David: The Inexhaustible Mercy and Grace of God

The Holes in David’s Armor: How David’s struggles and sins, failures and foibles, could never exhaust or overwhelm the mercy and grace of God…and neither will yours.

It's great to see you here and thank you for being part of this today. Also greet those who are are, uh, joining us online. Thank you for making this part of your day. I, uh, We'll be going outside, uh, later for the outside service. And I brought just so you know how cool this is a magnetic clip to hold my notes in case the wind starts blowing out there.

Does that not cool. I'm prepared today. Don't need it here. However, we're going to be looking at the life of David. So we're going to be all over the book of second Samuel, but we're going to start in second, Samuel chapter 15 and 16. So if you want to look at that in your Bible, it's not a passage from sec about David's life.

That's very well known, but I chose it to start with, because it illustrates some of the pain heartache and struggle that characterize his life. And it's important for us to get a glimpse of that here in our opening scripture reading. So if you would look with me second, Samuel 15, I'm going to start reading at verse 13,

a messenger came and told David the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. David said to all his officials who are with him in Jerusalem, come, we must flee. Or none of us will escape from Absalom. Must leave immediately here. We'll move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword.

The King's officials answered him. Your servants are ready to do whatever our Lord, the King chooses the King set out with his entire household following him, but he left 10 concubines to take care of the palace. So the King set out with all the people following him and they halted at a place. Some distance away, jump over to chapter 16 and verse five.

And we'll pick up with this story. As King David approached Bob, Hareem a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shemei son of Garah and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the Kings officials with stones. Though all the troops and special guard were on David's right and left.

As he cursed shim, I said, get out, get out you man of blood you scoundrel. The Lord is repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son. Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood. Then Avishai son of Ziri Riah said to the King, why should this dead dog curse my Lord, the King, let me go over and cut off his head.

But the King said, what do you and I have in common? You sons of if he is cursing, because the Lord said to him, curse, David, who can ask, why do you do this? David den said to Abishai and to all his officials, my son. Who is my own flesh is trying to take my life how much more than this. Benjamite leave him alone.

Let him curse for the Lord has told him to, it may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today. So David and his men continued along road will shim. I was going along the hillside opposite him. Cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt, the King and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted and there he refreshed himself.

Okay. So this account, this event from the life of David, in which while fleeing for his life, and he's the becomes the victim of cursing and stone throwing and refusing to retaliate. It's not one of the highlights in the life of David as a man of faith in Israel's greatest King. This was a low point, but I chose to begin our study today with this event, as it highlights the deep pain, trauma struggle and sadness, which was such a huge part of David's story.

And apart from which we will not truly be able to understand the message. Of his life attempting to talk about the life of David in one message is possibly a bigger challenge than, than we should take, but we're going to try to do it today. I've entitled the study, the holes in David's armor, how David struggles and sins failures and foibles could never exhaust her overwhelm the mercy and grace of God.

And neither will ours. I know that's a mouthful. You know, we don't typically remember David for the struggles of his life or the pain in his life. Do we, we focus on the positive. What did he do? He killed the giant Goliath. He was Israel's greatest King. He wrote so much poetry in the Psalms was a man of worship.

He had the privilege of being the ancestor of Jesus Christ, our savior, and he's designated. And then the scripture as the man, after God's own heart. And all of that of course is true. In fact, some of the accounts of David's life, particularly the ones in first Chronicles are so glowing that the, the author of Chronicles doesn't even mention his sin with best Sheba or the revolt of his son Absalom let alone this event of being cursed and pelted with stones by Shemei while he was fleeing for his life.

But in second Samuel, we get a picture that brings to light. So many of the painful details of his struggles and his sins. In fact, reading through second Samuel recently, I. I felt myself so entering into the story that I could almost feel the pain and it became burdensome reading. It is the struggles in his family, his sins and failures, the subsequent repercussions, turmoil, the conflicts, all culminating in this evil plot of his own son to kill him and overthrow him.

And I entered in that. I just wanted to move on. I wanted to get past this. David had so many holes in his armor. I mean that figuratively, so many blind spots, significant failures, debilitating struggles, weaknesses, mistakes, how I asked myself that this guy ever become the man after God's own heart. And here's the answer that I think I've come to David came to see, understand and embrace the reality of his sins, failures and struggles that they could never would not end, could never extinguisher or use up exhaust, overwhelmed the grace and mercy of God in his life.

And I believe this is the message of David's life. At least one of them. Which though dad, as he, the author of Hebrews says he continues to speak. And when I find myself suffocating in the reality of the holes in my armor, which I know better than anybody, a renewed focus on the inexhaustible, grace and mercy of God is exactly what I need as well.

And maybe you do too, too. But to see the overarching beauty of God's grace and mercy in David's life, we have to take an uncomfortable look at his sins and failures, weak spots, his struggles, the Bible doesn't conceal them from us. In fact, it's the Bibles Frank portrayal of the failings of its heroes that makes the Bible's message so compelling and also so relevant because in them we see so much of.

Ourselves. So what I want to do first is to give a survey of these holes in David's armor, illustrating his desperate need of God's mercy and grace. Now I'm not trying to bout, I'm not trying to bad mouth David, but I want to highlight a few of the holes in his armor by taking a candid look at some of these failures and weaknesses.

And they're painful to talk about. But they serve as a mirror to our own lives and weaknesses, not as a means to discourage us, but as a means of forcing us to throw ourselves as David did on the mercy and the grace of God, here's, here's the first hole in David's armor. It's not one. We talk about a lot.

It's his polygamy. David was a polygamist. He had, he had a handful of wives and several concubines. Uh, we don't talk about this very much, but it was true of several notable heroes of faith in the Bible seems to talk about it. Matter of faculty, I got a 1500 page Bible dictionary that covers every Bible topic from a to Z.

But when you look under pay, there's no entry for polygamy.

But I want to talk about it with you a little bit, because I think it served as one of the big holes in David's armor. His polygamy resulted in a, in a, in a degrading of women and turning women and his wives into objects of his pleasure at his Beck and call, instead of letting him enjoy the intimate friendship and oneness that God has in mind for marriage.

When he gave marriage as a gift to humanity. So instead of marriage being for David, a relationship to be enjoyed his wives and his family became an organization to be managed. And as we'll see later, he wasn't up to the task, but who would be it? Wasn't what God intended. Now, whether David's polygamy was culturally acceptable, at least for Kings and rulers in that culture.

In that day and age, it's kind of an irrelevant question. It's irrelevant to the propriety and permissability of it in God's eyes because in scripture, every description of, of a polygamous relationship is characterized by rivalry. Stress and family problems. God never intended to for marriage when God saw in the very beginning that it was not good for man to be alone.

He brought Adam life, not a harem and Jesus himself. Then the apostle Paul would refer to the Genesis account of the first marriage as the foundation on which our view of marriage should be based. Later Moses was writing in Deuteronomy. He gave these instructions in advance for the day when Israel would have Kings and he gave them the instructions that they were not to accumulate for themselves.

Wives violations of the principal always have brought grief and heartache for all concerned. For example, It's sad to read of the ways. One of David's wives, Michael, who was the daughter of King salt was used very much as a political chess piece, taken from David and given to another man. When David was on the, on the flea from saw later, David demands her back as part of the deal and ascending to the throne.

It's. It's heartbreaking, the degradation of women and Israel's culture may not be entirely David's fault, but he was certainly a participant. It was a big hole. Now you might be asking, why are we addressing this? Polygamy is no longer a thing in our culture. This is irrelevant, maybe so, but I want to suggest to you, and I'm going to try to speak very clearly, yet carefully and sensitively.

I want to suggest to you that visual, virtual and emotional polygamy continues today on our computers, TVs, Mark phone screens, and the degrading, devaluing, and corrupting of the marriage relationship continues to take place today. And the church has not been unaffected. We've bought in to our cultures.

Corruption of God's plan for marriage and just like David's polygamy, it's become acceptable. So we hardly notice it. The Israelites may have said, it's just what Kings do. They have a harem today. We say, it's just what men do. They like to look at women. It's just what women do they enjoy their shows. It's just what everybody does.

It's, it's no big deal. And much of the degradation of marriage in our culture comes from websites. We visit compromising movies and TV shows that we watch and binge on and suggestive novels that we read.

statistics state that 56% of divorce cases involve one of the parties. Having an obsessive interest in inappropriate websites. One in five searches on mobile phones are for inappropriate content. 64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women admit to viewing these sites at least once a month. And this was in so interesting to me, many teens and young adults between ages 13 and 24.

When examining a list of sins and evaluating them, found that the failure to recycle our garbage is more significant error than viewing inappropriate websites,

just you today. Sadly, that visual and emotional polygamy continues to be practiced today. And the impact of it on our homes, our marriages, our families, our communities, our churches. Is just as devastating as polygamy was in David's life. It's a big hole. It's a big mess. So it wasn't David's fault that he was just doing what everybody else, at least the other Kings were doing.

Since it was to some degree accepted in the culture or whose fault is it that so many of us struggle with these things when it's such an accepted part of our culture. And that's a good question, but I need you to understand that my point in discussing it, it's not to identify,

but to acknowledge that all of us we're impacted by it and without, without the grace and mercy of God. To help us confront it and overcome it. These holes in our armor are going to continue and create problems. If you're alive and breathing today, you are impacted by this. But here's what I want you to know if.

No matter your age, no matter what your struggle with in sin may be, or how you got there, we have a God of limitless forgiveness, and that is what David would come to know and build his life on the limitless forgiveness of God, regardless of what you've done, where regardless of what you keep doing, regardless of how you got there, regardless of how deep our struggle was sin, as David would come to build his life on this word.

Forgiven. We're going to come back to that. I believe David's polygamy also contributed to the next hole we see in David's armor, because I suppose if you have multiple wives at your disposal, you may come to think you're entitled to any woman you want. So here's the second hole in David's armor. We should think about his adultery and subsequent coverup, which included murder of one of his friends.

Now second Samuel chapter 11 is one of the most painful chapters in all of the Bible to read. It's almost like you're reading it in slow motion and watching David, which light unravel because of the choices that he's making. We read of his sin of adultery and the coverup, which resulted in conspiring to kill your Riah.

The Hittite. Whom you may not realize was one of David's friends and counted among David's mighty men of Valor. Okay. I find myself when reading that chapter, talking to David. Screaming into my Bible. I'm saying things like this, David. No. Get away from that balcony, David, stop. David. Get back inside. David.

You've no right to be looking at that woman. David stopped. That is another man's wife. David don't. You dare command to have her brought to you, David. This is wrong, David. This is going to cause so much pain

and the author of Samuel. Seems to very deliberately highlight the great evil of David's conspiracy to do away with Uriah. By contrasting David's treachery with your Riaz integrity, Uriah he refuses to do as David is trying to coerce him to do go home and be with his wife. He's not going to do that his honor and integrity.

Won't permit him to do that while the armies of Israel are out at war. And the contrast in the character of these two men is striking and it's also supremely sad. You're Riaz, noble character David's lack of thereof. David even sends your Riaz death sentence, order to the commander, Joe AB by your Riaz own hand, the gaping hole in David's Armour's devastating and deeply disappointing.

But I want to recommend you never read second Samuel 11 without also reading second Samuel 12, because chapter 12 covers the prophet Nathan's confrontation of David and shows the amazing mercy and grace of God expressed in his forgiveness of David's sin. Something. Every one of us desperately needs the account of David's.

Uh, life shows that no matter what we've done, no matter how gaping the holes in our armor, there is something called forgiveness. I've said it to you in the past. Um, none of us not David, not me, not you is too far gone because you know what? We're all too far gone. We all desperate for God's mercy and grace.

And as we'll see, in a moment God's forgiveness would become the foundation of David's life, but there's one more hole in David's armor for us to mention. And that would be this, his mistakes as a,

I launched into the book of first Kings, uh, in my Bible reading this week. And it begins with the story of David's son. ADOT Nijah. Improperly trying to claim the throne for himself, take it from his aging father, despite the fact that it was David's son, Solomon, to whom the throne had been promised, it's almost like reading a soap opera.

You read through David's story. There's so much drama, turmoil, struggled, difficulty in David's family. Absalom's conspiracy was so tumultuous. And now here we go again, without an idea. And in this account of, of attempted takeover, there's this editorial comment that the author of first Kings puts in there and the NIV Bible actually puts the comment in quote, in parentheses, reflecting on David's role as a father.

It, it makes me sad when I, when I read it, listen to how it reads now. I don't Nijah. Whose mother was Huggies, put himself forward and said, I will be King. So he got chariots and horses ready with 50 men to run ahead of him. And then here comes the editorial comment. His father had never interfered with him by asking, why do you behave as you do?

I'm like Adam Niger is the bad guy here. Do we really need to throw David under the bus here? The guy's on his death bed for crying out loud, but the comment serves as a, a very sad commentary on David's role as a father, a big miss. On David's part. He was either too busy or too distracted or too something.

I don't know what to stand up to speak truth to, to confront a guide to properly lead his son. This was a big hole in David's armor. Big miss serious mistake. Parenting is tough. I was an outstanding parent. Until such a time as the kids came along now I'm outstanding in the rain. It's tough. Right. And I think for those of us who are parents, no one is more aware of the holes in our parenting armor than we are ourselves.

We looked around at other families and we wonder what. What am I doing wrong? We play the comparison game so much. We get down on ourselves. We, we know the whole holes in our armor. As parents, David had holes, many holes, mistakes, failure, sins, weaknesses, painting David in a bad light might look like that's what I've done so far this morning, but that's not really my goal except to make this point.

Those holes in his armor. Drove him to God desperate for his mercy and grace. And there was no defect, no hole, no miss, no mistake, no sin in David's life, which was beyond the reach of God's mercy and grace. So let's go back to this question as we transitioned, what was it about David, despite his holes and miss MIS and mistakes and sins that made him a man after God's own heart.

Why, why do we consider him Israel's greatest King? Why did he become the benchmark against two's life? The reign of every other subsequent King of Israel and Judah was compared to any Val evaluated. Why did God make a covenant with David promising that the Messiah would come from David's line and that God would establish his reign forever?

Why, why him? By the way our salvation flows from this promise that God made to David, the prophet Nathan had delivered God's promise to David. He said, when your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body. And I will establish his kingdom forever.

Your throne shall be established forever. The apostles in the new Testament recognize the coming of Jesus Christ as savior and Messiah to be the ultimate fulfillment of that promise God made to David. And so for good reason, Jesus was called the son of David, not simply a reference to his, uh, genetic descendant of David, but as the fulfillment.

Of God's promise to David that brings salvation to all the world. Now, I believe that the message of David's life is that his heart was attuned to the mercy and grace of God that he so desperately needed. And so thoroughly enjoyed. So let's take us, let's do a summary of those qualities that I think kept David connected and attuned.

To God's grace and mercy. Here's the first one he learned to live in the joy of forgiveness. David got to write his own life verse. I think it might be this one from Psalm 32 verse one. Bless it. Is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed it as the man. The Lord does not. Whose sin the Lord does not count against him.

And in whose spirit is no deceit celebrating God's forgiveness begins by saying these words. I have sinned. So remember when Nathan the prophet confronted David for his adultery and murder and he poked his finger in David's chest and said, the words you are the man. And he proceeded to recount, to David the details of his sin, what he had done and what the consequences would be.

Do you remember what David's next words where he said, I have sinned against the Lord. Okay. He didn't say, how dare you confront me? How dare, how you know, what do you think? You're the only perfect one around here. He said, I have sinned. Against the Lord. And that is where forgiveness begins. I believe the profits confrontation came as a gift to David, a huge relief to a man whose guilty conscience was eating him up on the inside.

Psalm 32 continues. When I kept silent about my sin, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. It was eating him up. The apostle Paul would tell us later that it is God's kindness. That leads us to repentance. It's a gift to get caught and a gift to be able to own up to your guilt. But then what were Nathan's next words David said, I have sinned against the Lord and Nathan said the Lord has taken away your sin.

You are not going to die.

And so for David also for us to have the humility, to utter the words I have sinned against the Lord opens up the flood Gates of mercy and grace, the forgiveness we so desperately need. David continues in Psalm 32. Then I acknowledged my sin to you. And did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions, the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

David lived in the joy of forgiveness. Happy is the one who sins are covered, not covered up. That brings guilt and shame, but covered over by the grace and mercy of a forgiving. God, you understand the difference. I've come to realize that there's no sin that you or I have or could commit that hasn't already been committed by someone else.

Whose story we read in this book. Now, maybe some of you think you are especially a unique that you've done thought or said things worse than anybody else on the planet. None of us is that creative. It's already been done before, but here's what I want you to know. Not only has it already been done before, what you've done and what I've done, but there's more, not only is someone already committed that same sin as you have, but someone has already been forgiven of that sin.

And that means that you and I can be forgiven too murder. David's been there, done that. Treachery conspiracies lies cover up. David knew all about it. Immorality last talk to David and he was forgiven. And that means there is forgiveness enough for me and for you as well. I don't care what you've done.

How, how, how low you think you've sung God's mercy and forgiveness goes deep enough to reach you with his divine forgiveness. Our sins can be covered, not covered up, but covered over these words. The Lord has taken the Lord has forgiven your sin. You are not going to die. We're spoken for David. But also for us that who soever believes should not perish, you're not going to die.

God offers forgiveness. Is your armor filled with the holes of sins that you re you regret. And that try to tell you that you're worthless, unforgivable a fraud. There's hope. Every one of those sins, even ones we have not yet committed were born by the Lord, Jesus Christ in his body. When he died on the cross, his death in your place means that on limited forgiveness is available to you.

And to me, we can know that joy forgiveness and live in it. Here's the second thing that kept David attuned to God's mercy and grace. He rested in the sovereignty of God. Sovereignty that word does appear in my Bible dictionary. He rested in the knowledge that God is sovereign and has bigger purposes.

God's sovereign purposes are bigger than ours, and they are bigger than our ability to figure them out. David wrote Psalm 24 one, the earth is the Lords and everything in it. The world and all who live in it, it didn't so on that basis that he owns it all and controls it all with that foundation that our lives can make sense.

See, the sovereignty of God means that God is in control of all things and moves all things toward his own good purposes and ends. Nothing is random. Nothing is purposeless, nothing is outside of his control. So we began today reading that account of David fleeing from Absalom, who was attempting to destroy David and overtake the throne.

And this man shim I, or a relative of the former King saw who has the result apparently has a bone to pick with David. It's following along and cursing David to his face and pelting him with stones and dirt in that moment. Why did David put up with that instead of retaliating? And I think the answer is this because apparently David found more comfort in letting God be in control of things than in taking control of things himself.

That's what it means to rest. In the sovereignty of God. So David said, leave him alone. Let him curse for the Lord has told him to, it may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me for the cursing I am receiving today. It is putting it in God's hands and not holding onto it with my own. This was a theme of David's life.

He rested in God's sovereign control. Of the details of his life. It was evil to be sure what shim I was doing. And later David would instruct his son Solomon to deal with Shem. I, for the wrong, he had done him. But in that moment of fleeing for his life, David's comfort and rest came not from being in control, but in submitting to the will of the one whom David had come to know.

Was in control of all things and who was far more trustworthy than his own instincts plans or abilities he chose to rest right there in a God who stopped Fearnley controls all things. Pastor Mark, put it this way. I think really well. The Bible declares to God's children. That life is safe. Not because we can control it, but because someone already does.

And, uh, and a century ago, British preacher, Charles Spurgeon said, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you can lay your head. You can rest well, child of God, because he is in control. Pastor Greg Laurie tweeted earlier this week, sovereignty means that God is in control. So when things in your life are not making sense, go back to what you do understand.

God is in control, resting in God's sovereignty meant that David could trust God for his present and even for the unknowns of the future. And so can I, so can you final thing that I think kept David attuned to God's mercy, grace and forgiveness was this, he was a relentless worshiper. You see, it's one thing to know, God is sovereign, but you add to the fact that he loves you and cares for you.

Personally, you'll respond in worship, David wasn't indefatigable worship or relentless. Untiring unstoppable. He loved God and God loved him. And he loved to put his thoughts and feelings about God. Into words, which is what I believe is the essence of worship. We think of worship often as music. And certainly David was a great musician and songwriter and music is a great medium of expression for admiring a good and loving God.

But there's more to worship than just music. It's recognizing that God is sovereign. That God is big thing. God loves me. God can be trusted. You remember when David prayed? And fasted pleading with God to spare the life of his infant son. You remember this, but when the child died, as God had said through the prophet, Nathan, that would happen, David arose and did what worshiped

I asked. Why would you pray to God to spare the life of a child that God had already. When Nathan had already delivered the message that the, the child would die. And I think it's because David knew that God wasn't God who loved to show mercy. And David also knew that no matter what happened is God was trustworthy and that's the God you can worship.

Scripture says, then David got up from the ground after he had washed put on lotions and changed his clothes. He went to the house of the Lord and worshiped knowing that God not only loves you, but likes you leads you to worship. And I think David knew that God liked him and he liked God. And so it was easy.

For him amazed by God's forgiveness and grace to put his love for God into words. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies. So David's worship grew out of his experience of God's goodness and care for him.

Relentless worship became a theme of his existence. God's grace and mercy means that despite the holes in our armor of which we all are so acutely aware our sins and struggles or failures and foibles. All are covered by the blood of Christ. We can rest in his sovereignty, receive his love, rejoice in who he is for his grace is greater than all our sin.

So what, what will you do today? Will you embrace his grace and mercy and accept his forgiveness? Will you rest? In his good and loving control of your life, will you respond in worship?