As I was pondering God's word this morning, I took some time to consider the life of King David. This Psalmist of Israel shares more emotion, pain, fear, and other aspects of humanity that any other author (in my opinion) used by the Holy Spirit to pen the Bible . These passages were recently brought up in another discussion, but I was struck primarily by the mercy of God upon David in his life and his legacy.
This king of Israel was historically and definitely a murderer and an adulterer, and yet due to his repentance in Psalm 51, God saw David as righteous. Evidently, though David was forgiven by God, the lesson still stands as a warning for those who seek other men's wives in direct disobedience to God's law. Consider David's life as a whole, as we do have much of his life accounted in God's Word, and see the blessings of God, the providence of God, the protection of God upon David.
1 Kings 15
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
4 Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Solomon, David's son by Bathsheba, was also given mercy in God's sight, having disobeyed the command to not marry foreign wives. Still in this passage, we see David's heart as pure before the Lord. Solomon did build the temple as God ordained, as the plans were given to David. Solomon penned much of the poetic portion of the Old Testament, and yet with all the spiritual wisdom he was granted, the obvious typology of Christ in the Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) was still tainted in our historical knowledge by the marrying of foreign wives who turned his heart away from God.
1 Kings 11
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
I am so blessed by God's gracious gift of my wife, that she loves me and labors with me, the helper that God has provided. She has not turned me astray to worship idols, but rather has been by my side as together we search the depths of God's Word and seek to obey without reservation. The Bible tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. I have found that good thing, and pray that God shows mercy and blessing on our family as He did with David.
This king of Israel was historically and definitely a murderer and an adulterer, and yet due to his repentance in Psalm 51, God saw David as righteous. Evidently, though David was forgiven by God, the lesson still stands as a warning for those who seek other men's wives in direct disobedience to God's law. Consider David's life as a whole, as we do have much of his life accounted in God's Word, and see the blessings of God, the providence of God, the protection of God upon David.
1 Kings 15
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
4 Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Solomon, David's son by Bathsheba, was also given mercy in God's sight, having disobeyed the command to not marry foreign wives. Still in this passage, we see David's heart as pure before the Lord. Solomon did build the temple as God ordained, as the plans were given to David. Solomon penned much of the poetic portion of the Old Testament, and yet with all the spiritual wisdom he was granted, the obvious typology of Christ in the Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) was still tainted in our historical knowledge by the marrying of foreign wives who turned his heart away from God.
1 Kings 11
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
I am so blessed by God's gracious gift of my wife, that she loves me and labors with me, the helper that God has provided. She has not turned me astray to worship idols, but rather has been by my side as together we search the depths of God's Word and seek to obey without reservation. The Bible tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. I have found that good thing, and pray that God shows mercy and blessing on our family as He did with David.
