David was known as a man after God’s own heart. But even David was not perfect and sinned. God is gracious to forgive, but there are always consequences to sin. In 2 Samuel 12:13-14 it says, Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.” Sin is sin and we all commit sin in our lives. We should all feel God’s grace and mercy and move away from it as quickly as possible. But the consequences of sin can be great especially when we allow it to drag out and refuse to repent from it.

There are many lessons to be learned from David’s life. Today’s reading shows how much respect David had for God’s anointed king. Once again, David had the opportunity to end Saul’s life and rid himself of the man who wanted him destroyed. Instead, David spares Saul’s life and shows the king respect along with giving the king an opportunity for reconciliation. There have been times in my life where someone I considered an enemy was in a position where I could get revenge by my words or actions. Unfortunately, I didn’t always show grace to them. As I’ve gotten older I have learned the benefit of reflecting God’s grace on someone whether I feel they deserve it or not. Most of the time showing someone grace benefits me more than it benefits them.

There is so much information to digest in today’s reading. The biggest thing that stood out to me was in Matthew 9:12-13, 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” We as believers are consistently working to make ourselves better for God. We work hard at sanctification and righteousness for God. The problem is what God wants most from us is to be a reflection of His mercy to those who need it most. No amount of righteous living makes up for God’s real desire from us, which is to bring people to the saving knowledge of His grace and Mercy.