Dr Gerald Mann writes: ‘Moralisers are faithful to remind us that King David’s life was all downhill after Bathsheba-gate. They list the litany of his woes: the baby of the illicit union died. He never recovered his moral stature. His sons fought over succession. One of them was beheaded for trying to dethrone him. God deprived him of his grandest dream: building the Temple – too much blood on his hands! But take another look at the story. The opening words of the book of Proverbs silence such sanctimony: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David” (Proverbs 1:1 KJV). Solomon, the fountain of God’s wisdom, sprang from two people who had adulterated their person and privilege. For all of David’s heroic feats: giant-killing, kingdom-consolidating, hymn-writing, his single greatest achievement was the son of his old-age. Solomon is a monument of contradiction to all the naysaying moralists of the ages. Where else did Solomon get his insight, far-sight, and foresight, but at the knees of two broken souls mended by the fires of forgiveness and given the grace of a second chance…You can begin again after your Bathsheba-gate!’ The Bible warns us about the consequences of sin because anything that has the power to hurt you concerns the God who loves you and wants only the best for you. When you wilfully sin, God won’t let you off, but neither will He let you go! And God’s love for you has no expiration date. He said, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’ The truth is, God still loves you!

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.