Encouraging Devotions

In verse 18 of 2^nd Samuel chapter 7, David poses the question of “who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?”

You see, the Lord had just finished lavishing David and his household with manifold blessings, (what we now call the ‘Davidic Covenant’) in 2 Samuel chapter 7 verses 5 though 16. At the end of this huge speech from the LORD, relayed to him through Nathan the prophet, David was absolutely DUMBFOUNDED. The Bible tells us that he (David) “…went…in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?” He continues in verse 19: “And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto thee? For thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.” {Emphasis mine}

As you can tell, David was absolutely blown away and excruciatingly humbled at the promise the Lord had just made to him—and rightly so!

As I read this passage during my devotions last week, this really ‘hit home’ with me. you see, I may not know everything about/ have all the answers for either one of the questions David poses to the Lord in verse 18. But! I do know enough to know that neither David, nor the people of his household and family, were “perfect, little Godly, never-do-anything-wrong people!!!!!

Seriously! I mean, David himself committed adultery with Bathsheba and then ordered the death of her husband; David’s son Absalom committed incest in the sight of all Jerusalem!!!!—With his father’s concubines; David’s son Amnon committed heinous adultery with his own sister; and Michal, David’s (first!) wife (did you catch that? That means David had several wives, which isn’t right either!!!) was super disrespectful to and haughty towards her husband; and I’m sure I could come up with more instances if I put my mind to it. But, for one thing, these examples (surely!) give you the general idea; and for another thing, this are intensely wicked actions!

At this point in David’s story, only one of these things (okay, two, if you count the multiplicity of wives David already had going) has taken place, so David wasn’t aware of them when the Lord made him this incredible promise. Yet! David was still aware of his sinful state before a Holy God and extremely humbled at God’s special blessing upon ‘him and his’.

Funny thing, though, is what David brings to our attention in verse 20—“…for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.”

David wasn’t omniscient. He didn’t even know the horrendous sins he and his family would commit against God in the future that would warrant such feelings of unworthiness.

But God is omniscient. And God did know all this already.

He knew David inside and out, backwards and forwards! He knew all the sins of David’s past, and all the sins of his future! (Including the incident with Bathsheba!) And yet He loved David and held him special to His heart! Even with His infinite knowledge of David’s sin, He made David this promise! And David’s family (who was very much included in the blessing) sinned as well! (Michal, Amnon, Absalom…even Solomon, later in his life!!!) His family more closely resembled Jacob’s soap opera –like family than many may care to admit!!!!! YET!!! God proactively chose to bless David and his family!!!!!

Why?

Because He knew one more thing… that David was a man after His own heart. He knew David wasn’t perfect. But He knew that David strove to please Him in everything. And when David messed up (and he certainly did!!!) he picked himself up, brushed himself off, and by the grace of God, kept pressing on! (Proverbs 24:16) (Philippians 3:14) God was also gracious, and remembered that David was merely a man—made of flesh and blood. (Psalms 103:14)

This was a great source of encouragement to me. I tend to think of God in a very negative way. As my Pastor put it from the pulpit Sunday night, {I} “wait for his wrath” rather than “living in His goodness”. Yes, God is a God of judgment and justice (as Hayley DiMarco puts in it her book A God Girl, God “…isn’t a big teddy bear just waiting passively around for your next hug; {H}e is a powerful and perfect God who won’t tolerate sin in your life. And that knowledge a lot of the time becomes our sole focus. That’s why BALANCE is so important… You have to be willing to agree with God that sin isn’t good for you… and then you have to accept the love that {H}e freely gives when you turn to {H}im.”[1] Our God is also a God of LOVE! (1 John 4:8) So often we (I!) as young ladies miss this, and don’t dwell in the grace and goodness and love of our precious Savior, who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Is this the way you see Him dear sister? Do you dwell in what you just know is His impending or present punishment for some wrong you’ve done? Do you find that you are actually afraid of God, more than you are in love with Him?

O sister! I’ve been there! (Pft! I am there!) And that’s why David’s story was such an encouragement to me!

If God could know the end of David’s life from the beginning (which He did), know all the sinful things that David and his family would ever do (which He did) and yet still promise to secure David’s line as the ruling Jewish line, and promise him also, that His (wonderful, amazing!) mercy should NOT depart away from David’s descendants, even though it had departed from Saul—don’t you think that the Lord loves you deeply, and will “preserve you whithersoever you go” (2 Samuel 8:6&14), even though you sin against Him? Even though you don’t deserve it?

He remembers your frame! He knows that you are frail and fleshly! And for some crazy-wonderful reason,

                                                HE LOVES YOU ANYWAY!!!!!

If you take anything from this post, please, dear sister! Know that Jesus loves you! Think of how he blessed a sinful man like David, when you feel discouraged later on! Remember it, perhaps read it, then press on for Jesus, aiming, like David did, to be a young woman after God’s own heart!!!!!

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[1] A God Girl, Hayley DiMarco, Page 143. Emphasis and capitalization of Christ’s pronouns, mine J