GOD'S UNDESERVED MERCY IN OUR LIVES

Have you ever wondered about God’s undeserved mercy in our lives?’Maybe you have a hard time believing that it is available for you. Or maybe you have been wondering if there are any strings attached. If any of these scenarios sound like you, let’s get right into the topic of today.

Proof of God’s Undeserved Mercy in David’s life
God exposed David’s sin,
God wanted to shine a light on David’s sin
God spared his life.
Although God spared David’s life, this did not absolve him of the consequences of his actions. God gave him a lesser verdict, the death of his child, and that a sword would be part of his lineage ( clear because Absalom- David’s son- killed his brother)
God restored David.
Takeaways
Final thought.

2 Samuel 12 is a wonderful example of how God’s mercies manifest in our lives. And sometimes His mercies will often look like punishments. Before I get ahead of myself, let me give you a recap. In 2 Samuel 11, David commits two terrible sins that both warrant death. He committed adultery with Bethsheba and, to top it all up, he killed Uriah Bathsheba’s husband to cover his sin. The reason was Bethsheba conceived and when Davids’s effort to cover his sin failed; he took it upon himself to have Uriah murdered.

²One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. ⁵The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” ⁶So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. ⁷When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?” ¹¹Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,^[a] and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” ¹²Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. ¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” ¹⁶So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. ¹⁸Joab sent David a full account of the battle. ¹⁹He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, ²⁰the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ²¹Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth^[b]? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

How cruel, right? But before we judge him, let me ask you this: have there been moments in your life where you used your influence or advantage at the expense of another? It might not be as terrible as David’s but maybe that’s something you and I need to think about. Anyway, this whole thing displeased God and David had to face the consequences of his actions. So God sent Nathan to tell David of his consequences and expose the whole situation because they did it in secret. Although God was angry with David, He still had a plan of restoration for him and God still showed David mercy. How amazing, that is how gracious our God is!

Proof of God’s Undeserved Mercy in David’s life

God exposed David’s sin,

Yes, I know this does not look like God’s undeserved mercy, but rather His punishment. But the reason God exposed David’s sin was not to embarrass or condemn him, but really, He wanted David to repent. God’s exposure leads to repentance while the devils lead to condemnation. God is so merciful in that He does not want us to have the weight of our sins on our shoulders. He wants us to step into His freedom and forgiveness, which we received through Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took our sins with Him and laid them there. That is why Jesus said it is finished. What He meant was that He paid the price and now there is no condemnation of sin for those who are in Christ Jesus. But before you can step into that, He has to reveal the sin in your life to get you back to His will. When God exposed David’s sin to Nathan was so that David could repent and fortunately, he did. When we sin, we are out of alignment with God, but when we repent, we get back in alignment.

God wanted to shine a light on David’s sin

The other reason God exposed David’s sin was to shine a light on it. This gives the enemy no ground to build a foundation for a stronghold that he could use to torment David. Sin creates a ceiling that limits our potential. God has so much for us, but sin robs us of our potential in Christ Jesus. God does not want us to always live in lack and bondage.

Unfortunately, we do, and it is because we are out of His will. The devil roams around like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour. The devil does not play fair. All he is looking for is a crack and boom, he gains access. Once he does that, he uses it to torment you; therefore, God tells us to abide in Him and have a repentant heart. God promises us that with a repentant heart, He will not chase us away, and when we repent, He is faithful and just to forgive us.

Just like David, God will bring to light any hidden sin in your life to get you to repent. You see the enemy will only guilt-trip you when you have hidden and unconfessed sin. But once it is in the light, the devil has no power over it. Hidden sin leads to bondage, and this allows the enemy to have a foothold in your life. And that is why exposure and conviction is a part of God’s undeserved mercy in our lives.

God spared his life.

The penalty for adultery was death. So both David and Bathsheba deserved to die. Yet God spared their lives.
That David handled Uriah’s murder meant that he too, should be put to death. After all, God had given them permission to do so when He said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Again, David was spared the penalty he really deserved.

Although God spared David’s life, this did not absolve him of the consequences of his actions. God gave him a lesser verdict, the death of his child, and that a sword would be part of his lineage ( clear because Absalom- David’s son- killed his brother)

I know you might wonder how is this undeserved mercy. First things first, God will never allow His name and character to be mocked. His words are also true and so He cannot take back His words. There had to be consequences for the actions. We also know that God is just and shows no favoritism and because of that, David had to pay for his actions. But the penalty he deserved, he was not given. That, my friend, is the evidence of God’s undeserved mercy.

God restored David.

Romans 8 tells us that everything, whether good or bad, God works out for our good. As long as you believe in Jesus even your mistakes will work out for your good once you realign yourself with God. In David’s case, God gave David and Bathsheba another son whom they called Solomon. And the Bible tells us that God loved Solomon and we know he ended up taking over after his father David died. God even blessed Solomon with wisdom and riches too and made him famous. But as you can see this came after David repented and did right by God.

Takeaways

This is how God’s mercy works in our lives. He will get us out of the ditches we got ourselves in and He will use those same mistakes to benefit us because of His love for us. God knew that as human beings we were not perfect and thus prone to sin. So He sent His Son Jesus to die for us and pay the price we could not pay so that we could receive the grace we do not even deserve. God will not condemn you. He will convict you so that you can turn your life around and walk in the fullness He has for you. He says that as far as the east is from the west, He remembers our sins no more.

So I just want to encourage you and tell you, you might have committed a sin that is terrible and you think is unforgivable. I want you to realize that God’s mercy is greater than your sin and now His mercy on your life is not even based on what you have done or haven’t done but is based on the finished works of the cross. He tells us that His mercies are new every morning and so it does not matter how far away you have gone from God; He wants to forgive you, and He also wants you to receive His forgiveness.

Mercy-of-God Download

Child of God, do not allow the lies of the enemy to keep you stuck in the bondage of sin and condemnation. God wants you to get out of that. Do you know that the Blood of Jesus Christ washed away your sins 2000+ years ago? Yes, He did, and if you are in doubt, just read Romans 8:8 and Colossians 2:15.

Final thought.

You and I are living proof of what God’s undeserved mercy can do. He will take our sins and wash them away. Then He will use our messes to recreate His perfect masterpiece. But before He can do that, He wants you to let go of the baggage of sin by bringing it to Him and allowing Him to transform you.
God’s forgiveness is free and He has promised you that when you repent He will forgive. He loves you so much and wants to see you living your best life. It all starts with you turning away from sin and receiving His forgiveness. Then allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you and transform you! You are not condemned, now then sin no more. The power of God’s love and mercy leads to your freedom. Give Him your brokenness and He will give you His wholeness!