Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Lent 5 B - Psalm 51:1-12

Psalm 51:1-12
Bathsheba may have had a different opinion about King David’s Psalm 51 “against you only have I sinned” since David raped her, murdered her husband and at some level condemned her first born to an untimely death. But then sins against God are always suffered by the humans who bear the brunt of the wickedness of self-centered ways. The only way this psalm is redemptive is if David spoke it first to Bathsheba for if God was "done evil" by the “man after God’s own heart” it was Bathsheba who was “sinned against” by the King of Israel. The nature of God’s redeeming love is that those forgiven turn from their wicked ways and live different lives. David paid double for his sins as the sword never left his house and he suffered the loss of a son he loved. “Absalom. Absalom. My son. My son.” (2 Samuel 18:33) One hopes his sin was always before him as he learned to love Bathsheba beyond the first blush of his lust. We also suffer the consequences of our sin even if we are fully forgiven. But consequences are redemptive even as they are painful for they tune our ears to the sounds of joy and gladness where pure hearts created within us live and love in ways that are Spirit willing.

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