Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2)
These verses initiate a psalm of David written, according to tradition, immediately after Nathan the prophet confronted David about his sin involving Bathsheba. Because the entire psalm emphasizes penitence and purity, rabbinical scholars consider this psalm to be the “Chapter of Repentance.” As they see it, this psalm provides the basic foundation of all the principles of repentance. In that vein, I would say that the situation not only demonstrates that anyone of us can fall into a snare but that, when we are quick to acknowledge our sin, God is quick to forgive.
It is true that David and Bathsheba suffered consequences for their transgression — the baby conceived in adultery died; God said adversaries would rise up against him from within his own house. But also consider the mercy of God in this situation. First of all, as soon as Nathan confronted David, the king said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” That was followed immediately with Nathan’s response, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” Furthermore, it appears that Nathan went to confront David in private rather than doing so before others, suggesting something I have seen evidenced in my own life and the lives of others — God’s discretion.
God is merciful to us even when He is angry in that He provides us opportunity to deal with our sin in private before it becomes necessary to address it in public. He always gives us time and space to repent in the hopes that we will do so before He is forced to apply even more pressure to the situation. This act of mercy doesn’t mean there are no consequences, but it means that God extends kindness and grace to us when we are repentant, thus allowing us to recover and be restored. The key, however, is this; like David, we must resist the inclination to justify our errant ways and be willing to quickly acknowledge our sin — and then turn from it. We may still suffer consequences but we will do so with the knowledge that God’s mercy will see us through to the desired end — restoration.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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