David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.” —2 Samuel 12:13

Imagine you were Uriah’s parents. Imagine you were in the king’s courts when prophet Nathan confronted king David of his sin. You hear Nathan’s searing indictment, “You are the man!” Just then, your heart sinks. You come to the bleak realization that the death of your son was not merely the result of being killed in battle. Instead, it was a carefully orchestrated murder plot by the king to cover his adultery with your daughter-in-law.

Shock gives way to anger and hatred toward David. You hear David acknowledging his sin, but that’s not all you want to hear. You want to hear Nathan pronouncing God’s judgment and justice upon David’s life. Instead, you heard the most ridiculous and unjust statements ever: “The Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin” (v.13). A mere acknowledgment of sin resulted in God’s forgiveness. At this moment, your anger turns toward God. You cry out, “Where is the justice? How can You forgive him just like that? Don’t You understand that he killed my son?”

How can God be just and yet forgiven David just like that? This is radical grace. But it was also unjust grace… or so it seems.

The Old Testament points to Jesus in various ways. One way, as we saw in the study of David’s love for Mephibosheth, is that some bible characters reflect Christ and portray some aspects of God’s character. Another way, as we have seen last week, is by giving us an imperfect picture so that we would look beyond for someone much better. Similarly in today’s story, the forgiveness of King David gives us an incomplete picture of which the New Testament will complete.

So how was it that David could be forgiven? The Bible tells us that David’s forgiveness was made possible only because of Jesus. In Romans 3:23-25, it says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past.” [emphasis added]

David was forgiven not because he was a man after God’s own heart. It was not because he had an excellent record of good deeds. Such thinking will only create legalism and moralism in the church and in our life! David’s good deeds count as nothing! God could justly forgive David because one day, God would punish David’s adultery on Jesus. Jesus died for David’s adultery and murder. 

Likewise, Jesus has died on the cross for our sins! This is the good news! Rejoice because if you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you and make you clean (1 John 1:9). In the same way David’s confession was followed immediately by forgiveness, so it is for us! Our confession of sin, in Jesus’ name, will immediately be followed by forgiveness from God! Rejoice, and give praise and glory to Jesus!

As we end off this series, my hope and prayer is that these articles will lead you to greater praise and greater treasuring of Jesus. May it also prompt you to consider how the stories of the Old Testaments fit into God’s bigger story of redemption.

Soli Deo Gloria; Glory to God Alone.

Read the entire series!

An Introduction
Part 1 – Crippled but Accepted
Part 2 – Brought Near
Part 3 – David and Mephibosheth
Part 4 – I am Pregnant

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“Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” (Hebrews 12:3 nlt)

I am sure that for those of us who desire to live a holy life in a crooked and evil world, you have at some point in time feel very weak, tired, listless, and perhaps hopeless. As a result, you might even toy with the idea of withdrawing from the Lord.

I have experienced it (very often in fact!). But God knows our needs and, in His unique ways, fills our dry and thirsty hearts once more.

For example, in Psalm 8 and Psalm 19, we see that God uses the beautiful views of the universe to lift up our spirits. Through the wonder of nature, we are reminded that our omnipotent God looks after this great world with His consistent and pure love. He cares for us too.

God also uses the fellowship and loving care of brothers and sisters-in-Christ to strengthen our souls and encourage us to follow Christ. We see this in Proverbs 17:17 and 1 Samuel 23:16.

That’s not all! God also uses the Bible verses that we have stored up in our hearts and mind to refresh us. He uses praise songs and hymns too. Personally, I could recall two incidents where the Lord suddenly brought to mind song lyrics to strengthen me when I was feeling weak and desperate in the faith journey.

Last night was one such incident. While at the church prayer meeting, the song “When I remember that He died for me” suddenly echoed in my mind. The lyrics are:

When I remember that He died for me,
I’ll never go back anymore.
When I remember that He died for me,
I’ll never go back anymore.
No-no, never-never, uh-uh-unh, no way!
I’ll never go back anymore.
No-no, never-never, uh-uh-unh, no way!
I’ll never go back anymore.

Wow! I was comforted by the words and could only say “Thank You, Lord!” He is our Provider and Comforter. He is there for us who truly longs to live for Him. He will not let us struggle alone! For the Bible says: “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Are you currently feeling weak, tired, listless, hopeless and perhaps even thinking of withdrawing from the Lord? Turn your eyes and minds to remember your past experience with God, for perhaps God is at the present taking you through another experience as wonderful as—if not better than—that one.

Take time to see the universe He has created!
Take time to share your feelings with your fellow believers in church!
Take time to recall your favorite passages in the Bible that you have highlighted before!
Take time to listen to praise songs. Sing those praises again!

Tonight, God has once again showed His comfort to me through a song of praise, and I would like to share with you the abundant blessings that I have received through it.

Remember Christ, who died for us, always!

Is having religion in our lives enough? To learn more about having a deeper relationship with God, and what it means to let Him be the lover of our souls, read 10 Reasons to Believe in Christ rather than Religion.

Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.” —2 Samuel 11:5

Samuel chapter 11 opens with David neglecting his kingly duties. It leads to adultery, and culminated in the murder of an innocent man. This week, we will briefly examine the fall of king David, and how it points to Jesus.

King David wanted to satisfy the lust of his eyes (2 Sam. 11:2). He threw caution into the wind and sent his men to take Bathsheba to him. After the one-night dalliance, Bathsheba became pregnant. At that time, Bathsheba’s husband Uriah was fighting a war against the Ammonites. There was no plausible explanation for the pregnancy except adultery. David devised a plan to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba in order to hide the cause of the pregnancy. When this failed, David connived to murder Uriah in the battlefield. He then married Bathsheba quickly to cover up his sins. Months later, Bathsheba gave birth to a son, and the chapter ends with the only reference to God in the entire chapter: “But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.”

In this chapter, we see the man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22) running after the lust of his own heart. We see the shepherd of Israel, the man who looked with godly kindness upon Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9), becoming a selfish and ruthless murderer.

This is an accurate reflection of us. Some times, when passion and love for God abound, we do costly sacrificial acts of love for God and others. Yet, often times, we fail to reflect Him. We stumble. We are weak. Though we may not commit adultery or murder physically, we have committed them in our hearts and minds and are likewise guilty (Matt. 5:21-30).

Our leaders—be it our youth leaders, cell group leaders, or pastors, fail too. We could at times be disappointed or even disillusioned by their bad conduct or behavior.

The insufficiencies of David point to another King that will come. One that will be the perfect Ruler. One that is sinless who obeyed God fully. One that promises to be faithful to us even when we commit adultery against Him and act like whores by running after idols (Hosea 3). 

This is our Savior and King, Jesus. This is our Perfect Leader. Yes, we are weak and frail. But we have a Representative that stands on our behalf before God who never fails. Yes, we have leaders that stumble. But we have a Leader that will lead us in perfect righteousness.

As we look at the failings of David, may it stir within you a yearning for someone better—this person is Jesus.

Stay tuned.

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So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. —2 Samuel 9:5 (nlt)

After Ziba revealed to King David that Jonathan had a crippled son who is still alive, instead of rejecting him due to his handicap, David accepted Mephibosheth and asked for his location. We pick up the story in verse 5, where King David sent for Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, to be brought to him. David did not sit still and wait for Mephibosheth to come to him. David actively sought and brought him in.

There are a few hindrances that prevent Mephibosheth from coming before David. Firstly, David is the king of Israel. Mephibosheth could not simply walk into the presence of the king. Secondly, as the grandson of David’s biggest enemy Saul, and the nephew of Ish-bosheth (guy who fought David for the kingdom of Israel after Saul’s death cf. 2 Sam. 2-4), by these associations, it would naturally make him an enemy of David. However, these obstacles were cleared by David’s acceptance of Mephibosheth (v.4).

Yet another hindrance remains: Mephibosheth is crippled. Even if the way into the king’s presence is open, there is no way Mephibosheth could walk in on his own. His handicap prevented him from entering into that presence. However, the king did not leave Mephibosheth to do it on his own. David sought him out and brought him into his presence.

This is a beautiful picture of God’s redemptive work. God not only makes it possible through the death of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to Himself (Eph. 2:16), God actually brings us in. Like Mephibosheth, a few things hinder us from drawing close to God. As sinners, we cannot simply walk into God’s presence. We would be consumed by His holiness and wrath. But God clears the way by offering Jesus to take the sin punishment on our behalf and to satisfy His wrath against us.

And like Mephibosheth, there is no way we can approach God on our own. When the Good News is presented to us, without illumination from the Holy Spirit, “the message of the cross is foolish to [us]” (1 Cor. 1:18). We are naturally blind to the gospel because “the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Cor. 4:4).

God pursued us and brought us to Himself. We read in Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.” God made us alive when we were dead (and dead people can do nothing). He sought us out!
What we could not do, God did. God brought us close. So cherish and praise our awesome and gracious God for all that He has done for us! He made the way, and enabled us to draw near. Praise the Lord!

Stay tuned.

Download the lesson notes for this discussion here!

The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” “Where is he?” the king asked. — 2 Samuel 9:3-4 (nlt)

King David’s desire to show kindness to the house of Saul flies against cultural norm. In those days, when kings took power, one of the best ways to preserve power was to annihilate the previous king’s family—every single one of them. Instead, King David sought to show kindness. He wasn’t doing it to make himself look good, but he wanted to “show God’s kindness to them.”

In response to King David’s enquiry, Ziba revealed that Jonathan had a son who is still alive. But notice what Ziba said immediately after that: “he is crippled in his feet.” No name mentioned. Rather, what was given is a description of his deformity. According to Beth Moore, “Physical deformity was a great source of shame in the ancient world. Ziba’s choice of words and timing intimates he might have suspected that son’s handicap to disqualify him from anything the king sought.”1

However, instead of rejection, the king replied with three simple words, “Where is he?” Despite the son’s handicap and deformity, the king did not back out on his earlier intention. He harbored no second thoughts. When David learned that one of Jonathan’s son is alive, he asked for Mephibosheth’s whereabouts so that he might bring him into his courts.

Similarly, God desires a relationship with us despite of our sinfulness and imperfection. We read in Romans 5:8, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” 

May this reflection be a reminder of God’s unconditional love toward us.

Notes:
1. Beth Moore, A Heart Like His (Singapore: C.O.S. Printers, 2002), p. 158

Download the lesson notes for this discussion here!

Saul and his family had been killed (1 Sam. 31; 2 Sam. 4), and David reigned supreme over a united Israel. 
At that time, David remembered the house of Saul and desired to show “the kindness of God” to someone from Saul’s house. Ziba, a servant in Saul’s house, informed David that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was still alive. We aren’t told much about him except that he was crippled.

David then sent his servants to bring Mephibosheth into his courts. It would probably have been a terrifying moment for Mephibosheth. He might have thought that since he was associated with Saul, the enemy of David, he would be beheaded. But surprise, surprise—instead of killing or even punishing him, David restored to Mephibosheth “everything that belonged to Saul and his family” and invited him to “eat at [David’s] table always.” The chapter then ends in a happily ever after way. We read: “And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table” (2 Samuel 9:13).

This essentially sums up 2 Samuel 9. If you sit through a typical Sunday school Bible study, what follows will probably be a question asking about the moral of the story or how this story could be applied to our lives. More often than not, it would end off with a simple call to follow the loving example of King David—to love our enemies or to show compassion even on those who do not deserve it. 

On one hand, yes, learn from the example of King David, how he sought to show the “kindness of God” and how he was faithful to the covenant he had with Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:14-17). But on the other hand, there is a deeper lesson for us because the Old Testament points to the gospel and Jesus Christ.

In the next two articles, we will observe how King David’s dealings with Mephibosheth is a picture of grace and compassion shown to us by Jesus.

Stay tuned.

The Old Testament is often seen as filled with commandments, and the New Testament filled with grace. However, that is not a holistic picture. Both the Old and the New Testament point toward the gospel and Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27).

Hence in this series on the life of King David, we will observe how his life points toward King Jesus. For the purpose of our study, we will restrict it to the key events happening in 2 Samuel 9, 11, and 12 only.

In this 5-part series, we will look at the relationship between David and Mephibosheth, the infamous story of David and Bathsheba, as well as Nathan’s confrontation of David’s sin.

A note from the writer: These were bible studies that I taught previously in a class setting. They have been compiled and presented here. Some of my teachings have been drawn from the book, A Heart Like His by Beth Moore.

Dr. Maltz told the wife not to worry. He said, “With the great advances in modern medicine, I am confident that I can restore his face.” She explained to the doctor that her husband would not let anyone help him because he believed that god had disfigured his face to punish him for not rescuing his parents. She then made a shocking request: she said, “Doctor, I want you to disfigure my face…so I can be like him. If I can share in his pain, then maybe—just maybe—he will let me back into his life. I love him so much, and I want to be with him; and if that’s what it takes, then that’s what I am willing to do.”

Now Dr. Maltz could not agree to do this, but he was moved so deeply by her determination and her love for her husband that he got her permission to talk to her husband one last time. He went to the man’s room and he knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He knew the man was inside, so he called loudly from the door, “I know you’re in there. I know you can hear me, so I have come to tell you that my name is Dr. Maxwell Maltz, and I am a plastic surgeon. And I want you to know that I can restore your face.” There was still no response. So he knocked again and cried even louder, “Please come out and let me restore your face.” But again there was no answer. Still speaking through the door, Dr. Maltz told the man what his wife was asking him to do, “She wants me to disfigure her face…to make her face like yours in hope that you will let her back into your life—that’s how much she loves you. That’s what she wants for you. Will you let me help you?”

There was a brief moment of silence; and then, ever so slowly, the doorknob began to turn. And the door was cracked open, and out of the darkness of the room, a disfigured man came out into the light for a new beginning and a new life. He was literally set free and brought out of his hiding and given a new start because of the depth of love of his wife. That is a dramatic expression of human love in a small way that describes God’s great love for us. We human beings have had the potential of our lives scarred and disfigured by our sin. Our relationship with God is broken and, no matter how hard we try, we cannot fix this on our own. We cannot forgive our own sin. We cannot heal the disfigurement of our soul and lives. We cannot mend the broken relationship we have with God and with others; but God has done this for us. He loves us so much that He was willing to become like us and suffer for us at the Cross.

Story 2
During the Vietnam War, a young graduate of the West Point Academy was sent to Vietnam to lead a group of new recruits into battle. He had done his job well. He had tried to protect his men from ambush and death; however, one night, he and his men were overrun by a battalion of the Viet Cong. He was able to get all but one of his men to safety. The one soldier that had been left behind was severely wounded, and from their trenches the young lieutenant and his men could hear his cries for help in the middle of the night. They all knew that venturing out to go get him in the middle of that no-man’s land would mean a vicious cross-fire from the enemy and almost certain death; but the groaning and cries of the wounded soldier continued through the night.

Eventually, the endurance of the young lieutenant wavered; and he crawled out of the safe place and began to make his way out to the dying man. He got to him safely and miraculously was able to bring him back. Just as he was pushing the wounded man down into the safety of the trench, a shot rang out, hit the lieutenant in the back, and he died. Greater love has no human being than this—that he would lay down his life for his friends.

Several months later, the rescued man returned to the United States; and when the parents of the dead hero heard that he was in their area, they planned to have him come to dinner. They wanted to know the young man whose life was spared at such a great personal expense to them. On the night of the dinner party, their guest arrived drunk—he was loud and boisterous and obscene. He told off-color jokes and showed no concern for his suffering hosts. The parents of the dead hero did the best that they could to make it worthwhile, but their efforts went unrewarded. And at the end of that awful visit, the obscene guest left; and as her husband closed the door, the mother of the hero collapsed in tears. She said, “And to think our precious son died for somebody like that!”

I want you to know how great God’s love is for you and me. Jesus died for a world full of “somebodies” like that—we dare not waste it. The life of Jesus was very precious, and He gave it for you and for me. Jesus was not crucified between two candlesticks on an altar in a worship center; no, the Cross was in the middle of the messiness of life. Jesus was crucified between two thieves in a garbage heap in the middle of hate and grief, disgust and failure, blood and discouragement. The Cross of Jesus still finds its greatest power when we bring it into the broken places in our lives. The Cross of Jesus still has its greatest effect when we allow it to come into the messiest place that we have and allow ourselves to experience the grace of God.

Where will you see Jesus this week? With you meet him in the hurts and frustrations of your friends? Will you meet him while forgiving a classmate or an enemy or somebody who has done you wrong? Will you meet him while looking into the eyes of a child who wants nothing more out of you than love and acceptance? Because God is with us and for us in Jesus, how can you be with and for other people where you live and study and play this week? I will tell you how…you can do it by coming to the Cross.

Stories extracted from the sermon “Christ Has Died” by Dr. Jeffrey E. Greenway
(Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church)