God’s Grace Covers Our Exceptions

For David did what was right in the LORD’s sight, and he did not turn aside from anything he had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hethite. – 1 Kings 15.5, CSB.

Except. 

That’s the word that ushers in our regrets of things we wish we could take back. It’s a word that reminds us of what someone did to us or what we did to someone else that left scars and wounds to be dealt with. And yet, can it become the word that brings an awareness of God’s grace in a deeper and more profound way, bringing God’s forgiveness for our wrongs and God’s healing to our wounds?

King David’s accomplishments were vast. His devotion to the Lord is recorded for all time for all to read about. His psalms have been read and sung over the centuries ever since the Holy Spirit inspired him to write them. He was victorious in battle, especially against a giant named Goliath. As a young shepherd, he killed a lion and a bear in defense of his sheep. He was faithful to the Lord in all that he did, except for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, which led to writing the letter that made sure that her husband, Uriah, was killed on the battlefield to cover up her becoming pregnant by David. And after Uriah was killed on the battlefield, David then married Bathsheba to finish the cover-up. 

That’s a big “except.” That’s hard to let go of. How does one who is referred to as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13.14) do something so contrary to the heart of God? And isn’t it telling how we can ask this question of David while ignoring it for ourselves? Of course, perhaps we haven’t fallen from grace in such a drastic way as David, doing precisely the kinds of things he did, but isn’t the fall from grace the same regardless of what we’ve done to fall from it? Falling is falling regardless of what caused the fall. Remember, Adam and Eve’s original fall from grace in the Garden may have been less dramatic than David’s, but it ushered in the fall of all of mankind — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3.23, CSB). Both the fall in the Garden and the fall of David stemmed from their desires for forbidden things. And so do ours. And yet, David experienced grace and forgiveness, which led him to write these words.

How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the LORD does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. – Psalm 32.1-5, CSB

In response to God’s conviction, David confessed and repented from his sin. As a result, David experienced God’s forgiveness. David begged for God to restore to him the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51.12), and God answered his heart’s cry. And while David’s sin will be forever remembered, he is not defined by God by his “except.” Instead, from God’s perspective of grace, David lived faithfully. Even though David’s “except” was part of his story, it wasn’t the end of his story. And it doesn’t have to be the end of ours either. God’s exceptional gift of grace is greater than your sinful “except,” because “where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more” (Romans 5.20, CSB). Maybe it’s time to receive his forgiveness and enter into the rest of God’s story about you.

Have you received the forgiveness for your “except” that comes with knowing Jesus, or do you still define yourself by it? Do you still hold the “except” of someone else over them, all the while forgetting that God’s grace extends to them as well because of their surrendered life to Jesus? Have you asked God to restore to you the joy that comes with his salvation and the strength to live faithfully for his glory? Do you believe that you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17) and a child of God (1 John 3.1) because of the gracious work of God through Christ? 

May God help us to see things from his perspective so that we, once again, will be enamored and overwhelmed by the depth of his limitless grace. No exceptions.