Redeemed

Ladies,

As we conclude our study of David, I pray that each of us will be inspired to seek after God, His will for our lives, His blessings on our descendants, and His guidance in the here and now. I want to thank you all for your participation in this study. It has been a great time of discussion, laughter, and growth for me, and I hope it has been for you, too. I do apologize for not posting last week, but I will try to give an adequate summary now. Please feel free to post your comments from this week or from the study as a whole.



Week Five:

We began week five on the mountaintop. We discussed reaching that place in life where you think "ahhh, I've made it, and nothing can touch me now." Just as David may have felt when he decided not to go to battle, we are at a crossroads. At this point, do you have so much confidence in yourself, your ability, your acheivement? Or do you fall to your knees and thank the Lord, who brought you to the mountaintop, for all that He has done? Kay Arthur warns that "no one builds their house on the mountaintop". David was heading for a fall, and fall he did. Wow, as I am writing this, I realize how prideful I am. I realize that, though I haven't built a house on the mountaintop, I have tried to pitch a tent up there. For me it's all about the kids. I (I know this is awful and I ask you all to forgive me) have thought, often, yes too often, that my kids are better behaved than most. I have watched other people parent and thought "I would have handled that better, not differently, better." The Lord is opening my eyes everyday to the contrary. Lord, I pray that you would humble my heart. I pray that you would help me love my kids unconditionally, the way You love me. Lord, I pray for forgiveness for the prideful thoughts and attitudes I have had. Create in me a pure heart, O Lord and renew a steadfast and humble spirit in me.



Day Two we once again studied the crossroads of David's life. He came to certain points that should have stopped him from sinning with Bathsheba, like knowing she was married to one of his vailant men or that she was the granddaughter of one of David's counselors. But David didn't flee from temptation, instead he sent for temptation to come to him. So we all knew that David would sin with Bathsheba, we've heard that story before, but some of us learned to what great lengths David would go to cover up his sin. He had to work hard to get Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, killed. 2 Samuel 11:27 tells us "But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord." Can we ever sin in secret? You might be able to hide it from your neighbors or friends for a time, but the sight of the Lord is another thing entirely.



Day Three brings us to the story that Nathan, the prophet, told David. David is rightly disgusted by the horrible rich man in the story and demands that the man pay a fourfold restitution for his sin. And then the light bulb comes on. Oh, you mean that's me. Yikes. David will surely reap the consequences of his sin in a fourfold judgement. Times like these when I am studying the Scriptures and I see some of the big pieces fall into place, like David's self-righteousness and pride actually leading to his own disciple and humility, that I just think God is so amazing. From the beginning to the end of David's life, God has had a plan, and not just a simple one, a complex, detailed plan that would affect generations and generations. Did God use David's sin to work good for him? For us?



Day Four we read psalm 51. Was anyone else moved by the sincerity of David's words? Verse six says "Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom." Oh, how I want that! I want God to fix the inner, hidden parts where the sin is concieved, so that the outer, in-the-open part will be obedient. I don't want to just seem obedient, I want to be it to the core.



Praise God, Day five talks about grace. For as much as I want to be obedient and submit to God's perfect will, I struggle with the flesh. But, there is grace from God to redeem me when I go astray. David accepted God's grace for his sin. He really knew God. Not just about Him or about His church, David really knew God's character. That is how David could repent of his sin, accept God's grace, and reap the consequences of his sin without becoming bitter.



Week Six

As we began the study of David's children, Amnon, Absalom, and Tamar, I pray for the purity and protection of my children. What a horrible, twisted history David's children suffered through. In 2 Samuel 13 we wondered where the patriarch of this family was. Was he too heartbroken to step in? Was he resigned to these consequences? Yes, God is good but you can also trust that God is going to do what He promises. David was given a fourfold judgement for his sins and sure enough, even though he was a man after God's own heart, the judgement was fulfilled.

Day two is entitled, "Persevering Through Discipline". We could study that topic for months. Scripture teaches us that "those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." (Hebrews 12:6) Discipline is evidence of love. Discipline is not meant to break us but to "strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet" (Hebrews 12:12,13). God will not give us more than we can bear, however sometimes instead of taking away the load He will strengthen the shoulders on which it rests. We must persevere.

Day Three discusses the deceiver. Satan is real. He is vicious. And he is on the attack. If you are seeking after God with all your heart, then you had better be on the look out. Satan wants to destroy us. He will tempt, twist, and taint whenever possible. Emerse yourself in the word, walk in the Spirit, and pray for protection from the Father.

Day Four we learned that David "honored God's holiness by never murmuring or disputing God's discipline." David seemed to grasp the depth and severity of his sin in a way that I am not sure we understand. He was truly greived, repented, and soaked up the grace of God.

Day Five at the close of David's life, we see him in humble obedience to his Lord. Despite his good idea to build the temple, he obeyed God and allowed his son Solomon to complete the task. Although David worked tirelessly to make preparations for the temple, he released his desires and submitted to God's will.

I pray that at the close of my life I will be in the same position. I pray that I will live in humble obedience, walk boldly in the faith that has been given to me, and love unashamedly the God who created us all.

Thank you for participating in the book study. If you would like to post comments, make suggestions about future studies, or post your own book reviews, please feel free to use this blog as a tool.