Yes, it’s still true: David was a man after God’s own heart, a king who ruled with power and wisdom, an emblem of righteousness and faith and loyal obedience to the Lord. By all accounts, he was a model follower of God. And yet he was still a sin-ridden man, and his sin was serious and grievous. And such has been the case for every model follower of God in history, save Christ himself.
At the height of his prosperity and success as king, David had an illegal affair with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to try to cover it up. With no accountability, David probably felt like he could pretend the deed never happened, and he stifled the feelings of guilt. I imagine he continually convinced himself the sin wasn’t a big deal. Yet when the prophet Nathan told him a story of a similar sin, David didn’t hesitate to respond with full outrage. The irony very quickly came back to bite him.
Sin has an interesting effect on all of us: we magnify other people’s shortcomings, all while trying to downplay or even hide our own sins as much as we can. It’s a natural means of self-preservation! Think about the person or people that you’re currently angriest towards. Most likely, you can list out all of their wrongs, but would balk at them making any similar accusations toward you. I’ve definitely been in that position. Years ago, I was treating a friend horribly, all while other friends were treating me a little badly. In my mind, I was the victim, and I thought my own actions were justified; but in reality, looking back, I was the worse offender. David’s hypocrisy in this story reminds me a lot of my own.
There is actually freedom in being fully cognizant and honest about our own sin. Guilt, shame, and self-deception otherwise tend to tear us apart. But on top of that, God has declared us through Christ to be his beloved children, the greatest identity we could ask for; so we have no need to grapple and lie for self-preservation! When we recognize, confess, and repent of the full weight of our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive. David later faithfully repented, and it is for that reason that he is a model follower of the Lord. What a grace that we are free to repent!
