There is a song that has these lyrics in it: "Your grace and mercy brought me through. I'm living this moment because of you. I want to thank you and praise you too! Your grace and mercy brought me through."
Whatever one might think about the rest of the song we cannot deny the gospel centered realities of those lyrics above. They speak to the essence of our hope and our joy. Our joy is not rooted in the false notion that we are perfect and will do or feel the right way all the time, but in the truth that those who belong to Jesus are covered in His blood and sanctified in His righteousness. This union with Jesus is the basis of our boldness to come before the Lord in our failures, seeking His mind and heart to live differently.
Yesterday we saw some deeply disturbing things about David and what was in his heart: adultery, murder and deception. Perhaps we have not had these exact expressions in our lives but we know ourselves and, if we are honest, we are not far from David in many ways. Yet, in the midst of such depravity the Lord sends mercy to David in the form of Nathan. That is what mercy looks like, but there is another side to mercy. While we will explore many aspects of this in our walk through Psalm 51 I want to jump ahead to show you the full effects of repentance from David.
When we repent something happens; something shifts and all manner of realities take place which we cannot, immediately, see or feel. God does a work. An internal renovation and restoration of a heart that looked like an old, run down and abandoned building. We have to trust this work or mercy because it will not be evident at first, but we can learn from the life of David and see the beauties of Holy Spirit's work in us when we repent. When this adulterer, deceiver and murderer repented total restoration and re-position happened. This is what mercy looks like. The Bible describes this adulterer, murderer and deceiver in three, powerful, ways:
He was seen as a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
Even though David's sin with Bathsheba was known prior to 1 Samuel being written, the author still reminded us that David is to be seen as a man after God's own heart. In other words, even though the events of Bathsheba happened after this statement in 1 Samuel 13:14 the scripture repeats this statement in Acts 13:22 as well. Why? Because even though David behaved in ungodly ways the testimony about Him is that he is a man after God's own heart. Here is what the scripture is teaching us: when we repent we are repositioned, as it were, to the place of intimacy with the Lord and that will forever be our testimony if we live in a heart of repentance.
The Lord has positioned us in Christ to receive the blessings of His presence, pardon and participate in His plan of redemption. Sin has a way of leading away from this place of safety and, if we are not careful, away from our confession of faith. Repentance repositions us - our heart, minds and lives - in such a way that the joy we know in Christ is restored as is our intimacy. David, though he was radically wrong in this instance, is remembered as a man after God's own heart and so too will we. This is what mercy looks like
Let me say this briefly. If I am not seeking after the Lord; if I am not a man after God's own heart it may very well be because there is sin in my life that I am living with and not repenting of. Every believer should be growing in their heart for Jesus and if we are not we know He has not changed, so it must be that we are engaging in matters that have hardened our hearts.
Apple of God’s eye (Psalm 17:8)
The phrase "apple of your eye" in Psalm 17:8 literally means "the little man in the eye." When you are looking someone in their eye you see yourself, a smaller version of you, in their eye. It speaks to the intensity of God's watchful protection over David's life and soul. This murderer, adulterer and deceiver is also the focus of God's attention, love, protection and presence. Incredible!
Is it not amazing that God would still love David in spite of David? Are you not amazed that such a man who committed such vile acts would still be seen as the little man in God's eye?; the focus of His care. Yet, this is what mercy looks like - for David and for us who repent of our sins of life, heart, mind and affection. When we repent we are repositioned underneath the wings of God's protection, pardon and presence. When we repent this is the mercy we receive. Therefore, despite who you are and what you have or are doing, if we repent we become the apple of His eye, literally the little man (and woman) in His eyes. We become His focus. That is what mercy looks like
He was the king by which every other king was measured (Read 2nd Kings).
David, the used to be murderer, deceiver and adulterer, became the standard by which every king was seen as good or bad. If they did not follow after the example of David they were bad. If they did, they were good.
But wait a minute! David? He's the example that God points to as what He wants and expects of a king? This guy who did what he did and everyone knows about it?
Think about your sins being plastered on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Do you think people would see you as a model of good and godliness? It is indeed strange how God operates and who He chooses to use. After all that David had done God still chose to use him as the model of godliness. It is amazing that after all our many and deep failures that God, due to our repentance, will still choose to make us examples of godliness to others. He does and He will.
Our ability to be used to influence others in the Lord is not over because we have sinned, regardless of how big the sin appears. The gospel teaches us that only the broken, due to sin, can be actually useful to the Lord who, Himself, was broken, on the cross, for our sins. Those who repent, therefore, are in a position to bless because they know the evils of sin but also the absolute majesty and miracle of mercy. They can lead people who need mercy because repenters are those who know that mercy looks like restoration and reposition.