I admit that it is sometimes hard to fathom just how deep the grace of God is.
In fact, God’s display of grace in some circumstances borders on confusion for me.
Today’s reading in the One-Year Bible provides a good example of this.
I Chronicles 3:1-9 tell us that King David had 19 sons and one daughter — by at least seven wives.
And this doesn’t count the children he had by his concubines.
Concubines? Appointed, royal bed partners? As in plural?
This is David we’re talking about here, my friend.
The man after God’s own heart.
The one who sinned terribly with wife #7 and who pleaded to be washed whiter than snow.
If a prominent politician or pastor had a personal life anything close to the above, he’d not only be kicked out of his job as soon as possible, but would likely face some form of prosecution.
Times were different then, obviously. But God was the same then as He is now.
God is a god of holiness who ordained “one man-one woman” marriage.
The grace shown David and other Old Testament Bible leaders was amazing.
I point to that grace not as proof of a morality “pass,” but instead as a testimony for the patience of God with man’s bent toward sin.
We might think that we’re much holier than David because we aren’t polygamists.
Yet, we have our own set of failures.
We’re not polygamists, but perhaps we’re narcissists enthralled by our own appearance or charm.
Perhaps we’re hedonists hooked into the rush of unhindered, unmarried immorality.
Perhaps we’re materialists with multiple idols in the form of things that consume more of our time and resources than does our relationship with God.
We might even be as control freaks intoxicated with the ability to verbally manipulate those in our circles of influence, showing that our agenda is not one of serving others, but of dominating others.
My reference to David this morning is not to demean his place in your framework of faith, but instead to elevate your depth of understanding about the dimensions of God’s grace.
If God blessed David and used David as He did, despite the clearly defective personal life, then God can bless you and use you for Kingdom purposes.
Even with your sometimes defective personal life.
I’m certainly counting on God’s grace, I promise you.
Part of me struggles to comprehend how a guy with so many wives and concubines could be described as a man after God’s own heart.
But part of me also struggles with how a man who possessed the riches of glory and the praise of angels in heaven would come to earth to endure hardship and crucifixion so that I, a sinner, could spend forever with Him in the presence of God.
God will help me sort that out more fully someday, I know. Until that happens, I’m going to do my best to live in a way that requires less and less of God’s forgiveness with each passing year.
I pray that you’ll pursue the same.
As always, I love you
Martin
