sin.
Christtians must be very careful to aknowledge sin. Unaknowledged sin is an opportunity for Satan to gain a foothold in your life. Aknowledged and confessed sin is an opportunity for God to work in our lives. Let us all seek then to imitate David, not in sinning but in aknowledging and confessing our sins to God that we may enjoy his mercy.
Shalom b'Yeshua haMoshiach
Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com
I remember well when I was in Conroe High School studgying the Greek myths and tragedies. As if it were yesterday I remember our English teachers getting it across to us that the heroe always had a character flaw that would doom him to failure. At the time, young and foolish as I was, I thought that this was a Greek precocupation and had to do with their understanding of all things, including the Gods being controlled by fate. Now I come to see that we all have at least one character flaw that dooms us eternally unless we allow Jesus into our heart and the Ruach haKodesh to control our lives.
This is well seen in the Tanakh, where almost everyone has obvious and distressing flaws. Look at King David. He consorted with the enemy, killed his soldier for his wife, and was a terrible father, yet received promises from God that were ultimately fulfilled in Yeshua haMoshiach. What was so wonderul about King David. We are told that it was the condition of his heart.
Briefly looking at one episode in David's life, his encounter with Bathsheba. To summarise in brief. David, while his army is at war is walking on the roof of his palace when he spies Bathsheba bathing on the roof of her house. David calls her to his house, and has a one night stand with her, which results in her pregnancy. Daavid to cover up his sin, calls Uriah the HIttite, Bathsheba's husband in and arranges for Uriah to be albe to spend the night with his wife so as to cover his sin. Uraiah, behaving in a more righteous way than David (men were to abstain from sex while fighting) stays outside of his own house, leaving no good explanation of Bathsheba's child, so David arranges for Uriah to die in battle and even has Uriah carry the orders with him for his death. Nathan confronts David over his sin. David's response is characteristic, "I have sinned."
In other word, David takes full responsability for his sin. This is a very important reason why David is a man after God's own heart. He recognises his sin, and he accepts responsability for it. He does not make excuses. He does not respond, everone else is doing it. What he does is to fast for the life of his son, but after his son dies, he accepts God's punishment.
The Tanakh in addition to pointing the way to Jesus and our salvation clearly lays out God's spiritual laws, one of which is responsability. From my experience in modern America, I see few people willing to take responsability for their actions. It is all too easy to blame sickness, weakness or everyone else for our iniquities. Unfortunately, sin must be punished (even though Jesus pays that punishment), and even though Jesus bore our sin for our justification, sin results in consequences that must be dealt with. The consenquences for David were great problems with his children, and eventual splitting of his kingdom under his grandson. Of course for the punishment of sin to pass to Jesus, we must aknowledge that sin.
Christtians must be very careful to aknowledge sin. Unaknowledged sin is an opportunity for Satan to gain a foothold in your life. Aknowledged and confessed sin is an opportunity for God to work in our lives. Let us all seek then to imitate David, not in sinning but in aknowledging and confessing our sins to God that we may enjoy his mercy.
Shalom b'Yeshua haMoshiach
Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com
posted by The Synod of Saint Timothy at 22:01
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