Today’s Reading

II Samuel 10-12; Luke 19:29-48

Selected Verses

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. II Samuel 12:15-16

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. Luke 19:41

Reflections

The biblical historian lays out David’s sin here in great detail. We are able to trace his downfall and learn how one bad decision led to another until he had committed adultery, impregnated another man’s wife, and had the innocent party murdered in the cover up. It is a repugnant series of events, but it shows how easily a man after God’s heart can go astray.

To his credit David is prompt to repent, but there will be ongoing consequences of his sin. He is driven to fast and pray seeking God’s mercy on his dying baby. The sin which brought him short term pleasure came with an enormous price tag that continued for the rest of his life.

Luke describes Jesus’ arrival at Jerusalem where He knows He will die, rejected by the leaders of His people. But in the passage, Jesus weeps, not for His own suffering but, for the suffering of the people of Jerusalem. He wept because they could have known peace, but instead they would experience destruction. Even children would see the tearing down of their city.

Some, like David, see their sin and heed the call to repent. Others, like the residents of Jerusalem, fail to repent of their sin and go on in it as if nothing were wrong. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, wept over the sin of those who would not repent and find peace because their eyes were closed to it. He wept for the suffering that was going to come.

Think about it

Do you repent promptly? Do you weep over the consequences of sin like Jesus did? We are never more Christlike than when we weep and pray for those whose eyes are closed to the coming pain of judgment for sin. Let us take sin seriously, our own and that of others, and proclaim “the things that make for peace” to those who will hear.

© 2017 John A Carroll Used by permission