Hi Everyone,
Today I started reading 1 Chronicles, but if I’m honest, I read through the first few chapters kind of quickly (loads of names). I landed on 1 Chron 12:17: "David went out to meet them … if you come peaceably to help my heart will be united and if you betray…" Now I’m going to pause, as I fully expected the end of this verse to say, "the Lord God will bring you to ruin." I was blown away when he actually said, "may the God of our fathers look on it and decide." After all, the majority of the prophets would have said otherwise (and they did!).
As I stopped and pondered, I realized that David not only experienced betrayal, but he himself did a Big Betrayal when he had Uriah killed to hide his sin. Something tells me there was a deep change in David’s heart where David recognized his capacity to betray apart from God's grace! I realized that in my own life when I’ve been betrayed, I have experienced anger, and wondered why God did not just annihilate the other party on the spot. But then I did a look- back and saw how many times in my own life I’ve betrayed the Lord. Yet, here I stand. I think that David realized through experience with the Lord that only God had rights to decide. I sense in the verse that David would be at peace with God's decision.
I must say this really landed in my heart. In reality, I’m owed nothing (and certainly have no rights). But for me this little verse in the Old Testament really sets David apart. He did not just get through the treachery of his sin with Bathsheba and move on. God must have written something in his heart; an aspect of God's character such that David would never forget who is in charge and who is the ultimate judge when betrayal is in the mix- the betrayed and the betrayer. After all, David himself said he would much rather have God be his judge than man.
I have really no more to say about this except that I will NEVER forget this verse and I hope JESUS engraves it on my heart this day so that it creates a permanent shift regardless of my circumstance. I also hope I am deeply reminded of the "returning grace through repentance" that God affords when I betray Him - and that I never take it for granted.
Much love,
Cari