More About Repentance

Abijam began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been. But for David’s sake, the LORD his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. For David had done what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight and had obeyed the LORD’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite. [1 Kings 15.1-5]

We can gather a bit of information here about David even though the narrative is about Abijam.

David's life serves as an example of what any man dedicated to the LORD can experience in life.

First, David suffered persecution. Let's just get that said. Saul persecuted David with an intensity most of us will never know. We can expect persecution when we serve the living God with all our hearts. In fact, we can embrace persecution knowing that it provides an excellent platform for the miracle-working hand of God to be revealed in our lives as it was revealed in David's.

Next, David sinned. Let's just take this opportunity, and, from the passage above, discern that David's sin was minimized as far as his whole story went. In other words, David was said to be a faithful and pleasing servant to God except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. However, it must be understood that David suffered great and long for his sin originating with his lust for Bathsheba. He murdered a man. He lost a child. His own children were absolutely terrible - one even actively tried to kill him. And, his kingdom was in turmoil much of the time following his sin.

My point is this: we may minimize sin in our lives, but its effect can be widespread.

The solution is repentance (I bet you didn't see that coming, huh? NOT). Who among us knows how much of the pain and loss we experience in life is directly and indirectly resultant to disobedience in our lives? Can any of us actually declare with all confidence that our suffering (pain and loss) are NOT the result of sin? We must be careful here because that is precisely what we do in some of the doctrines of suffering that we embrace that make suffering out to be random and consequently not something that requires repentance.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. [1 John 1.8]

Here is another question: who among us can say, "I have repented enough"? You see, to say "I have repented enough" puts me in the position of God - it essentially says I can forgive myself because I can determine for myself when I have been forgiven. Again, we must look back to 1 John 1.8...

This argument is why I am concluding that I must remain repentant before God at all times. It must be a lifestyle. It seems to me to be the nature of humility.

Father, forgive me for the pride and arrogance that I have resorted to much of the time in declaring my own innocence. Forgive me for the constant war within me to not be humble.