God Is Supremely Merciful
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua
“O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.
But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.
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This is the first of numerous psalms of lament that we find in the book of Psalms. It is a cry to the LORD for help in a time of great trouble and anguish.
King David, a prolific psalmist, penned this agonising psalm. He was caught in a predicament. Absalom, one of his many sons, had staged a coup against him. The people supporting the attempt to topple the king increased by the day. Even his best and most trusted counsellor, Ahithophel, defected.
Though the conspiracy was four years in the making, David was ignorant of it until it was too late. It took him by surprise. He was forced to flee Jerusalem in a hurry with a small group of loyalists.
David wrote this psalm during this painful moment of betrayal, shock, and seeming hopelessness.
No Salvation for David
David had gone through many troubles and life-threatening situations. Time and again, God mercifully delivered him. However, on this occasion, many people close to David said that “there is no salvation for him in God.” They believed the king would not survive this coup, and they had good reasons.
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The sword shall never depart from your house…
I will raise up evil against you out of your own house.
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Not that the forces arrayed against David were formidable and overwhelming, which was the case, but because they remembered God’s indictment against David for stealing Uriah’s wife and then killing him.
At that time, the prophet, Nathan, announced God’s judgement on David - “the sword shall never depart from your house… I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun” (2 Samuel 12:7-12).
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Those watching this tragic saga
doubted God’s willingness to save David.
They saw the coup as the culmination
of the promised divine judgement
for David’s egregious sins. ____________________________________________
These tragedies played out in David’s family. David’s eldest son, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar. Then, his third son, Absalom, took revenge for his sister by killing Amnon. A few years later came the coup. When Absalom took over the palace, he disgraced his father by sleeping with his concubines publicly on the palace rooftop. The royal scandals came fast and furious one after another.
Those watching this tragic saga doubted God’s willingness to save David. They saw the coup as the culmination of the promised divine judgement for David’s egregious sins.
David Cried Out to the LORD
However, David was not about to give up hope. He had done wrong, but he had sincerely repented of his sins. He would put his trust In God’s mercy and kindness. So, David cried out to God for help and declared that the LORD was his shield, glory, and lifter of his head.
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He had done wrong,
but he had sincerely repented of his sins.
He would put his trust
In God’s mercy and kindness. ____________________________________________
The shield is a concrete metaphor of God’s protection. David’s past experiences assured him of God’s faithfulness despite his occasional lapses of unfaithfulness.
David also remembered God’s covenantal promise for him. His throne and his kingdom would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-17). In other words, David would not fail to have one of his sons sitting on the throne, and surely the throne could not possibly go to a usurper. God who had made the promise would guarantee that glory. David’s confidence was anchored in the LORD.
In those moments of seeming hopelessness and shame, David recalled how the LORD constantly had been so good to him. This incident was not the first time he had been left broken and disappointed. There were several notable occasions in the past.
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Despite the odds that were stacked against him.
David continued to put his trust in God. ____________________________________________
When Samuel went to his family to anoint the next king, his father sent for all his brothers except him. He was nothing in his father’s eyes. What a let-down! David’s wife, Michal, despised him for dancing and celebrating publicly when he brought back the ark of the LORD. And not forgetting those years when he was hunted like a fugitive by King Saul.
In all these and other occasions, the LORD ultimately vindicated David and removed his shame. Once more, David would trust the LORD to be the lifter of his head.
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God was good to David.
He delivered David once again. ____________________________________________
David’s popularity was already waning, and Absalom had stolen the hearts of the people. Despite the odds that were stacked against him. David continued to put his trust in God.
God was good to David. He delivered David once again. Absalom was killed and the rebel forces were decisively defeated after a brief but ferocious battle.
I would like to highlight two observations from the reading of this psalm.
God is Merciful in Judgement
We know that God is merciful. However, when we read this psalm and understand its background, we learn that God is supremely merciful.
God judged David for his egregious sins of adultery and murder. In as much as he sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba, David also sinned against God. Sin has both a horizontal as well as a vertical component. Ultimately, every sin we commit against people is also a sin against God.
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God is supremely merciful.
He is merciful in his judgement. ____________________________________________
When the prophet, Nathan, pointed his finger at David, he repeatedly said that David had despised the LORD. It is another way of saying that David had dishonoured the LORD, who had appointed him as the king over His people. God had given David much, yet David would bend so low as to steal the wife of his soldier and then took his life.
Despite the shocking nature of his sins, on account of his sincere repentance, God rescued David from the coup and restored the throne to him.
What does this tell you about God? God is supremely merciful. He is merciful in judgement.
Like David, we are far from perfect. Sometimes, we sin, and we make a mess of our life. When that happens, we usually feel so ashamed of ourselves that we dare not come before God. If we need any help, we lack the confidence to ask thinking that God would most likely not help us.
This psalm teaches us that God is merciful. When you sincerely repent of your sins. God will forgive you and He will be merciful and kind toward you.
Sin Has Its Consequences
David was spared from losing his throne and life. However, he was not spared from shame, pain, and loss. His family was irreparably broken, and his good reputation was marred. The stain of his sins and the loss of his children were the consequences of his sins.
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Sin has its consequences.
God is merciful,
but He is also just.
He will not leave sins unpunished. ____________________________________________
Sin has its consequences. God is merciful, but He is also just. He will not leave sins unpunished. Because of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins. However, it does not mean that we will not suffer any consequences of our sins in this lifetime. Therefore, we must avoid sin like a plague.
Consequences of Our Neglect
I have another observation concerning consequences.
David was wise in battlefields and politics. However, he was inept in managing his household. His children lived a privileged and entitled life with no sense of moral boundary.
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David did not hold his children accountable
for their wrongdoings. ____________________________________________
When Amnon raped his half-sister, David kept silent. His eldest son got away with the hideous crime. When Absalom killed Amnon in retaliation for disgracing his sister, David again remained silent.
David did not hold his children accountable for their wrongdoings. He did not apply the same standard of justice to his family as he did to his subjects. For reasons that we can speculate, David neglected his duties as a father to his children.
Judging by his children’s behaviour, it is safe to infer that David’s parenting style was lax. It inevitably encouraged rogue behaviour in his children.
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If you love your children, discipline them.
Draw boundaries for their behaviour.
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So, in a sense, David brought the troubles upon himself and his family.
I notice that many parents nowadays are very lax in the way they discipline their children judging from how some children behave. If you love your children, you ought to discipline them. Instil discipline into them. Draw boundaries for their behaviour. It will make them better persons and it will also save you from a lot of heartaches in the future.