When Nathan the prophet roused King David’s anger by telling him a story, David heard the words, “You are the man.” These words enabled David to see what God saw in his actions. This story reminds us of our humanity, our faithful, never changing God, and His story of forgiveness.
Humanity
This story disappoints us. David is a man after God’s own heart. We read the Psalms and find great comfort. We want David to be much more than he is. Instead, we find a man who gets tired, discouraged, and sins, then sins again to cover his sin. We marvel at the depth of his sin and can’t imagine this man of God, in this state. Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah was complicit in the adultery, a daughter of Israel, far below her calling. Through this couple we see humanity, the propensity of even the saintliest among us.
Our Faithful God
“But God, our faithful God never changes, in stark contrast to humanity. The Bible tells us that God was displeased with David. He held him accountable by taking their first child. Yet when David confessed his sin, his relationship with God was restored. We find his cry in Psalm 51. “Have mercy on me, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sin,” and “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” He knew God as loving, merciful, compassionate and the forgiver of sin.
God’s Story of Forgiveness
When Moses cursed the unfaithfulness of the Israelites, he included “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Jesus came as a baby, under every curse, but in Hebrews we read, “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” The whole point of the birth of Jesus was the forgiveness of sins to all who believe, by His death on the cross. We may look with disdain on David and Bathsheba. But God in His infinite wisdom, through the sin, confession and restoration of this couple, gave humanity forgiveness, an erasing as far as the east is from the west of our sin through that sinless lamb of God.
This story reminds us of our humanity, our faithful, never changing God, and His story of forgiveness. Praise His Holy Name.