David's Lust

We fail in small, persistent ways when we let a stray, lustful thought take up space in our minds. We fail in big, dangerous ways when we let temptation carry us into relationships, videos, images, and internet spaces where lustful, unhealthy thoughts run rampant.  

That kind of failure feels really bad. That kind of failure leads to self-loathing, and wrecks us with guilt. This kind of failure isn’t new to our generation. David’s story of lusting after Bathsheba can feel sickening to read through, it’s such an extreme example of lust gone horribly, horribly wrong. 

He starts out by seeing a beautiful woman. Though she’s married, he sleeps with her. And if you consider the power dynamics of David as king and Bathsheba as a woman, this is more than adultery—it’s rape. She gets pregnant, and David’s first failure leads him to yet another evil decision: he has her husband killed in battle. 

If anything should disqualify someone from God working through them…it seems like this would fit the bill. And yet, God ultimately remembers David as “a man after his own heart” (Acts 13:22). And David even ends up writing a huge portion of Psalms—amazing Psalms that still encourage and inspire many Christians on a daily basis. 

We don’t know about you—but when we read the account of David’s failure, we don’t feel compelled that he deserves forgiveness. He messed up really bad. He hurt other people in terrible ways. And this resistance to forgiveness translates to how we view our failure, too. When we fail, it’s hard to accept forgiveness, because we know if we were the ones in charge, we might not dole it out. 

Here’s the good news (for David, and for us!): God’s forgiveness isn’t determined by what we deserve. Psalm 51:1-2 tells us what forgiveness is based on. 

No matter how big your fail, God’s compassion is greater. The severity of your mistake is not examined before God decides whether or not to forgive you. His own mercy and compassion is what’s considered (and it’s endlessly good). Don’t be afraid of failure, because there is healing forgiveness we can find in God’s great mercy.