The Character Arc of Mercy

Have you ever thought about the character arc of King David’s life?

This is it. 

From the time of his youth, he was deemed a “man after God’s own heart.” He was stubborn and snarky, but he was GOOD. The goodness—in Hebrew, it’s this word TOV—the TOV circulating within him, propelled David from shepherd, to warrior, to commander, to King.

All along the way, throughout the entirety of this ascension, David was TOV, David was good.

But then, a single moment changes the narrative on David’s life.

He sees a woman bathing from his palace roof, requests for her to come to the palace, learns that she’s married to one of HIS soldiers, disregards it, sleeps with her and she becomes pregnant. 

In fear of being found out, David then has her husband Uriah brought home where he wines and dines him, hoping that he’ll go home to his wife so the whole event will be covered up (no DNA test to prove what really occurred.)

But that doesn’t work, so he sends Uriah to the front lines of the war being fought for Israel—being fought in some part FOR King David—and he instructs the army to abandon Uriah there to die—which they do. David then takes Bathsheba—Uriah’s wife—as his own.

How are we feeling about the, “man after God’s own heart” now? Not great, right?

The consequences of this sin are enormous.

The child Bathsheba bears dies shortly after.

Sexual assault, incest, murder and an attempted insurrection on David’s throne all come as a direct or indirect result of THIS poor choice.

For David, for you, and for me, the slate is wiped clean.

And the life and reign of David begins to crash and burn all around him.  

It’s this tragic story of a good man and family giving into a depth of sin and evil previously unfathomed.

So, I started to ask myself, why in the world—years later—is David’s son Solomon regularly compared to a, “faithful, righteous, and upright”[1] David? How could he be described as such a person?!

Quite honestly, it upset me to read about this David.

My family of origin is riddled with affairs and unfaithfulness. My father, my father’s father, and my father’s adoptive father all fell into the sin of adultery. It’s a sin that has greatly affected our family. 

So, for David to be cast in this light of faithfulness and righteousness and uprightness, despite his infidelity, led to a feeling of unease. Perhaps you’re feeling that too.

Perhaps today, you’re reading this and you’re angry. You’re angry because there is someone in your life who has done something hurtful, harmful, or sinful towards you and it feels like they’re getting away with it. It feels like they’ve been let off the hook and you’re left to pick up the pieces.

There are others of you reading this today with so much guilt and so much shame—and you’re doing whatever it takes to hold it together right now—to pretend like the life of sin that you’re living in isn’t eating you alive inside.

Really, deep down, you’re so ashamed.

You’re wondering how in the world God could ever forgive you for the things you’ve done. You’re pleading desperately for a second, third, or fiftieth chance, hoping that it will be given but expecting the rejection you’ve felt your entire life.

All of us who belong to Christ Jesus, who have sworn our allegiance to him, who are apprentices of him are free recipients of MERCY.

Can we pull back the curtain for a moment?

Can we all take a moment to lay the plastic smiles, the fake waves, the casual pleasantries—at the foot of the cross?

Can we admit that Jesus’ idea of a “happy” life has often felt like a pipe dream for many of us? 

Can we freely admit that the Kingdom of God is a place where YOU can belong? 

Because if we can do those things, then we’ve created a safe space to ask hard questions and admit hard truths: Hard questions like, “how could a man who sinned so greatly be shown such mercy?” Hard questions like, “how could I ever forgive him or her for what they did?” Hard questions like, “how could I ever be forgiven for what I did?”

Hard truths like exposing the character arc of our lives.

This is mine and it’s probably similar to yours.

Highs and lows, good times and bad, right and wrong decisions, life-giving and life-sucking relationships, joyful and painful seasons.

As I’ve been sitting in this, I’ve felt the Holy Spirit whisper, “what about you?” You’re angry at David, but what about you? You’re bitter about the generational sin in your family, but what about you?”

See, my anger towards David is unjustified unless I’m willing to show the same anger towards myself. The condemnation I feel towards my forefathers is irrelevant unless I’m willing to condemn myself to the same fate. Because, as Paul says in Romans 3, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

But here’s the best part…for David, for you, and for me, the slate is wiped clean.

All of us who belong to Christ Jesus, who have sworn our allegiance to him, who are apprentices of him—no matter our past, no matter our mistakes, no matter our hurt or bitterness, no matter our regrets—are free recipients of MERCY.

As a son or daughter of God, mercy is accessible to you.

Be encouraged.

[1] See 1 Kings 9:4 for one of many examples throughout the first 10 chapters of 1 Kings that I noticed this.