He spends time on the run from King Saul, incurs military victories, and keeps a promise to his deceased best friend, Jonathan. You could say that he’s been a real standup guy.
Until one night.
David walks out onto his rooftop for an evening stroll. He sees a very beautiful woman named Bathsheba out on a neighboring rooftop, bathing. He lusts for her and, long story short, they sleep together. The great king of Israel now adds adultery to his resume. As if that weren’t enough, Bathsheba breaks the news to him that she’s pregnant. With HIS child. So after a few failed attempts to trick her husband into believing the child is his own, David sends him into battle on the front lines to have him killed. Under adultery, add murder.
So with the husband out of the way, David takes Bathsheba as his wife, and all seems well in the kingdom. However, little does David know that he is about to pay dearly for his disobedience. The son he conceived with Bathsheba does not live. This is enough to open David’s eyes, and he becomes broken over what he’s done. “I have sinned against the Lord,” he says (2 Samuel 12:13b).
God has allowed David to live, an act of mercy in itself. But now we’re wondering if he can ever be what he was once. Can David still have favor in God’s eyes?
A Redeemed Royal
The answer is yes. Yes many times over. Even after all David and Bathsheba had done, he gave them another son, whom they named Solomon. If you know anything about the Old Testament, you’ll know he was pretty important. On top of that, the Lord continues to deliver David from the hands of his enemies many times, even from his own son.
Even with his last words, David puts his trust in God. “Is it not true my house is with God? For he has established an everlasting covenant with me…will he not bring about my whole salvation and my every desire?” (2 Samuel 23:5).
After every sin and every victory, every triumph and every pitfall, David still loved the Lord. And the Lord loved him right back. The same is true for us as God’s princesses. Maybe you’ve done things you’re not proud of and wondered if God could possibly still love you. Some will say He won’t. The truth is, He always has and always will. Like David, even when we mess up, God won’t take our crowns. So if this is you, just run back to him at the throne. He has a place beside him with your name on it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
55
Madison Harris is a singer/songwriter, writer, and Daughter of Christ from Kentucky. She released her first EP, "An Offering," last year and is donating all the proceeds to mission projects. She's finishing her junior year in high school while writing for Crown of Beauty.
(Continued...)
Those hateful words
telling you that you
don't measure up do hurt you, even when you're aware of the fact that they're lies. The more you listen to the lies, the less like lies they may seem. A little of the typical pop music isn't bad! But there should be a balance.
God created music. So... that means it started out good! God's idea of music is the stuff that celebrates His redemptive power, that reminds us that we're His girls, that praises Him for everything, even when the going gets tough.
What does the good stuff look like? The Bible has sooo much to say about music!
Some of my favorite musical verses are these:
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music!" Psalm 98:4
"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul."
Psalm 108:1
"Let the sea resound... let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord..."
Psalm 98: 7-9
"Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the Lord..."
1 Chronicles 16: 32-33
(Continued on next page)