Covenant

 

This Lent I am once again joining in with UM Rethink Church's Lent word-a-day challenge. 

Today's word is: covenant.

I was king of the country but wasn't always that great as a father and a husband. 

Famous stories are told about me: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and accidentally saw a gorgeous lady having a bath. She thought she was completely private; she didn't know I was ogling and objectifying her. Because I was king, I could do anything and have any woman I wanted so I sent for her. 

I believe today you'd say I raped her. I certainly didn't behave decently towards her.

I didn't even take precautions so she got pregnant. That was awkward because her husband - who was in my elite fighting force - was away at war. I had him sent home thinking he would sleep with her and then everyone would assume the baby was his. But he was an honourable man and didn't think it right for him to enjoy home comforts while his men were away suffering. I had to think fast - so I had him murdered. Later I married Bathsheba and our son became a famous king and the wisest man on earth. 

But I felt terrible about the whole episode. I shouldn't have acted like that. It was wicked of me.

Another time, my beautiful young daughter was raped by my son but, to my shame, I did nothing about it. No justice for her. Another of my sons carried out vigilante justice and then went too far and I ended up pretty much losing everything.

I'm not proud of how I acted. I was a flawed human being. But these two accounts do not add up to the man I was. I was also called the sweet psalmist of Israel and a man after God's own heart. Because I loved God first and foremost. Whenever I realised I'd done wrong it broke my heart and I truly repented. My relationship with the Most High was the most important thing in my life.

I enjoyed living in a luxurious palace but we worshiped God in a tent. A glorious tent, but still a tent. I wasn't happy with that. I have always wanted God to have the very best. So I planned to build Him a glorious temple. It didn't work out, as God had planned for my son to build it. But in the process, God made a covenant with me. He promised my throne would last forever. 

He meant that the Promised One would come through my line - that He would be my descendant. What an honour. 

I was so humbled to know that God would choose me - so flawed - with whom to make a covenant that would bring huge blessing to millions. Truly awesome.