For This Is the Will of God, Your Sanctification

King David’s story is well-known and loved in Scripture. He was an exemplary individual in so many ways: his faith during his long years of being on the run from Saul; his self-control as he refused to take matters into his own hands and kill Saul during the numerous opportunities which presented themselves to him to do so; his modelling of what it meant to be a prophet, priest, and king; etc. In many respects, David foreshadowed Christ.

And yet, though David was so admirable in so many ways, like you and me, he was a sinner. He was not the promised offspring of the woman sent to crush the serpent’s head, although we know that the promised Seed would come from his line.

As I read the account of David’s adultery with Bathsheba again recently in 2 Samuel 11, I was struck by how, after he gave into temptation and sinned with Bathsheba, there were a number of remarkable events which took place as a result of God’s all-wise, all-powerful plan. God’s first act of sovereignty was causing the sin to result in pregnancy when it would seem that this was unlikely at that time. A child was conceived, however, and Bathsheba sent a message to David to let him know.

When he realised that his sin was about to be exposed, David’s flesh kicks into overdrive as he began to look for ways to cover his tracks. He thought, “Perhaps if I can get Uriah home, I can make this look like he conceived the child.” Easy peasy. It seemed like a foolproof plan. Phew, close call!

But no, Uriah didn’t go home, not even after David resorted to intoxicating the man with alcohol in order to do away with Uriah’s pesky sense of honour. So, instead, David resorted to murder, instructing Joab, commander of his army, to put Uriah at the front of the fighting troops and then to pull back from him, leaving him exposed.

Compared to the first plan, this second plan was by no means foolproof. Uriah was listed as one of David’s mighty men. He was a seasoned and exceptional warrior. Of course, David’s plan would leave Uriah exposed and vulnerable, but God could have easily thwarted this second scheme just as he had the first.

But God, in his wisdom, allowed the second plan to succeed rather than fail. Why would he do that? It would seem that God was far more committed to his servants’ sanctification than their comfort. Rather than allowing David to get away with coveting his neighbour’s wife, and adultery, he caused Bathsheba to conceive against the odds. Rather than allowing David to cover his sin by making it look like it was Uriah’s child, God frustrated his  plans to get Uriah to go home, against the odds. And, finally, God allowed David’s plan to murder Uriah to succeed, when it could have easily failed.

It would seem that God intended to expose the sinfulness of David’s heart, allowing the depravity deep within to come to the surface. This helps us to see that David was just a sinner like you and me. But it also resulted in David being humbled in his own estimation and realising something of the extent of his own sinfulness. It was only when he was humbled that he recognised he had no other options but to own and confess his sin.

This is how God works. And praise God for the fact that he loves us enough to sanctify us, exposing our sin such that we are drawn again to the cross. In this way, we are transformed and made more and more like the only perfect man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s learn from David. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). God wants us to see and acknowledge our sin so that we can take hold of the only remedy: the gospel of his Son. Until we acknowledge our sin, we won’t see a need for the Saviour. Rather than being stubborn and kicking against the goads, let’s embrace this process and repent early and often!