after God's own heart

Today we read from 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4 in the One Year Bible. We read about another genealogy, but this time it includes a passage about David's concubines.

Now, we know that the Bible calls David a man after God's own heart. Yet we know that he killed many people, including an innocent and good man named Uriah, after stealing his wife and sleeping with her, then trying to cover it up. We know that he had concubines, which we don't exactly look at with favor today, and would consider it to be sinful. So how is this sinful man someone that we would call "after God's own heart"?

The answer is that he wasn't slothful. Sloth is the worst sin.

Just kidding.

It's actually because he does what St Peter did, instead of what Judas Iscariot did. What's that? you might wonder? Well, all three of these men have something in common - and they actually have it in common with you and me and every other human being (with one or two exceptions) who ever lived. They sinned. They did evil things. They were not perfect. They made huge mistakes.

So what's the difference between David and Peter on the one hand, and Judas (and Jezebel and many others throughout the Bible) on the other hand? David and Peter repented. They admitted that they had sinned and they asked God to forgive them. That makes ALL the difference.

So let's learn from these examples. You and I have sinned. What are we going to do about it? Let's choose wisely.

God, thank You for forgiving us when we come back to You and repent.