Adrian Bocaneanu, President, Romanian Union, Euro-Africa Division

This morning we are invited to recall the mercies of the Lord, especially in His relationship with David.

David is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible. And indeed we say "David," and dozens of stories come to our mind. We say "David," and hundreds of quotations, images, symbols and prophecies, emotions, and hopes flood our soul.

David is unique among biblical characters by virtue of being fully known to us both from the outside (as subject of extended narrative) and from the inside (as writer of lyric poems). The stories of David's life, the facets of his character render him most lifelike. He is depicted as one of the most complex and many-sided human characters in Scripture. His life is full of variety, impulse, genius. He is exactly that mixture of good and evil that is in us. The Scripture narrative does not exaggerate and does not extenuate. The wise and impartial history sets before us without fear or favor, in all its brightness and in all its darkness, the life of David.

God's Sovereignty
Of such a controversial person, God Himself speaks, "The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14, NKJV). Usually this is explained in terms of David's superiority of character, especially when contrasted to that of Saul. But there is a stronger contrast here. In Saul God has given to Israel a king after their own heart. As Samuel said: "Behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired!" (1 Sam. 12:13; see also Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 636). Saul's election as a king was a clear rejection of the lordship of God over Israel.

At the time of God's statement about David-"The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart"-David was either very young or even unborn. This leaves no room for the idea of personal merit. The beauty of David's hymns, his mighty exploits in God's wars, his generous gifts for the Lord's house are not merits. David is reminded several times that his call to the throne of Israel is God's call, based on His grace, not on human works or value. "Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel" (2 Sam. 7:8, RSV). Davidic Covenant

In spite of his insignificant beginnings, Yahweh placed David in the position of leadership over His covenant people.

The promise of an everlasting kingdom for the house of David became the focal point for many later prophecies and enriched the development of the Messianic hope in Israel. David was amazed that God would make such commitments to him and his descendants. But he also acknowledged that what God pledged to him was for Israel's sake, that its purpose was the fulfillment of God's covenanted promises to His people.

"Who am I, O Sovereign Lord," prayed David, "and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant" (verses 18, 19, NIV). David couldn't resist such amazing mercy. He wholly dedicated himself to love, obedience, and service.

The Davidic covenant is based on God's unconditional promise and has its ultimate end in the coming of Messiah, the Redeemer, from the house of David. It is a confirmation of God's covenant. Even when Israel sins and is to be severely punished, God intervenes to help because He will not "break His covenant" (Lev. 26:44, NKJV).

Awesome Relationship
The Davidic covenant brings incredible privileges: unrestricted relationship with the King of the universe and the love, devotion, and fidelity of the nation. But entering this covenantal relationship is demanding. Speaking about David's offspring, the Lord says: "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him" (see 2 Sam. 7:14, 15).

Disobedience is still possible, but as long as the covenant stands-and this is forever-this inescapable father-son relationship stands too. With a firm hand God pursues His beloved children and administers discipline. There is pain and occasionally protests, even attempts to escape. But, praise the Lord, there is no way out of God's firm grasp.

In fact, there is so much discipline to be administered that the human being cannot bear it and survive. In the end, it is the great Son of David, God's only Son, who takes upon Himself the iniquities of us all, and experiences the "chastisement of our peace" (Isa. 53:5).

The Handwriting on the Wall
Now we come to 2 Samuel 11. It looks as though the author has allowed David to rise to glory, with only subtle hints of his darker side, only to lay aside any subtlety in favor of bold disclosure.

Until now David was happy with what God gave him, but now he begins to take: he takes Bathsheba, he takes the life of Uriah, and he takes his subjects to serve his smoldering desire.

"But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord" (2 Sam. 11:27). Such is the solemn qualification that the Holy Scriptures appends to a record of successful wickedness. We have a testimony of the perfect insight of God into our hearts and lives, His concern in them, and His judgment upon them. Every single thing that we say or do either pleases or displeases God.

To David, God became distant, almost unreal. After isolating himself from God, he isolates himself from his servants. David disregards the subtle warning of the man who inquired about the woman: "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah." In other words, "The lady's married." But it doesn't seem to register. David disregards the unintentional reproof in Uriah's refusal to go home and to seek the comfort of his wife's embrace after weeks and months of camping and battling.

We are here in a special gathering of leaders-men and women of a high calling and considerable power and influence, and we are not immune to the prevailing attitudes in our society. Let's pause and think on some of these perils.

Privacy. Charles Swindoll has written: "One of the things that accompanies promotion of individuals to higher positions of authority is an increase of privacy. This closed-door policy maintained by those in high office brings great temptation for things to be done in secret" (David, p. 196). Once we start pursuing secret goals, a hidden agenda, we will discover that many things are better done secretly-at least for a while. The idea of separating the private life from the public function is as futile as separating the character from the ministry.

Unaccountability. Our organization is constantly striving to develop better policies, statements of ethical conduct, and auditing procedures. But real protection comes from self-imposed disclosure and transparency. How important is it to recognize the Lord's presence in our life, especially when we are doing His work.

Institutional cover-up. There has to be a certain organizational protection for decisions and actions taken in fulfillment of the mission of the church. Sometimes we tend to think that we are to be protected for everything we do, as we always are God's representatives. We expect God to protect us from the consequences of our sins. But rather than covering David's private actions, God took the initiative to bring all his actions into the open.

Irresponsible lifestyle. Perverted ideas of love, corrupted imaginations, misinterpretation of the Scriptures, the popularity of situational ethics, the sexual revolution, rejection of premarital chastity and marital fidelity; and the "Me Generation" lead many Christians to take liberties that contradict the principles of God's Word.

Persons in leadership positions represent a strategic target for Satan's temptations. Ellen White wrote: "[Men and women] in responsible positions, teaching the claims of God's law, whose mouths are filled with arguments in vindication of His law, against which Satan has made such a raid-over such he sets his hellish powers and his agencies at work and overthrows them upon the weak points in their character" (The Adventist Home, p. 327).

Reluctant Prophetic Ministry of the Church
We have a lesson to learn from the courage, faithfulness, and skill of Nathan.

Charles Swindoll writes: "If God called you to be His messenger, then do it skillfully and do it humbly. Do it right or don't do it. If God calls you to be a confronter, confront. People still long for, hunger for the message of God. When you encounter an individual who has willfully stepped onto the wrong path, face it with him. Call it what it is. Certainly at the right time and in the right way, but do it! Don't hedge. Don't try to redefine it. Don't explain it away. Call it sin. And in doing so, remember that you, too, have sinned. So, stay humble and full of compassion . . . but speak the truth in love . . . yes speak the truth!" (David, p. 204).

The Redemption of David
There is a moment of truth in the life of every person called to serve God, a moment when they can confirm their uncompromising commitment and obedience to God. The consequences shape the eternal destiny.

Noah is asked to build a boat, and his whole life is dedicated to this project. Abraham is called to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Jacob tells a lie to his father and grabs the blessing. David the fugitive finds Saul the pursuer in the cave. Elijah confronts hundreds of priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. The three young Israelites do not bow before the huge idol in Babylon. Esther goes to the king in a fateful meeting. Jesus meets the master tempter in the wilderness. Pilate asks of Him who is the truth ("What is truth?"), but leaves before being answered. Saul, the fiery persecutor, surrenders to Jesus and becomes His mighty ambassador.

At other times a man or a woman is tested in a very inconspicuous manner. There is no hint that this may be the turning point of a life. Nobody sees the flames; nobody hears the penetrating sound of the heavenly trumpets. In fact, that hour is made out of the usual material of life.

It doesn't require a saint to introduce one's wife as one's spouse. But it was a great man of God who deliberately introduced his wife as his sister. It doesn't take a scientist to find your way to Nineveh. But it was a prophet with a perfect record who bought a ticket for Tarshish instead. It doesn't take a degree in mathematics to count the money resulting from selling a piece of land. But there was a man and his wife who reported the same (incorrect) price. It doesn't take a king with the unique label "man after God's heart" to refrain from pursuing a woman, from taking her to his bedroom, from staging a hero's death for her husband, from delivering the scenario to his commander. But there was such a king.

In the whole history of humanity only Jesus left a perfect record, both in His daily conduct and in the momentous encounters with fallen Lucifer. His uninterrupted chain of victories redeemed His illustrious ancestor David and remains our only foundation for assurance and hope.

The early history of David is a history of humble beginnings; growth and drawbacks; love; faith; and painful mistakes. God was fully able to take him through all of that and use him in a marvelous way. He made him victorious in impossible circumstances as long as David recognized his dependence on God.

Then stunning losses, heartaches, and moral paralysis marred David's midcareer history. Could this be a description of my life too? Could this be a description of the course of God's beloved church?

If yes, then more aggressive evangelism, better technology, advanced leadership methods, as valuable as they are, will not redeem us from this critical period in our existence, as long as what the True Witness says-"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing" (Rev. 3:17, RSV)-continues to be true about us.

The life of David, the sinful saint (is there any other kind?), is recorded to declare "that sin can bring only shame and woe, but that God's love and mercy can reach to the deepest depths, that faith will lift up the repenting soul to share the adoption of the sons of God. Of all the assurances which His Word contains, it is one of the strongest testimonies to the faithfulness, the justice, and the covenant mercy of God" (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 754).

Repentance doesn't spare us from the consequences of our sins, but it appropriates for us the bounties of God's grace. In the words of David: "Deliverance belongs to the Lord; thy blessing be upon thy people!" (Ps. 3:8, RSV).