(2 Sam 12:24,25 NLT) Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The LORD loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the LORD”), as the LORD had commanded.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” I am attempting to move on from this passage, so I can wrap up our time with David and move on to Paul, but this passage keeps speaking to me. This morning I keyed in on the fact that God sent the prophet Nathan to David to instruct him to name child Jedidiah. Let’s look at this from both sides:
From David and Bathsheba’s side: After having to endure the harrowing experience of burying their baby, after only seven days of life, David and Bathsheba had to find the strength to move on and believe again. I am sure they were initially devastated. No parent wants to even imagine having to bury their child, much less a seven-day-old baby. But David and Bathsheba did, and not only did they do it, but they mustered up the courage to worship the Lord afterwards. They worshipped God, they came back together, they tried again, they had another baby, and they named him Solomon. The English name Solomon comes from the Hebrew name Shelomoh, which is derived from Hebrew word shalom, which means peace. David and Bathsheba found peace and they moved on with life after their sin.
From God’s side: The last time God sent a message to David it was through the prophet Nathan. Nathan was sent by God to expose David’s wrong, to bring the king to repentance and to inform David that the baby was going to die. I am sure David did not have good memories of Nathan. After all he and Nathan had been through, the last memory he had of the prophet was when God sent Nathan to him with a death sentence for the baby. And now, in this passage, God sends the same prophet to David again, and again Nathan had a word from the Lord for David about his baby. But this time, instead of a death sentence, the Lord provided David and Bathsheba a name for the child. His Godly name was to be “Jedidiah.” Jedidiah means “beloved of the Lord” or “friend of God.” So Solomon was doubly-blessed. From an earthly perspective his parents had found peace (Solomon) and from a heavenly perspective the Lord was calling him beloved (Jedidiah).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God can use the fallen. I have focused in on the fact that David was an adulterating murderer, but Bathsheba was no better. Bathsheba played along with David and she was guilty before God as well. But both of them, with blood on their hands, chose to give God the life they had left. They moved on and God was able to use them for His glory. Not because they were so good, but because He is. And guess what? God will do the same for you! You may have committed a terrible error (or a series of them), but if you are still alive, and you are willing to give God the life you have left, then God will use you for His glory. Will you let Him?
2. The fallen are ripe for God’s use. When people fall off of their “high horses” they actually become prime candidates for God’s use, because at their low point they get out of the way. When people know they have committed a grave transgression they take themselves out of the equation and at that point God is able to use them mightily. God is not looking for your ability anyway. He is just looking for availablity. So when you get to the end of yourself, and you get out of the way, God is able to use you and He will get all the glory. So have you messed up before God and man? Guess what? You are a prime candidate to be used of God. Will you let Him use you?
3. Grace is able to bless what legalism is quick to reject. Legalistic believers would have condemned David, Bathsheba and the fruit of their adulterous relationship, Solomon. But instead of cursing Solomon, God actually blessed him by Grace and gave him a name (Jedidiah) that would indicate His favor upon Solomon for the rest of his life. So don’t be so quick to reject people because of the mistakes they have made. God is willing and able to use the person at the end of your pointing finger, and if you are not careful, He will bless them and overlook you because of your judging heart.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your amazing and immeasurable Grace towards me. Like David and Bathsheba, I am not perfect and I am standing in the need of Your mercy and Grace. Also like David and Bathsheba, I have found peace with my past. I refuse to allow my past to haunt me and rob me of my future. I am at peace, knowing that I am not perfect and I will never be. What I am is FORGIVEN. I move on by faith, trusting in Your Grace, and believing You to use me, not because I am so perfect, but because You are. The world would have rejected me, but You have accepted me, and for that I shall never cease to give You praise. You know who I am, when no one else is around, and You love me anyway. You know my heart and my imperfections, and You choose to use me anyway. The reality of Your Grace makes me love You more and more. I wake up every morning thankful to be a son/daughter of the Most High God; a God who loves me, who called me before the foundations of the world, and who blessed me by His Grace. I enter this day, and every day that follows, with a determination to be used of You, for Your glory. My life is all about You. I shall arrive at Your desired destination for my life and I shall do it, not because I am so good, but because You are! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
