Tag: Repentance

Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 12:13-14 Part 1

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“David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.’”  (ESV – Read the chapter) ‬‬

I have put off writing this note for several days. I’ve resisted because I haven’t been sure I’ve wanted to wade into this mess. I’ve read this passage before many times because I’ve read this story many times. But, I’ve struggled with it this time in ways I haven’t before. Rather than just sitting on it, though, I decided to let you in on the struggle. Here goes… Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 12:5, 7

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“Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die. . .Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!'”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

One of the easiest things to do is recognize sin and injustice in someone else or a situation other than ours. Our vision of right and wrong is never so clear as when we are looking outside of ourselves. One of the hardest realizations we will ever face is when our own sin is firmly set before us. David was sitting confident and proud in his judgment on this other man, blissfully unaware that he had just pointed a finger firmly in his own face. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 11:26-27

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“When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.”  (ESV – Read the chapter) ‬‬

If the story of David and Bathsheba were a horror film, this would be the part of the movie when the main character thinks he has defeated the monster and breathes a big sigh of relief. Just when we think the climax has passed and we’re on to the denouement, though, the ominous music swells and we see the monster’s hand burst through the pile of stuff under which it was buried. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Samuel 29:4

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“But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

How you ever been right on the cusp of doing something foolish you couldn’t undo and got stopped right before you did it? David and his men had been living among the Philistines for several months now. They headed there when David’s faith failed and he gave way to doubt in God’s promise to make him king or that Saul was ever really going to stop hunting him down until he was dead. And although the group had not participated in any raids against their own people, they were becoming comfortable in their new home; comfortable enough that they were preparing to join the Philistines in a battle against the Israelites. Once they did that, there was no going back. Israel’s future king would never ascend to the throne. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Samuel 28:5-7

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“When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.’ And his servants said to him, ‘Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.’”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

When was the last time you felt alone, scared, and desperate? Saul was a mess here. His world was falling apart and even though he was the king of Israel, he had a pressing sense that he couldn’t do anything about it. That’s a scary place to be. It’s the kind of place that leads us to make some choices that would normally not even enter on our radar. Read the rest…