Brokenness
“David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people” 1 Chronicles 21:17.
King David is one of the most well-known figures in all the bible. The bible describes him as a man after God’s own heart who during his life time demonstrated great faith, devotion, and courage before God and his people. The bible doesn’t just record the great exploits of King David, but also his great moral failures. The fact that the bible doesn’t hide the failures of those who were considered the great heroes of the faith speaks to the reliability of the scriptures as the inspired word of God. As Brian Goodwin noted, “Man-made theologies crafted by people that are disingenuous and even cultic don’t look like this. The heroes of these stories are stars who you want to follow and be like because the goal for those who craft these systems of man-made belief is to convince people to believe them and manipulate them into obedience. The Bible doesn’t do this. Its human authors didn’t redact the Scripture to make themselves look better, because the Words weren’t theirs to dictate, they’re God’s.”
Now because the bible presents the unedited, real, and raw versions of the heroes of the faith, we can learn about walking with God not only from their faith steps, but also from their missteps. And one of the great truths that we can learn through King David’s failures is the attitude of the heart that God restores and revives.
When David sinned by ordering a census to be taken, a plague came upon the people of God. David sinned because in pride he looked to the vastness of the kingdom to derive his sense of security and significance instead of to God, who established His kingdom and gave David success. But after a plague came upon the people of God, David recognized his sin. And while admitting his sin, David not only accepted his blameworthiness and guilt, (1 Chron. 21:17a), but the consequences. David prayed, “Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people” (1 Chronicles 21:17).
King David was mightily used by God not because of his flawlessness, but because of his brokenness. When he was confronted with his sin, David felt godly sorrow and contriteness which led to repentance. He didn’t make excuses or blame others. He willingly and openly accepted full responsibility for his sin. Although David’s sinned grieved the heart of God, David’s brokenness over his sin drew God’s restoring grace and renewing presence.
In contrast, King Saul, whose offenses seemed minor compared to David’s, was removed from being King and replaced by David. He was removed not because he was a greater sinner than David, but because unlike David he was never broken over his sin (Psalm 51). When Saul was confronted with his sin, he was sorry he got caught, but he never took responsibility for his sin. Instead, he made excuses and blamed others (1 Samuel 15:10-23). Saul was more concerned about protecting his reputation before men than he was his character before God.
In her book, titled, “Brokenness (The Heart God Revives)” Nancy Leigh Demoss explained, “Broken men and women don’t care who finds out about their sin; they have nothing to protect and nothing to lose. They are eager for God to be vindicated. David’s response when confronted with his wrongdoing was that of a humble, broken man. And his was the heart God honored. Again, and again, God’s Word reveals that he is not as concerned about the depth or extent of the sin we commit as He is about our attitude and response when we are confronted with our sin.”
The Apostle Paul wrote, “…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” (Romans 5:20b). The good news of the gospel is that no matter how great your sin, the grace of God is greater. As the Hymn writer declared:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Whatever your guilty stain, the blood of Jesus can wash it whiter than snow. Our gracious God is waiting to pour out His abundant grace on all who surrender their pride and offer unto Him the sacrifice of brokenness. As King David prayed, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
In your service,
Pastor Marco
King David is one of the most well-known figures in all the bible. The bible describes him as a man after God’s own heart who during his life time demonstrated great faith, devotion, and courage before God and his people. The bible doesn’t just record the great exploits of King David, but also his great moral failures. The fact that the bible doesn’t hide the failures of those who were considered the great heroes of the faith speaks to the reliability of the scriptures as the inspired word of God. As Brian Goodwin noted, “Man-made theologies crafted by people that are disingenuous and even cultic don’t look like this. The heroes of these stories are stars who you want to follow and be like because the goal for those who craft these systems of man-made belief is to convince people to believe them and manipulate them into obedience. The Bible doesn’t do this. Its human authors didn’t redact the Scripture to make themselves look better, because the Words weren’t theirs to dictate, they’re God’s.”
Now because the bible presents the unedited, real, and raw versions of the heroes of the faith, we can learn about walking with God not only from their faith steps, but also from their missteps. And one of the great truths that we can learn through King David’s failures is the attitude of the heart that God restores and revives.
When David sinned by ordering a census to be taken, a plague came upon the people of God. David sinned because in pride he looked to the vastness of the kingdom to derive his sense of security and significance instead of to God, who established His kingdom and gave David success. But after a plague came upon the people of God, David recognized his sin. And while admitting his sin, David not only accepted his blameworthiness and guilt, (1 Chron. 21:17a), but the consequences. David prayed, “Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people” (1 Chronicles 21:17).
King David was mightily used by God not because of his flawlessness, but because of his brokenness. When he was confronted with his sin, David felt godly sorrow and contriteness which led to repentance. He didn’t make excuses or blame others. He willingly and openly accepted full responsibility for his sin. Although David’s sinned grieved the heart of God, David’s brokenness over his sin drew God’s restoring grace and renewing presence.
In contrast, King Saul, whose offenses seemed minor compared to David’s, was removed from being King and replaced by David. He was removed not because he was a greater sinner than David, but because unlike David he was never broken over his sin (Psalm 51). When Saul was confronted with his sin, he was sorry he got caught, but he never took responsibility for his sin. Instead, he made excuses and blamed others (1 Samuel 15:10-23). Saul was more concerned about protecting his reputation before men than he was his character before God.
In her book, titled, “Brokenness (The Heart God Revives)” Nancy Leigh Demoss explained, “Broken men and women don’t care who finds out about their sin; they have nothing to protect and nothing to lose. They are eager for God to be vindicated. David’s response when confronted with his wrongdoing was that of a humble, broken man. And his was the heart God honored. Again, and again, God’s Word reveals that he is not as concerned about the depth or extent of the sin we commit as He is about our attitude and response when we are confronted with our sin.”
The Apostle Paul wrote, “…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” (Romans 5:20b). The good news of the gospel is that no matter how great your sin, the grace of God is greater. As the Hymn writer declared:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Whatever your guilty stain, the blood of Jesus can wash it whiter than snow. Our gracious God is waiting to pour out His abundant grace on all who surrender their pride and offer unto Him the sacrifice of brokenness. As King David prayed, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
In your service,
Pastor Marco