KNOWING the True God
Mercy upon Repentance!
by
Keith Hunt
We come now to the famous chapters of 2 Samuel concerning the adulterous course of actions that David did with a woman called Bathsheba, and the plan to have her husband killed in battle. The truth we need to learn from these chapters 11 and 12 about the nature of God are: ONE: The Lord is NO RESPECTER of persons. He can use a man/woman in various ways for His glory and purpose, yet He will be fully just and will not turn a blind eye to SIN, no matter WHO the sinner is. God would not let David build the Temple because it is written the Lord said to David he could not build it as "he was a bloody man." And as you read through the life of David it is very evident he was. Moses was used of God in a mighty way, but when he sinned a serious sin, the Eternal punished him by telling him he would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land, but only see it from afar. TWO: There is another very important teaching in these two chapters of 2 Samuel, and shows a side of the nature of God that a lot of people miss when they think of the God of the Old Testament. Too many see the Lord of the Old Covenant as a harsh, stern, quick to punish and of little mercy. THIS IS NOT SO AT ALL!! Yes, God laid down certain laws under Moses that carried the death penalty. But people often miss that you had to have two or three witnesses, and when you put it all together, the death penalty was not given or carried out at "the drop of a hat" as the saying goes. Then by overlooking what we read here in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, people also often fail to note that GOD COULD HAVE MERCY on a truly REPENTANT sinner! Adultery carried the death penalty under "the laws of Moses" (which by the way are really the laws of God not Moses), YET we see here that David was not executed or put to death for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. David was spared death, not because God was showing "respect of persons" or in any way being unrighteous in judgment. We have seen that Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of his great sin. David was punished by God not allowing the child David had with Bathsheba to live, and other punishments would also be David's lot for his great sins; those punishments we read about in chapter 12. But with all that said, David, because of his DEEP AND REAL REPENTANCE, was not put to death for his sins. The Holy and Righteous God HAD MERCY UPON HIM!! We need to understand that the FIRST attributes of the Eternal God is LOVE AND MERCY! As He inspired it to be written by the prophet Ezekiel, God has NO PLEASURE in the DEATH of the WICKED, but He wants the wicked to REPENT and so he shall LIVE! This is REPEATED an number of times in Ezekiel 18. Knowing this truth about God, that it was a truth even in the Old Testament, we can see why it was not hard for Jesus to NOT condemn the woman brought before Him by the Pharisees, whom they caught in the act of adultery (John 8 - and note they did not bring the man - which showed their whole idea and attitude behind the incident was wrong from the beginning, from the start) and try to state that such people under the laws of Moses should be put to death. Those Pharisees had not read the Old Testament very well. They were like many today, who pick this verse or that verse (often out of context) and forget or deliberately ignore other verses, to their own destruction and folly. They had failed to see that God under the Old Covenant was very correct and holy in showing MERCY to sinners. Jesus told the woman, after no one was left to condemn her (whatever Jesus wrote on the ground all those religious leaders slunk away in shame and embarrassment) that He would not condemn her, yet He told her to "sin no more." I think she very likely sure did not sin again from adultery, after God in the flesh (Jesus Christ) had mercy upon her. TWO wonderful truths about knowing God are found in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. God is NO RESPECTER of persons; and, the ultimate penalty of death for sins that carried the death penalty, God CAN, upon true REPENTANCE, allow to be brought down to a lesser punishment. GOD HAS NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF THE WICKED, BUT WANTS THE WICKED TO REPENT, TO TURN AND DO RIGHTEOUSNESS, SO THEY SHALL LIVE! THE ETERNAL GOD CAN FORGIVE ANY SIN YOU HAVE DONE. YOU CAN GO TO HIM, CONFESS YOUR SINS, CRY OUT TO HIM FOR MERCY, SHOW HIM YOU ARE REPENTANT, AND HE WILL HAVE MERCY UPON YOU. HE DESIRES YOU TO TURN TO HIM, SERVE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AS A WAY OF LIFE …… WITH HIM FOR ALL ETERNITY!! ................. |
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