Sinning Like David: Repentance

David was a shepherd boy turned celebrity king.  His life was huge.  He killed a giant, battled violent armies, hid behind enemy lines and faked insanity out of self preservation, recruited renegades and turned them into a military force, and ruled Israel for decades.  David also sinned outrageously.  We can learn a lot by watching the progression of his biggest mistake.  He knocked up a military officer’s wife (Bathsheba), and had him killed in the line of duty to cover it up.  BUT (and it’s a big but), he repented wholeheartedly.  Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of confession for his sin with Bathsheba.  It’s an incredible example of what brokenhearted repentance looks like.  And it’s important to note, Jesus was a descendant of David and Bathsheba’s marriage (he did marry her after all), so you know, David procreated big too.

Here’s what I gathered about repentance and God’s heart toward sinners from Psalm 51.

Confess honestly

David makes exactly zero excuses for what he did.  He doesn’t blame shift, skirt the issue, or minimize it.  He straight up calls it what it is: transgression, iniquity, dirt, evil, sin, bloodguilt.  Those are his words about his behavior.  

My tendency is to gloss over the weight of a problem.  I wasn’t that rude, one extra drink is no big deal, I didn’t really hurt their feelings…  Bleh.  Reading it makes me feel gross.  David called his sin dirt, so why shouldn’t I call mine the same?  

Takeaway: When it’s my turn to fess up to something, call the issue what it is.

Ask forgiveness

Be gracious to me.  Blot out my transgressions, hide Your face from my sins, deliver me from bloodguilt.  Wash, cleanse, purify, renew, restore, sustain.  What beautiful, life-giving words David writes.  What an amazing approach to forgiveness.  As ugly and raw as sin is, how much more is the power of God’s redeeming grace!

Here’s one reason why acknowledging the gravity of sin matters so much- if sin is no big deal, then this kind of radical forgiveness isn’t either.  

Takeaway: I would rather look at my behavior and call it vile so that I can fully comprehend the magnitude of God’s forgiveness than make my sin and His forgiveness small.

Acknowledge God’s character

 God didn’t look the other way at David’s sin.  David’s guilt was bone crushing, God’s righteousness was offended and His judgment unmitigated.  A chasm opened up in their relationship (my sin is ever before me, don’t cast me away, restore my joy).  Sin always has consequences because God is forever about justice.  

BUT (again with the huge buts) look at what else David says about God’s character: Gracious, unfailing love, compassionate, just, blameless, righteous.  “A broken and contrite spirit, O God, You will not despise.”  God doesn’t leave us with our face in the dust, or guilty and groveling forever.  Because of who He is, He can and will blot out our sin, and never look at it again.   

Takeaway: This entire picture is embodied in Jesus.  God is forever and always about justice, so any wrongdoing results in broken relationship with Him that we can’t fix on our own.  Jesus paid our debt of blood for us, and is the perfect answer of compassion, mercy, grace and restored relationship with God.

Move forward in confidence

David repents, God forgives.  Now what?  Now, David gets to move forward confidently.  Because God restores His relationship with David and with us, we can say: I will be clean, You will make me know wisdom, joy will be restored to me, I will sing joyfully, I will declare Your praise, I will teach transgressors Your ways.  

We’re not stuck.  God’s not looking back at our guilt waiting for us to screw up again, and neither should we.  In fact, His forgiveness is designed for His glory and our freedom.  Let’s not waste it by wallowing in the wreckage.  Instead, let’s set our eyes on Jesus, and fight to prevent sin by His power.

Takeaway: Step out and live your life in such a way that it points to Jesus.

There is nothing more beautiful than God’s amazing grace.  David screwed up royally, destroying lives, but God used it for His glory and our salvation.  Don’t ever think that you’re too far gone, unforgiveable, untouchable.  Our gracious, loving God used this hot mess king to bring us Jesus.  And Jesus can bring our unwashed selves into a completely whole relationship with God, and we can live like children of a King who loves us unfailingly.