Daily Meditation - Monday 4th. Feb 2008 - SERIOUS SIN SHOULD NEVER DETER - DAVID, AN EXAMPLE

Catholic Living Spirituality
#1

DAILY MASS READINGS
http://www.usccb.org/nab/020408.shtml

Further Reflection
Monday: 4 February 2008 - Mark 5,1-20

Meditation
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=02&day=04&year=2008&x=10&y=4

My comment: After I posted this, and looking at the title I gave it, it struck me that ‘deter’ and ‘detour’ are very close and that serious sin even should never detour us from my course which should be under any and all circumstances “a contrite and humble heart” …“you will never disdain”… (“burnt offerings from me you would refuse, but a humble and contrite heart, you will never disdain”)

Let’s face it. We have all sinned sometime in our lives. Maybe our transgressions are not as grave as adultery (2 Samuel 11:2-5), murder (11:14-16,27), or the other sins that David committed, but each of us, somewhere along the line, has offended God in thought, word, or deed—more than once, probably!) Like David, we too know our offenses, but how often do we face them in the same way that David did?

[quote]
He acknowledged his sin, turned from it, and earnestly sought forgiveness and a restoration of his relationship with God.

David remained faithful to God: not through never sinning but through** repentance and accepting the consequences of his actions**. Shimei cursed David, and threw stones at him, even though David was the king. And when David’s loyal nephew, Abishai, offered to “lop off” Shimei’s head, David rebuked him, adding, “Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction and make it up to me with benefits for the curses [Shimei] is uttering this day” (2 Samuel 16:12). How faithful David was! And how much God loved him,

despite his very serious offenses!

It’s easy to think that sin means the transgressor doesn’t love God, has a permanently hardened heart, or has completely turned against God.

Not so! David is the perfect example.

God even chose to have Jesus born through the line of David. David pleased God, although he did sometimes seriously offend him. His acceptance of the consequences of his misdeeds pleased God. His repentance pleased God.

His continual pursuit of an intimate, loving relationship pleased God. He pleased God, warts and all. And do you know what? You please God, too.

Even when David was miserable, suffering the consequences of his faults, he trusted that God is fundamentally good, and that he does good. No matter what we do, God is ready to sweep away our sin and to soak us with his compassion.

We need to have these truths firmly fixed in our heads, so that when we sin and our feelings tell us God doesn’t love us anymore,

or that what we did is unforgivable, we have truth to support us so that we remain standing.

[/quote]

“Father, I repent for how I have offended you. Today, remind me of your unshakable love for me, so that I find my joy in you alone.”

#2

Wonderful post. When I have slipped into serious sin, the emotion of guilt would become overwhelming. Only after subjecting this feeling to reason, and recalling this lesson we learn from David, was I able to hope anew. Again, great post.

#3

David had quite a checkered history, and his story makes fascinating reading. There is a rather though provoking book available called “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” which takes some of the famous people in the Bible (excepting Jesus) and examines their story presenting…the good, the bad and the ugly. David was no goody two shoes…
“Men in the Bible: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”
buy.com/prod/men-in-the-bible-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/q/loc/106/36485284.html

Here is a portion of David’s story where he commits adultery with the wife of one of his soldiers, and then cold bloodedly plans his murder lusting after his wife. Once the killing is effected, he let’s his soldier’s wife mourn for a bit and then takes her, pregnant with his child from the adultery, into his own house and marries her. Nope, no goody two shoes!!!
2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17

At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign,
David sent out Joab along with his officers
and the army of Israel,
and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.
David, however, remained in Jerusalem.
One evening David rose from his siesta
and strolled about on the roof of the palace.
From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful.
David had inquiries made about the woman and was told,
“She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam,
and wife of Joab’s armor bearer Uriah the Hittite.”
Then David sent messengers and took her.
When she came to him, he had relations with her.
She then returned to her house.
But the woman had conceived,
and sent the information to David, “I am with child.”

David therefore sent a message to Joab,
“Send me Uriah the Hittite.”
So Joab sent Uriah to David.
When he came, David questioned him about Joab, the soldiers,
and how the war was going, and Uriah answered that all was well.
David then said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and bathe your feet.”
Uriah left the palace,
and a portion was sent out after him from the king’s table.
But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace
with the other officers of his lord, and did not go down
to his own house.
David was told that Uriah had not gone home.
On the day following, David summoned him,
and he ate and drank with David, who made him drunk.
But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his bed
among his lord’s servants, and did not go down to his home.
The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab
which he sent by Uriah.
In it he directed:
“Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce.
Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.”
So while Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah
to a place where he knew the defenders were strong.
When the men of the city made a sortie against Joab,
some officers of David’s army fell,
and among them Uriah the Hittite died.

#4

God bless you Therese, keep on going you have my prayers.

Good teaching although you might not have thought you were doing just that.
Godbless

#5

…and may The Lord ever bless you too GLS, and thank you for the prayers muchly - so muchly needed!!!..Teacher huh? then out of the mouths of babes…and others:D …

#6