From Mess to Masterpiece

“A man after God’s own heart.” It’s how David was described in the Bible, and I imagine it’s how each one of us would like to be described at the end of our lives. And when we think about David, most probably think of his mountaintop moments that reflect this description – defeating Goliath as a boy, succeeding as a king where Saul had failed, and writing the majority of the psalms. And yet he had many valley moments as well – fleeing from Saul in the wilderness, jealousy running rampant between his wives and their prospective children, and probably the messiest of all is the one referenced in the verse for today. 

In this instance, King David had become complacent and stopped joining his army in battle as he had always done in the past, and while sitting in his palace, lusted after Bathsheba taking a bath. He then abused his power to get her to sleep with him while her husband was fighting a battle on his behalf. When she got pregnant, David had her husband killed so he could marry her. And while David was still God’s appointed king, through whose line Jesus would come, he still had to suffer the consequences. The first son he conceived with Bathsheba in sin died in childbirth. Not only that, but from then on, all his sons fought amongst themselves, betraying and backstabbing in their attempts for the throne. Eventually, his second son with Bathsheba, Solomon, became king by default, and was a wise and fair ruler (although not without his own moral failings). What is most remarkable to me is that Jesus did not come through the line of one of David’s other marriages that were more honorable, but He came through the line of Solomon, the son of Bathsheba. The Lord chose to redeem the mess David had made in an eternal way. I think it’s a reminder that no matter how badly we displease Yahweh, God can still redeem us, and we can still be labeled as someone after God’s own heart. If David was able to be forgiven, so are you. Don’t let your past sins keep you from walking forward in the light of Christ, putting on your new self in the Holy Spirit. Be a person after God’s own heart. 

Brittany H

’94 / ’08  San Jose Costa Rica

CoLaborers International Missionary

www.colaborers.com/Hynsons