Brent Kuhlman

+ Jesu Juva +

A certain father probably won’t be receiving any Father’s Day cards, gifts, or well wishes.  This father has been quite naughty.  Quite lurid.  Mighty sinful.  He is King David.  Covets another man’s wife – the beautiful Bathsheba.  Summons her to his home.  Takes her into his bedroom and they hook up.  Adultery.  Desperate Housewives style.  Grey’s Anatomy style.  From this one night-stand Bathsheba discovers that she’s pregnant.  The king of Israel has fathered an illegitimate child.

Can’t let that leak out.  How embarrassing! Can you imagine the lawsuit and the outrageous child support payments he’d have to make?  After all, he is the king and the kings have deep pockets.  So right away he goes to work to cover up his sin.  How?  Hush money and a posh apartment for Bathsheba?  No.  He has another “perfect” plan.  Should be a piece of cake to pull off.   

Here’s how it goes.  Give her soldier husband Uriah a furlough.  He’ll certainly take advantage of the time away from the war to be with his wife.  And then when he returns to the war everyone will know that the child in Bathsheba’s belly is Uriah’s.  After all, the whole city will know that Uriah came home.  And everyone will connect the dots. 

Big problem though!  Uriah won’t go home and sleep with his wife.  He refuses.  No matter what of carrot the king puts before him.  So there’s only one thing left to do.  Orders are given by the king to strategically place Uriah on the front line where the fighting is the fiercest.  Then pull back and leave him high and dry.  King David pulls a Tony Soprano.  Offs Uriah through one of his generals. 

Then when the funeral’s over and everyone’s finished mourning for the fallen soldier, King David turns on the charm.  Offers to help the poor war widow Bathsheba. Takes her into his home and makes her his wife.  Can you imagine what the palace spin machine did with this grand gesture? “What a magnificent king!  Look at how he provides for our war widows!”  Can you imagine all the paparazzi buzzing around snapping picture after picture of the couple’s first kiss and the cake cutting ceremony of Israel’s most benevolent king?  Is this a great story or what? 

But why is David doing it?  To make it look like the baby growing in Bathsheba’s belly is his:  LEGITIMATELY!  In other words, he wants everyone to believe that he fathered this kid but only after the wedding in the king’s private chambers.

But it’s all a fraud.  A big fat lie.  Glamorous and glitzy on the outside.  But full of rot, gunk and filth on the inside.  The real story is coveting, adultery, theft, murder, and idolatry! 

What a father!  What a dad!  A scoundrel.  A deadbeat sinner.  And none of our fathers and none of us fathers are any different.  No better than King David.  We take what we want.  We hurt or harm anyone who stands in our way with our hearts, mouths, and sometimes even our fists.  Turned in on ourselves we fathers are.  Living for number one just like the second king of Israel named David.

King David receives help by the Lord through pastor Nathan.  Nathan’s words are:  “You are the man!  You are the sinner!  You are the rich man who stole that poor man’s beloved and precious little lamb for his own selfish purposes.  Look in the mirror man!  Let your anger burn against yourself!  The death sentence you’ve shouted really should apply to you!  YOU’RE THE SINNER!”

Now this blind father finally sees the light.  Now the lies come to a full stop.  And now the truth is now confessed.  “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Indeed, his coveting, adultery, theft, murder and idolatry are against the Lord.  He’s been at odds with the Lord.  Nothing is right between him and the Lord.  He has no leg to stand on any more.  No more excuses.  No more trying to always justify himself.

So too it’s time for all of us fathers to confess:  “I have sinned against the Lord” by all our sinning.  No matter what we’ve done or not done for our wives, children or whoever, is all against the Lord.  And there’s no wiggle room before Him.  No excuse measure up before Him.  Only the truth.  “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

But then comes the most outrageous and scandalous part of the story both with King David and with all of us fathers.  Reconciliation with the Lord from the Lord Himself through the spoken Word of forgiveness:  “The Lord has put away your sin,” Nathan declares!

Are you kidding me?  The Lord just up and forgives David?  He just up and forgives us fathers?  Forgives all our wickedness?  Without any promises to do better?  Without any conditions?  No strings attached like getting our lives turned around?  Yes, that’s right.

For Jesus’ sake.  Who went into death for the likes of a King David, the sinful woman who popped in at Simon’s house, and yes even for the like of you and me.

David doesn’t get what he deserves.  Neither do you.  Neither do I.   The Lord’s forgiveness is bigger than your sins and mine.  Even if they are as shocking as King David’s.

Being loved like that – the Jesus way – the Good Friday way – the forgiveness way -- leads to much forgiveness and love in your life.  King David forgiven much.  The woman at Simon’s house forgiven much.  Fathers and husbands forgiven much.  All of you here forgiven much.  Forgiven everything by the Lord Jesus Himself who died for you. 

So that on this Father’s Day there is reconciliation between you and your father.  His bloody Good Friday wounds and His Body and Blood given for you to eat and drink today have their way with you as you deal with a sinful father, husband, children, other church members, former spouses, or whoever.  Forgiving him.  Forgiving her.  Forgiving another as Jesus has forgiven you.  Loving one another as Jesus has loved you.  For THE LORD HAS PUT AWAY YOUR SIN!  You are died for.  You are forgiven.

In the Name of Jesus.