In his dedication of the temple, Solomon knelt in prayer before all the assembly of Israel with his hands extended toward heaven and asked that this be a place toward which God’s people could pray when seeking forgiveness and deliverance. Solomon prayed, “When they sin against you….then hear from heaven” (2 Chr. 6:36, 39). A closer look reveals a significant parenthetical phrase. “When they sin against you” is followed by “(for there is no man who does not sin)….” Hidden in a book chronicling the lives of the kings of Judah, is a simple declaration of the universal nature of sin.
We have sinned. Every one of us (Rm. 3:23). Sin is the problem. It’s wages is death (Rm. 6:23). Denial is deception (1 Jn. 1:8, 10). Cover up is futile (Prov. 28:13). Judging the sins of others while ignoring your own is hypocritical (Mt. 7:1-3 cf. Jn. 7:24). Showing no mercy or forgiveness toward those who have wronged us brings into our lives a thousand sorrows and casts a shadow on our own standing before God (Jas. 2:13; Mt. 6:14).
David sinned horribly in the incident with Bathsheba and in the subsequent cover up (2 Sam. 11-12). Yet, Scripture refers to David as “a man after God’s heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). How can this be? Unlike Saul before him, David sought to do all of God’s will. But, there is no man who does not sin. The difference lies in David’s willingness to acknowledge his sin and confess his transgressions to the Lord (Ps. 32:5). This was no superficial awareness of wrong-doing. His sin was ever before him (Ps. 51:3). His desire for renewal and forgiveness was strong (vss. 10-13). He coveted both the heart and presence of the Lord.
Appreciation for God’s forgiveness became David’s song of praise. Speaking of the compassion and mercy of God, David writes, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10–12). These are not the musings of a bitter, resentful man; but the joyous expression of thanksgiving to a God of compassion toward those who acknowledge their sins and seek His presence. May the Lord bless each of us to that end.
Glen Elliott