Consequences
Scripture
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:1-12).
Reflection
We all have moments in our lives when we feel crushed by the weight of our sin. We’re all familiar with suffering the consequences of our wrong actions. Sometimes we are found out and we experience embarrassment and sorrow for our transgressions, while at other times, our disobedience seems to remain secret—but our sin is never hidden from God. There are always repercussions, whether they be external or internal.
David knowingly sinned with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. When his initial plans for a cover-up did not work, he had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed. While Bathsheba mourned the death of the husband (2 Samuel 11:26), it does not seem that David felt any remorse for his sin with her or for the murder of her husband; he moved on and made Bathsheba his wife, with none (but Joab) the wiser…or so he thought.
The Lord sent Nathan to rebuke David for sinning against him and to prophesy about the resultant calamity, both short and long-term, God would bring—David might have thought his sin was secret, but God’s judgment would be known by all of Israel. God used the consequences of David’s sin to bring him to repentance with cries for mercy.
As we read Psalm 51, during this season of Lent, let us thank God for his righteous judgment that brings us to his throne of grace and, like David, come to him with broken and contrite spirits. Let us come to him knowing that our God is filled with compassion and, because of the sacrifice of his Son, washes our sins away. And let us open our lips and declare his praise to him and before others.
Prayer
Dear Father, time and time again, you show me how I sin against you; I come to you in repentance. Please forgive me for my sins; cleanse me and purify my heart. I’m reminded each day of my need for your mercies and of my dependency on your grace. Thank you that you pour them out on me in abundance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2024 Lenten Journey
Adrian Brown