The three-year-old giggled as she descended the stairs and twirled before her Daddy. From a young age, it was in her heart to find her own knight-in-shining-armor.
David was such a man.
He was chosen. He walked with the Lord. He waited on the Lord. He would be recorded as a man after God’s own heart.
He made lots of rights choices. He made many, many decisions which pleased the Lord.
Until one day, he began a journey down a road making not-so-good choices.
When kings went off to war, he sent his troops without him.
He saw a woman and upon learning she was married, disrespected her in the worst way.
He then tried to conceal his wrongs by finagling and manipulation.
When his plot failed, he then tried to cover his mistakes by sending her husband to certain death.
David, our white knight, had a crack in his armor.
What had happened to this man of God?
Had David let his reputation go to his head?
Had he tired and disengaged from God?
How can people of faith fall so fast?
They are not where they should be.
David should have been out fighting with his troops, instead, he stayed behind.
They are not doing what they are called to do. Obedience is key to a close relationship with God. (David as king had a task to lead these men – instead he shirked his responsibilities.)
When faced with temptation, he lingered. (David allowed his gaze and thoughts to stay on Bathsheba. He did not leave the scene and even authored his own interaction with her.)
When he realized his mistake, he did not own up to it. In fact, he desperately tried to conceal it. God wants us to obey Him. When we make a mistake, He wants us to have our hearts break with what breaks the heart of God. He wants us to openly repent and mend our relationship with Him.
He relied on himself, not God. He determined to dig himself out and not turn back to God, at least in the beginning.
David did eventually repent and would come close to God once more.
But sometimes that crack in armor is not so easily mended by the choices we make.
What if we never return to God? How different might our legacy be? How different might our children’s and grandchildren’s lives be because we never owned up to our mistakes?
We must not allow a crack in armor to become an infectious rust, tarnishing everything in our lives.
David, in his wisdom, after his moment of weakness, did return to God.
God responded to David with consequences for his actions and with love and forgiveness.
Just as He will with us as we sincerely repent before Him.
For the full story, read 2 Samuel 11-13.