I AM CLEAN!
I am clean! I am forgiven!Are you? I hope so because God’s Word says that you are forgiven and clean when you go to him in repentance and accept the saving grace of Jesus. From last week’s study we saw that King David saw himself as clean. Despite his sin with Bathsheba, David considered himself free of sin because he accepted God’s mercy and forgiveness. He didn’t even find it necessary to mention his forgiven sin to God in his song of praise in 2 Samuel 22.
This week let’s look at God’s view of David’s sin forgiven. In 2 Samuel 11 we learn that David sinned. He slept with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, while her husband was at war. After Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child, he had her husband killed in war to cover up his sin. David sinned! In 2 Samuel 12 we learn of God’s words to David concerning this sin. God sent Nathan the prophet to speak to David. Read what God said to David concerning his sins.
2 Samuel 12: 7-10
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
God ask, “Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eye?” God said that David had done evil in His eyes. God said that David had despised the word of the LORD. God saw David’s sins and brought it to his attention. After this David admitted his sin in 2 Samuel 12:13 - Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” God saw David’s sin. David saw his own sin and admitted it. God told David that he had done evil in His eyes and despised His word. It’s all out in the open here in this scripture. However verse 13 of this chapter shows us God’s mercy on David. David would suffer the negative consequences of his sin, however God forgave David. In 2 Samuel 12:13 Nathan speaks God’s words to David saying, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”
We know that David accepted the forgiveness of his sins from Psalm 32 and 2 Samuel 22. David said, “You forgave me the guilt of my sin” in Psalm 32. 2 Samuel 21-25 demonstrated David’s acceptance of his sin washed away. He does not mention his sin, but speaks of his cleanness and blamelessness. David accepted that his sin was taken away.
How did God see David’s acceptance?
First we know that God said to David through the prophet Nathan, “The LORD has taken away your sin” in 2 Samuel 12:13. What did God say to David here? What was the word of the Lord? God said that David’s sin was taken away. David accepted it.
After David died, his son Solomon became king of Israel. In 1 Kings 3:14 God spoke to Solomon and referred to King David.
1 Kings 3:14
And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”
Did God just say that David obeyed his statutes and commands? What about David’s adultery and his act of murder? I heard God say that David had despised His word and did evil in His eyes in 2 Samuel 12. What about that? Now well after David’s sin God says that David walked in His ways. Oh I remember now. God also told David that his sin was taken away. Did God take it away completely? Did God forget David’s sin? Is this somehow related to David’s pleasing acceptance of forgiveness from God?
Let’s continue to look at God’s words concerning David. Read 1 Kings 9:4 as the Lord speaks to Solomon a second time.
1 Kings 9:4-5
“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
Now God says that David walked before Him faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness. No mention of past sin or forgiven sin here. Next read 1 Kings 14:8 as God speaks through Ahijah the prophet to Jeroboam, the king of Israel’s ten tribes. (This was after the kingdom of Israel split into two nations.)
1 Kings 14: 8
I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.
God says that David kept His commands and followed Him with all his heart. God also says that David did only what was right in His eyes (God’s eyes.) We know when David sinned with Bathsheba that God told him he had done evil in God’s eyes. Now God says that David did only what was right in His eyes. Did God forget David’s sin? Did He wipe away David’s sin so completely that it is not in history? Why would God only mention the good in David in these verses? Could it be because David accepted his sin as washed away and spoke with assurance? Could David’s actions and words have shown God his strong faith in Him? Because David accepted his sin as washed away, he showed God beautiful faith and thanksgiving in God’s words.
I did find mention of David’s sin in 1 Kings. It is found in 1 Kings 15:5. It says, “For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” However these are not words spoken by God. These words were written by the writer of 1 Kings, possibly Jeremiah or another prophet. The writer, or possibly the Bible translator, included this information. These are not God’s quoted words. God is the author of the Bible, so he may have allowed it in that verse. However it is not spoken directly from the mouth of God.
I want to show you one more thing before we conclude with your activity for the week. Go to 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles is a summary of Israel’s history, much of it tells the story of David. Twenty of the 29 chapters of 1 Chronicles tells the life of David. 1 Chronicles 1—29 tells us of David’s reign as king of Israel, his many victories in battle, his return of the ark to Jerusalem, his psalms and prayers, his preparations to build the temple and his army’s capture of Rabbah. 1 Chronicle 20: 1-3 is very interesting in its description of events. It is summarizing the events in 2 Samuel 11 when David sent the whole Israelite army to destroy the Ammonites and besiege Rabbah. David had remained in Jerusalem, and this is the time that David committed sin with Bathsheba and sin against her husband Uriah.
1 Chronicles only speaks of the capture of Rabbah and that David remained in Jerusalem. There is no mention of David’s sin at that time and place. Interesting. We can’t know for sure why the writer omitted this part of David’s life. But I do know God is the author of the Bible. It is his Word even through the writers of the Bible and the translations devised over the years. I believe the sin story is omitted because God took away David’s sin, but more importantly because David also saw his sin taken away. That sin was washed away I tell you! Even the writer of 1 Chronicles does not acknowledge it worthy of the summary of David’s life.
Do you see where we are going here? Do you see what God wants you to take from all of this?
YOU are FORGIVEN! Did you sin? Sure you did. But did you go to God and confess your sins, repenting and then receive forgiveness? Repentance is to turn from one’s sin. Did you go to your Father God admitting your sin and ask for forgiveness? Then you are forgiven. Your sin has been washed away. You are white as snow. Jesus took care of that sin. It is taken away. Read Isaiah 53: 5-6 for reassurance.
Through the story of David we can see that God actually took his sin away. God repetitively describes David (after his death) as a man who walked in God’s ways, obeyed God’s commands and followed God with all his heart. God says that David did what was right in the His eyes.
Can you let your sin go? Can you let God really take it away, wash it away and blot it out? How can one truly repent, thus turn from his sin, if he cannot let God take his sin away? Accept God’s forgiveness of your sin so you can give true thanks.
God can see your forgiven sin as erased from you. God saw David’s sin as washed away when He spoke of David as upright, following all his laws and commands. To turn from you sin, to repent, one must allow acceptance of forgiveness from God. Today you are forgiven. Today your sin is taken away. It is washed away. When you accept this, God will enjoy your thanksgiving all the more. Say, “I am clean.” If you need a prayer of forgiveness, use Psalm 51 from the words of David. Last week I included a prayer asking for forgiveness also if you want to refer to it. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” There you go.
To genuinely give God thanks for the forgiveness of your sin this week, use words from David in Psalm 32: 1-2.
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
You are blessed! I don’t care what your bank account lacks, what your love life is missing, what stress is hovering over you – you are blessed. You are blessed because your sin is forgiven, and God does not count it against you! No matter what difficulties you are going through in life, you are blessed! You are blessed because your sin is forgiven and God does not count it against you. Transgression is disobedience and sin. Your disobedience is forgiven. You are blessed! This blessing is more valuable than tangible things. This blessing is spiritual and divine. Your blessing is a divine blessing, from God. Not everyone receives divine blessing because not all people are believers. But you are a believer. You have divine blessing. You are blessed by God, your transgressions are forgiven. Your sins are covered by Jesus. Praise God today by saying, “I am forgiven.”
Take Psalm 32:1-2 and begin using David’s words for yourself. In fact I want you to put your name in the verses.
Psalm 32: 1-2.
1 Blessed is ___(insert your name)____
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is ___(insert your name)____
whose sin the LORD does not count against her/him (them)
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Meditate on these words this week. Continually say aloud that you are blessed because your sins are forgiven and God does not count them against you. If you struggle with the acceptance of forgiveness from God, you simply must take this instruction seriously so you can be set free. Meditating and speaking from these words of God in Psalm 32:1-2 will help you to receive your forgiveness and accept that your sin is covered. I feel that using God’s Word in this way can be extremely powerful. Following the words of David is a great benefit in the effort to accept God’s forgiveness. Look how well David received forgiveness. Why he did not even acknowledge it in his praise to God.
Give God thanks over and over again for his divine blessing on you by wiping away your sin. Keep Psalm 32: 1-2 close to you for several days to experience beautiful forgiveness.
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