I volunteered to read the Old Testament verses for last Sunday’s service in my summer church.  Wanting to be sure that I was reading the correct passage, I sent a message to the pastor. 

“Father Bob,” I wrote, “are we reading Tract 1 or Tract2?”, hoping that it was the latter.  Tract 1 is the story of David and Bathsheba.  I had just finished reading the King James version and was very leery about having to read those words aloud in church.  You don’t need to know what those words were, you can read the passage and see.  He replied, “Terri, we are Tract 1, 2 Samuel.”  Oh dear. 

I sent back a quick message.  “That’s a tough one.  There are words that I don’t say it church.” “I know what you mean,” relied Father Bob, “I have to preach on it!”  “I await the lesson”, said I.

The passage in 2 Samuel chapter 11 tells of David spying Bathsheba from the palace rooftop, summoning her to him, compromising her and sending her home.  When she finds that she is with child, she sends word to David, who promptly calls her husband Uriah the Hittite.  David attempts to have Uriah (who has just returned from the battlefield) go home to his wife.  David would really like it to appear that Uriah is the child’s father. 

Uriah, a man loyal to his leaders, will not go until his duties are fulfilled.  So David sends a letter with Uriah to Joab:   And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the ^[c]hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.” (2 Samuel 11:15) Wow! How Bold!  How sinister!  How cruel!

Are you waiting to hear what Father Bob’s lesson was during his sermon?  It was right in line with our continuing theme for these blogs. 

I will paraphrase his comments:  Here you have David who was not only an adulterer but a murderer.  Yet, God forgave him even though He was deeply displeased by these actions.  He will forgive even the most grievous of sins when we are willing to ask for forgiveness and surrender to the love and mercy that He freely gives us.  In God’s plan, David changed the face of Israel.  David played an integral part in the redemption story and David was a sinner.  However, God loved him unconditionally, just as He loves us unconditionally.

Please believe and trust that God will do the same for you.  (2 Samuel 11:1-15)

Terri