2 Samuel 16
I once told someone that I could never be friends with David. He’s so emotional, but really its perhaps I don’t like seeing the reflection of how powerful my emotions can be and how influential they are in what I believe. God is often commended by his ability to cling to and point to truth. We could do that here in this chapter, when David holds back his soldiers saying, “What business of mine is yours, you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curese David’ then who should say ‘Why have you done so?” (2 Samuel 16:10). Here we could hear David trust in the sovereignty of the Lord, yet we know this to be false.
God has clearly and repeatedly told David that He promises blessings. How much like David are we in our pity parties we like to throw ourselves that we can twist God’s word and so easily believe in the lies we make up? Earlier we see the power of shame use to shift David’s future leading to lots of sin and lots of brokenness. How we still see that playing out not only 6 chapters later! David isn’t clinging to the promises of God, but clinging to his own shame and using God as a face of faith to cover the truth of David’s own pride in self depreciation.
Ah, but this is not just a story of how selfish David is being. No, its a mirror to all humanity, when reading this aren’t we so disappointed in David’s self pity? How much do we beat our own selves up when we see ourselves as so pitiful? The truth is that when we forget who the real hero of the story is - JESUS. Jesus never pities himself. Never does he cling to shame. Never does he fail. Is this not what God is teaching us here? His grace is sufficient. His word forever true. His character never wavering. His will never failing. We see that through David and the future of his lineage, that the Messiah does come and does save the whole world.
Would we be people who are quick to throw pity, shame and self depreciation out? Would be people who seek counsel from God’s word and God’s people? That we don’t stand for twisted truth, but seek to cling to the steadfast word of the Lord always.
