Date:
August 1-2, 2022Being Big Enough to Forgive
As always in matters of forgiveness, the offended—the forgiver—must pay the cost in full. That takes an awfully big person to pull off. As we shall see, David filled those shoes. Can you?
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Bible Characters
Our world desperately needs models worth following. Authentic heroes. People of integrity whose lives inspire us to take God seriously, to follow His Word obediently, to pursue Christ passionately.
Thankfully, the Bible places before us a spiritual "hall of fame"—raw, uncensored, gritty stories of men and women sometimes soaring, often stumbling, through the incredible life of faith. They wrestled with sin, experienced God's grace, struggled with weakness, and overcame by faith. Their inspiring biographies have been memorialized in Scripture, not simply because of their faith in God but because of God's faithfulness to them.
These great lives from God's Word not only provide realistic portraits for appreciation but also relevant principles for application.
Friends in Need
Recent times with David have been rather dismal and bleak. He'd fallen into compromise and sin…then witnessed his family begin to crumble under the load of sin’s consequences. Going from bad to worse, the king must have felt crushed beneath the weight of overwhelming loneliness and guilt.
Riding Out the Storm
We have traced David’s tragic steps downward as the consequences of his disobedience were visited upon him. Now, let’s learn to ride out the whirlwind and the storm when we go through similar times of judgment under the smarting rod of God.
Trouble at Home
No one is immune who compromises God’s standard. Not even a king…like David. Witness the monarch’s misery as the sword of consequences fell on David and his family. As we watch it happen, let’s take heed!
Confrontation!
David refused to repent about his sin until a man of incredible courage and bold honesty stood eyeball-to-eyeball with David and exposed the truth of his deeds and deception. Let's honour that man—the prophet Nathan.
The Case of the Open Window Shade
Those of us looking at David's life may use different words to say the same thing about his fatal experience with Bathsheba. We might call it the most distressing episode of David's life; some will see it as an exceedingly dark day; others will lament how the mighty have fallen.
Grace in a Barren Place
Looking at 2 Samuel 7, we found David enjoying a brief time of relief from the demands of his role as king…an interlude of quietness. Now we find him in a similar context. He was thinking back over his past.
When God Says No
Some experiences in the Christian life are a mystery. Nothing is necessarily wrong or missing in your walk with the Lord, but for some unexplainable reason He places a definite restraint on you. His denial can lead to disillusionment or be used as a cause for continued growth in obedience. David experienced that mysterious “no” at a crucial juncture in his life. Let's see how he handled it.
David and the Ark
The chapter of Scripture 2 Samuel 6 involves all that transpired in moving the ark to the capital city and David's response to its presence.
New King, New Throne, Same Lord
No one has ever known the experience of being promoted from a fugitive to a king overnight. It happened only once in Scripture—to David. With wisdom and humility, the new king took over a new throne because he had the same Lord.
