The Story: King David - A Humble Heart

Focus passage: 2 Samuel

Was David really a Godly man? The young David surely followed the Lord. Yet, as we follow him through life we see a man who seems more evil than the king that he replaced. Saul never committed adultery, murdered a man or allowed his children to do the evil that David did. Yet, David was honored by God and Saul was discarded. On the surface, it doesn’t make sense. What David had was not a perfect life, but a humble heart. He sinned, but was open to the Lord’s rebuke. As you follow David, you see the power of being open to the Lord. No one is without sin, but how you react to sin can make all the difference. David repented when he sinned so that the Lord might restore him.

Even the mighty fall 2 Samuel 11:4 David’s downfall began on a rooftop. The troops were out at battle and the middle aged David was bored and wandering the palace. He sees a beautiful woman and has to have her. A simple one night fling with a pretty woman begins a downfall that will haunt the rest of his life. He murders her husband and brings others into the deadly cover up. David has fallen.

Sin’s consequence 2 Sam 12:11 A year passes, a baby is born and it seems like no one has noticed. Because His servant has not repented, the Lord sends the prophet Nathan to David. In a simple story, God convicts David of his sin and rebukes him for its destruction upon God’s people. David will not die for the sin as the law demands, but there will be consequences for his sin. His own family will fight and cause him great pain. His sin will destroy his family.

A Saint repents Psalm 51:4 David doesn’t try to make excuses for what he has done or blame God. He admits freely that he deserves punishment. He appeals to the Lord’s mercy and asks for forgiveness for he knows that he cannot undo what he has done or make things right. Then he does something most of us never think about. He asks the Lord to make his faith stronger so that he might not sin like this again. His desire is not just to get past the consequences, but to be more like God.

Humble before a perfect God 2 Sam 22:31 Unlike Saul, David is honest about his sins and their effects. He speaks from the heart about God’s mercy when enemies attack or when his character fails. The Lord was his refuge and strength in life.  Even punishment from God did not change that. He knew of the character of God and how God was always right in the things that he did. God was David’s bedrock that kept him level in the midst of all the troubles that he often felt.

The Bible shows David’s repentance. He humbles himself before God and willingly accepts the consequences of his sins and the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. Unlike Saul, he never tries to excuse what he has done or blame the Lord for the situation. Every Christian has two choices when they stumble. They can reject the Lord and try to make things work like Saul did or they can humbly return to the Lord and confess their sins like David did. The proud will be rejected and not get up, while the humble before the Lord will be restored. David shows us how to survive sin with repentance and faith. It is what separated him from Saul and what made him a great king. His strength was from the Lord at the tabernacle where he worshipped and built a strong relationship with the Lord. He let the Lord lift Him up and so must we. David shows that God doesn’t give up on the repentant sinner. God will forgive and restore those who return to Him.