“I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.”
(2 Samuel 22:24-25)
Umm excuse me, King David? Maybe you’ve forgotten about a little something from your past? I know that you’re a “man after God’s own heart,” but that’s a pretty bold claim to say that you’re blameless and righteous.
It’s true – David would eventually mature into one of Israel’s most faithful and virtuous kings. He would be a powerful military strategist, uniting and expanding his kingdom. He would exemplify genuine worship through even the hardest of circumstances. He would chase after God’s will and inspire the world with his honest and moving lyrics. At the end of his life, he would pen these words that would transform my own heart millennia later.
While David does have an impressive resume, he has an equally shameful rap sheet.
When he should have been out to war with the rest of his army, David stayed home and had an affair with one of his soldier’s wives. Upon discovering that she was pregnant, David’s shame led him to take drastic measures to cover it up. He placed her husband on the front lines while everyone else drew back. Her husband was killed, along with many others, and she became David’s wife.
David, you’re not blameless and righteous.
You’re an adulterer.
You’re a liar.
You’re a murderer.
And you’re sounding pretty arrogant right about now.
Shameful.
But there’s an important part of the story that’s easy to miss.
After he did these things, David’s heart was stirred towards repentance and he wrote Psalm 51, a plea for God’s forgiveness.
And God does an incredible thing.
We read it in 2 Samuel 12: “The Lord has put away your sin.”
He puts away David’s sin. It can also be said like this:
The Lord has taken away your sin.
The Lord has passed over your sin.
The Lord has crossed out your sin.
The Lord has forgiven you.
David still has to face the devastating consequences of his choices. But David is forgiven. The shame that once drove him to desperation is now gone and he is free.
As he claims to be blameless before God, he’s not bragging about the decent things he has accomplished with his life. He’s highlighting the extraordinary thing that God has done for him. He is proclaiming God’s saving grace that reached him in his darkest moments and brought him back to life. David rightfully acknowledges that he is no longer defined by his sin because when God puts it away, it’s gone for good!
My friend, the same is true for you and me! If you are in Christ, then your sin doesn’t say who you are. You are not defined by your failures or your shame. You are not defined by your anger, your lust, your addictions, your depression, your anxiety, or your mistakes. If you are in Christ, when God looks at you, he does not see your sin.
He sees Jesus.
If Jesus is your savior, you are blameless. You are righteous. Your sin is put away. Jesus took it with him to the grave and left it there! There is no place for shame here. Only freedom to spend your days glorifying our merciful and compassionate God.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
