King David is a man in the Bible that most of us are familiar with. He is known as a man who loved God, followed Him faithfully, and strived to live to His glory. In fact, the Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
From this description of David in the Bible, we can see that God approves of David. Even though God approves of David, Christians in the modern day would have a different opinion when it comes to David’s actions.
While it is true that David started strong, he did mess up during his life. He murdered Uriah in order to have Bathsheba. Before David did this, he already committed adultery with Bathsheba, which is a terrible sin.
Through his actions, we can see that David did not always consider God in everything he did. Despite already having many wives and Bathsheba being married to Uriah, David still wanted Bathsheba to be his own.
In order to get what he wanted, he had to kill Uriah. Uriah was one of David’s best men in battle and faithfully served under King David.
Although this was true, David did not hesitate for a moment to order Uriah to go on the front lines of battle.
Uriah was killed in battle due to being on the front lines. In this way, we can see how David was responsible for Uriah’s death, as well as how he was guilty of adultery with Bathsheba.
King David Through the Lens of Modern Christians
Through the lens of modern Christians, not many would approve of David. While David had many positive things said about him in the Bible, we are also given much information that could condemn him.
Modern-day Christians would more likely choose to disapprove of King David rather than approve of him based on his actions.
When we look at David, we see a man who murdered another man in order to have his wife. We also see a man who committed adultery with a married woman.
All of these things could lead us to think bad things about King David. Instead of focusing on the positive things about David and how he repented his sin, modern Christians would be more likely to dwell on his negatives.
This is because, as human beings, we tend to focus on the negative instead of the positive. In other words, we tend to be judgmental rather than merciful. All of these things would place David at a disadvantage in the modern day.
It is wonderful that David saw the error of his ways; however, not many Christians would be willing to overlook his offenses. As a modern-day Christian myself, it is hard to ignore the sins of adultery and murder.
If someone in our church or someone we know committed adultery with a married woman and murdered her husband in order to have her, we probably would not have a positive view of them.
To this extent, we can understand why many Christians in the modern day would not approve of King David.
Even though we can relate to how one could disapprove of David, we also have to remember that he did turn back to God. David repented of his sin and asked the Lord for forgiveness.
All of us have done bad things; however, how many of us have actually repented and turned to the Lord for forgiveness? These are all things we need to remember when we are quick to pass judgment on David. David did many bad things in his life, but so have we.
Mercy Over Judgment
With this in mind, we need to remember that we need to practice mercy over judgment. Instead of judging David, we need to leave all judgment to God. He is the One who will judge us all, and, in a way, David has already dealt with the consequences of his sin.
As a result of David’s adultery, Bathsheba became pregnant; however, the baby passed away. While this is sad, we can also see how David already faced judgment for his actions.
As Christians, it is not right for us to judge anyone, including David. Modern Christians would disapprove of David, but this is something that we need to change. We shouldn’t approve of his sin, but we should not condemn him either.
David repented and turned away from his sin. He didn’t choose to continue to live on in his sin and rebel against God. Instead, he chose to turn back to God with his entire mind, body, and soul.
Although God and David’s relationship had been damaged, it was repaired once David sought out forgiveness and repented of his sin. Later, David and Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, who became king after David.
Moreover, Jesus’ lineage is found through David (Matthew 1:1-16). This means that we can trace Jesus’ ancestry back to King David and Bathsheba. Many people might see this as something insane, but this is actually part of how God creates good even out of bad things (Romans 8:28).
Redemption
Just as God gave David redemption, we need to do so as well. Yes, it is true that what David did was terrible, but we cannot condemn him as well as everyone else who has done these things.
Our hope and prayer need to be that these individuals come to know Christ or turn back to Him if they have drifted from the faith.
Instead of hating the individual who does these things, we need to respond as Jesus would. We need to leave all judgment to the Lord and choose to extend grace, mercy, and forgiveness to these individuals.
This is difficult and can take some time; however, it is important that we help everyone know there is redemption.
Just as David knew he had done wrong by murdering Uriah and committing adultery with Bathsheba, the people in our lives who have done the same things will come to the realization that what they did was wrong.
As a result of their sin, there will be consequences, just as David faced the consequence of his son passing away. Everyone has a conscience inside of them, and it will convict them of their guilt.
If they are a believer, the Holy Spirit will also convict them of their sin. He will ensure they turn back to the Lord and repent before Him. The Holy Spirit is inside all of us as believers; however, many of us turn a deaf ear to Him.
Instead of listening to His instruction and guidance, we choose to follow the sinful flesh. Even if it is hard, we need to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading instead of what our sinful flesh says.
The Holy Spirit knows what is best, and He will give us strength to overcome temptation, but we do not need to ignore Him.
Christians today would not approve of King David based on his actions. While there are many Christians who would disagree with this finding, nobody can argue with the truth that adultery and murder are terrible sins.
It can be hard for anyone to look beyond these things, especially if you were the one who was cheated on or if your loved one was murdered. Things such as these can be hard to confront, but as Christians, we need to be aware of these hard conversations.
David did many bad things, but we have to remember that we are equally sinful. Maybe we did not commit adultery or murder, but we have done other bad things.
This is why we don’t need to be quick to judge David or people like him. Instead, we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus to them. This is the only way that we can truly bring glory to God.
For further reading:
Would Christians Today Approve of Rahab in the Bible?
How Did a Man after God’s Own Heart Fall So Far into Sin?
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