ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE RECORD.
“Thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.” 2 Sam. 12:14. This was the charge brought by the prophet Nathan against King David on account of his conduct toward Uriah the Hittite. And it is true to this day, that when men are importuned to give their hearts to God, they will sneeringly point to David as “a man after God’s own heart,” recall some of his heinous offenses, and claim for themselves a better life than David’s. So every one who, professing to serve God, departs from His commandments, gives occasion to the enemies of His cause to denounce it; and many of them are not slow to take advantage of such occasions. For this reason we are cautioned to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thess. 5:22. Besides this evil result, many who profess discipleship presume upon the scriptures that speak of David’s perfect heart (1 Kings 11:4, 33, 34, 38, etc.), and make excuse of them for repeating some of David’s errors. Now “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning” (Rom. 15:4), not that we should learn to imitate all the faults recorded in the Scriptures, even of the best men, but rather that we should learn to avoid them. It is the part of wisdom to be admonished by the sad consequences that came to many of the servants of God because of their departures from the right way. Sinners ought to be encouraged by the fact that it has been made possible for men guilty of the crimes for which they condemn David, and because of which they slight the mercy of God, to find peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is free from sin, no matter how great that sin. They ought to rejoice that a merciful God was willing to pay such a price in order to make such a consummation possible. The things written aforetime for our learning were not written to give men an excuse for continuing in sin, but “that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” David was counted righteous because of his repentance of sin, and his faith in the atoning blood of Christ. When a man has made peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is free from sin, no matter how great that sin. He stands, not in his own righteousness, which is as filthy rags, but in the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed unto him because of his faith. Sinners should take courage from the record of David’s life; not from the fact that he was a sinner, but that, in spite of that fact, his repentance and faith gained for him a name among those who pleased God. Sinners should be encouraged to know that the blood of Christ can cleanse them from all sin (1 John 1:7); that He is able to “save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Heb. 7:25); and that He is able to keep them from falling, and to present them “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). Of all this possibility the record of David’s experience is the divine, infallible testimony.