The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Friday
May 30, 2008
Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."
Nathan
replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin.
But you have given the enemies of the Lord great opportunity to despise and
blaspheme him, so your child will die."
After Nathan returned to his home,
the Lord made Bathsheba's baby deathly ill. David begged God to spare the child.
He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground…
Then David got up
from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. Then
he went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the
palace and ate…
David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive,
for I said, "Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live."
But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to
him one day, but he cannot return to me."
Then David comforted Bathsheba,
his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and
they named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child and sent word through Nathan
the prophet that his name should be Jedidiah ¾ "beloved of the Lord" ¾ because the Lord loved him.
2 Samuel 12:13-16, 20, 22-25
Maybe today's scripture is why so many people who lose children in death wonder if they are being punished for some sin. I don't think that is the implication at all. I think this was purely for David and David alone. Remember the other party to his sin was Bathsheba, and she was pretty much innocent, but she lost a child too. However, the lesson here is that David sought the Lord to change His mind, but when He didn't David still worshiped Him!
In the summer of 2001 DHR placed one of our grandchildren in our custody. This child's mother had an addiction to crack cocaine and we thought she was doing better. Unfortunately, she dabbled again and her child was taken from her. Well, with Jessica and her two children living here I soon found myself in "pity city." I felt that maybe their living here was a punishment for something I had either done or not done in raising my children and even possibly the way I treated my mother years ago. Therefore, I felt that I was suffering from "what goes around comes around," so to speak. Now, is that bad thinking or what? Well, whether it was bad thinking or not, it helped me face some realities.
I guess that is why the Lord put today's scripture in front of me ¾ I found it quite comforting. However, I also noticed something else; nowhere else in the Bible do I find the name Jedidiah mentioned. Either David gave Solomon the Lord's chosen name as a middle name or something like that, or he did not obey. In any event, God still blessed David in many ways and still called him, "a man after God's own heart." Now, I'm not recommending that we disobey God, however, I am saying ¾ when we fall and we repent ¾ He grants us grace!
Father, Your grace truly is amazing. I praise You because I realize that like David, I deserve a severe punishment for my sins, but because of grace ¾ well, I just praise You. Thank You for the reminder of what Jesus did for me on the cross and that I am covered by His blood!
