November 13 | Psalm 51

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DAILY READING

Psalm 51

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REFLECTION

A Pure Heart and A Steadfast Spirit

by Beth Voltmann

This psalm of King David always makes me want to weep. As he is moved to admit his sin - adultery with Bathsheba and second degree murder of her husband, Uriah - his regret, despair, and desire for restoration are palpable.

The scenario seems so heinous for such a man of God, and yet, don’t we all have evil thoughts and intents within?

I remember my father quoting a line from a 1930s radio program that opened with:

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

The Shadow knows...” (followed by an eerie laugh).

The creator intended The Shadow to be a metaphor for the dark thoughts hiding within the unconscious mind of humanity. David understood that these impure thoughts and resulting actions were a product of the original sin that entered the world when Adam & Eve fell prey to the enemy’s deception by choosing their own selfish desires over obedience to God.

“Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

(Psalm 51:5)

He also realized that God’s will for him began in the womb:

“Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

You taught me wisdom in that secret place.”

(Psalm 51:6)

Why was King David known as “a man after God’s own heart”? (1 Samuel 13:14) Perhaps, in part, because he recognized that his sinfulness could not co-exist with God’s holiness. When he failed, he knew to confess and turn back to the only One who could show mercy and bring restoration.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

(Psalm 51:10-12)

May we also be known as “people after God’s own heart” – quick to recognize our sinful ways and daily willing to ask the Lord to give us pure hearts and steadfast spirits – to be filled anew with the joy of salvation!

PRAYER

Father, we come before you with contrite hearts today. Please hear our prayer.

“Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice,

or I would bring it;

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise.”

(Psalm 51:15-17)

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November 12 | 2 Samuel 12:1-14

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DAILY READING

2 Samuel 12:1-14

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REFLECTION

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

By Pam Mann

What a heart breaker this passage is! Young David the giant slayer, now a king, has become a selfish ogre!  What a tough job Nathan has in announcing the Lord’s displeasure to the smug king. And what a fitting parable Nathan tells to convict the king of his sin. We can easily imagine David’s growing outrage as Nathan describes the callous dominance of the rich man over his poor neighbor. David himself cries out that such an abuse of power merits death! In a heartbeat after David’s enraged pronouncement, Nathan announces, “You are the man.” Imagine David’s shock at these words. Then dawns the dreadful realization that David did indeed commit even more heinous acts. His elite royal position enables a cover-up, but God knows. Now God has sent Nathan to David so that now David knows how fully God knows his sin.

David’s own mouth declared that the sheep stealer deserves death. Nathan’s story has had exactly the impact God intended on the wayward king. At last, David is asking himself, “What have I done?”

What has David done? Adultery. Murder. Concealment of his crime. He’s become a hard-hearted king, like any pagan king. Thanks to Nathan’s story, he has not lost all his compassion nor his hunger for justice. He still wants to defend the oppressed from the powerholders who would abuse them. Sadly, he must face the man in the mirror and admit, “I am the man.”

However, the Lord has put away David’s sin and his life is spared. Yet there will be severe consequences within David’s household for his sin. His wives and his children will be victims of sin like David’s. David admits his sin and even sings of the humbling experience in Psalm 51. Yet, the consequences of his sinful choices remain within his family.

Most of us don’t have a Nathan who will come and tell us stories to convict us of our sin. Nor do most of us have David’s musical talent to sing our heartfelt repentance out to God. But we have God’s Word to act as a mirror for us.

James 1:23-25 explains: "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."

PRAYER

Lord God, thank you for dealing graciously with us as we look in the mirror and see our sin. Keep us honestly reading Your word so we quickly run to You when temptation presses in. Grow in us greater sensitivity to the work of your Spirit in our hearts and minds.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.

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November 11 | 2 Samuel 11:1-27

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DAILY READING

2 Samuel 11:1-27

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REFLECTION

Your Sin Will Find You Out

By Dave Mann

The account of King David and Bathsheba is one of the most infamous stories in the Bible.  Though it is not the most appropriate story to share with young children, I remember being taught the point of this R-rated "movie" through a different G-rated story at a very young age.

The story was told using the most dynamic audio-visual medium of the day – flannelgraph! See if you can find the commonalities between this story and King David's dilemma.

Johnny’s mother had just purchased a beautiful watermelon, which sat on the dining room table in all its glory.  She said to Johnny, “Now don’t touch that watermelon.  I need to do some shopping this afternoon. I want to serve it this evening.” 

“Oh, I won’t touch it,” Johnny assured his mother.

Shortly after, she left to run her errands.  Johnny sat in the dining room and gazed at the big, plump watermelon.  He decided touching it would not hurt anything – no one would ever know.  So, he stretched out his hand and touched it.  Then, he decided he could lift it to see how heavy it was – and still no one would know.  He rolled it to the side of the table.  But when he tried to catch it, it was too heavy for him, and it slipped through his grip and fell to the floor, splitting in two. 

Oh no! What would he do now?  Johnny decided to carry the two halves to the backyard sandbox. He would eat it there, leaving no mess inside.  So, he ate the whole thing!  He didn’t feel so good.  He still had to hide the rind and all the seeds.  So, he decided to dig in the sand and bury all the evidence.  When he finished, the sandbox looked the same and no one would know the difference.

When his mother returned, she was surprised to find the watermelon gone.  She asked Johnny about it, and he said that a robber had come and stolen the watermelon.  Johnny’s mother was not quite convinced of the truth of Johnny’s story, but she had no reason to believe that he was lying.  So, she let it go.

However, that night and the next day, there was good rain.  The day after that, what do you suppose appeared in the sandbox?  That’s right, poking up everywhere, were little watermelon sprouts.

The moral of the story:  You can be sure your sin will find you out.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, help me every day to avoid the temptation of sin.  And if sin does find its way into my life, help me reject the lie that I can cover it up.  Help me confess my sin and allow you to cover it through the precious blood of Jesus, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.

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