Unshakable Love

6 min read

3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
— 1 Kings 15:3-5

What David did “in the case of Uriah the Hittite” was a horrific sin. It was not the only sin that David committed, either. What this is telling is us that even though David was a sinner, he had “done what was right in the eyes of the LORD ….” And because of that, “the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem ….”

David was a sinner, as we all are. But the one sin that he did not commit was idolatry, nor did he lead the Israelites into idolatry. And so even though David was a sinner, he worshipped only the one true God. He sought repentance and forgiveness before only the one true God. He put all of his hope and trust only in the one true God.

And that is why, although David had his many faults, God considered David to be “fully devoted to the LORD.” Even though David was far from perfect, God was pleased to fulfill His covenant promises through David’s line.

And of course, God’s covenant promises found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, Son of David and Son of God, through His perfect life, His sin atoning death, His resurrection to eternal life, and His enthronement at the right hand of God.

Even though David was not perfect, perfection came through the Son of David, so that God’s covenant promises might be perfected through the Son of God.

And now, we have access to this perfect, unbreakable covenant relationship with God through faith in Christ.

I find two points of powerful encouragement in all of this. First, committing the kind of sins that David committed are unthinkable to me. Of course, I don’t ever expect (or desire) to be a king, either, with absolute power. Somehow absolute power corrupts absolutely!

Yet I too am a sinner like David was. And just like his sins, my sins are against God. But given the gravity of his sin, his redemption based on his faith in God and God alone gives me powerful encouragement to have faith in Christ and Christ alone. If God could forgive David because of his devotion, God will certainly forgive me because of my devotion.

Second, in the OT, God’s covenant with the people of Israel was always on shaky ground because of their idolatry. God’s covenant would never be revoked, but could there ever be a king, a priest, or a prophet who could lead, intercede for, and guide the people of God into His kingdom and into His covenant promises.

In Christ and Christ alone, we have irrevocable access to the covenant promises of God in His eternal kingdom.

Father, I praise You because You are good and You are gracious and merciful. Where would I be without Your lovingkindness and goodness? I am a sinner, and I confess my sin to You. You know all my sin, but my hope is in You and You alone. Create in me a clear heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me. In Jesus’s name. Amen.