Cross thoughts: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life.
“Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow”, Psalm 51:7.
These words were written by a man – a king – whom God loved in spite of his sin.
The king lusted after a married woman in his heart. He gave in to temptation and committed adultery. Sex resulted in a child being conceived.
The king tried to get himself out of his own mess. He arranged leave for the husband from his job in the army. He hoped normal husband and wife relations would cover his sin. But he failed.
The king tried again to cover his own wrongdoings. He partied and got the husband drunk. But even in his drunkenness the husband had more moral fibre than the king.
Becoming desperate the king used his authority to place the husband in the thick of fighting on the battle field so that he would be killed. This scheme worked! The husband died. But that was not the end of the matter.
King David married the woman and became the father to his own child. For a while it appeared he had got away with lust, adultery, deceit and murder.
But, “the thing David had done displeased the Lord”, 2 Samuel 11:27.
God still loved him. God sent continuous conviction of sin. The king was sadly depressed. His body constantly ached. His soul was troubled day and night.
Only when he admitted his sin to God –and before men – was he freed and renewed.
There was still more heartache. God took the child away. But David experienced an underlying foundational freedom which comes when any sinner says to his or her Saviour Jesus: “Have mercy on me, O God. I know my transgression. Create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me”.
See 2 Samuel 11 & 12; Psalm 51.
March 2009.