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The Naked Truth
Eagles can soar to an altitude of 10,000 feet, higher than most birds. Like the eagle, David soared high. The shepherd-king reached heights of greatness few monarchs ever attain. He was clothed in the spoils of military victory and covered with honor and glory. But David forgot that his kingly robes were a gift from God. They could not hide a man’s sins—even a king’s—from God’s sight.
David’s garments, in a spiritual sense, were priestly, as well as kingly; he was the head of Israel’s theocracy, too. The bitter sins that stained these garments inspired Psalms 32 and 51. To appreciate fully the imagery in these psalms as a covering for sin and the imagery in other psalms of God’s wings as a divine covering, we need to look at how the narrative events of David’s life inspired them. As we shall see, how ironic and tragic that in a study devoted to the spiritual lessons of garments, the sad story of David’s fall begins in a literal lack of them.
At the pinnacle of greatness, David faces his fiercest battle. The war isn’t waged on the bloody fields of Rabbah but over the six inches of mental turf that lies behind David’s frontal lobe. Satan chooses his “weapon” well. What Goliath with his monstrous lance failed to do to David, a bathing woman, seen from the king’s rooftop, does. Obviously, David forgets the lesson of his sling: how easily a “giant” is felled by one small stone, or, in this case, one small glance.
One small stone and down falls a giant. One small glance and down falls a king. David did many things to “cover” his sin of adultery and avoid exposure. What were they? 2 Samuel 11. Why do our attempts to cover sin to avoid detection or punishment lead only to committing greater sins and to the threat of still greater exposure? How do the narrative details of David’s story enforce this point?
One forbidden glance sets in motion events that end in murder and near civil war. David’s story is of concealment after concealment to avoid consequences. The awful reality of sin is that committing one sin, without confessing and forsaking it, leads to committing another more heinous sin in order to hide the previous offense. David committed adultery and murder under the cloak of kingly power. But God’s eye sees beneath the outer garments and lays bare the heart.
It has been said, “If adversity has slain its thousands, prosperity has slain its ten thousands.” With David’s life in mind, what dangers does prosperity expose the soul to? Why does adversity often draw us closer to God? How can we avoid prosperity’s pitfalls?
| SUNDAY | May 8 |
Eagles can soar to an altitude of 10,000 feet, higher than most birds. Like the eagle, David soared high. The shepherd-king reached heights of greatness few monarchs ever attain. He was clothed in the spoils of military victory and covered with honor and glory. But David forgot that his kingly robes were a gift from God. They could not hide a man’s sins—even a king’s—from God’s sight.
David’s garments, in a spiritual sense, were priestly, as well as kingly; he was the head of Israel’s theocracy, too. The bitter sins that stained these garments inspired Psalms 32 and 51. To appreciate fully the imagery in these psalms as a covering for sin and the imagery in other psalms of God’s wings as a divine covering, we need to look at how the narrative events of David’s life inspired them. As we shall see, how ironic and tragic that in a study devoted to the spiritual lessons of garments, the sad story of David’s fall begins in a literal lack of them.
At the pinnacle of greatness, David faces his fiercest battle. The war isn’t waged on the bloody fields of Rabbah but over the six inches of mental turf that lies behind David’s frontal lobe. Satan chooses his “weapon” well. What Goliath with his monstrous lance failed to do to David, a bathing woman, seen from the king’s rooftop, does. Obviously, David forgets the lesson of his sling: how easily a “giant” is felled by one small stone, or, in this case, one small glance.
One small stone and down falls a giant. One small glance and down falls a king. David did many things to “cover” his sin of adultery and avoid exposure. What were they? 2 Samuel 11. Why do our attempts to cover sin to avoid detection or punishment lead only to committing greater sins and to the threat of still greater exposure? How do the narrative details of David’s story enforce this point?
One forbidden glance sets in motion events that end in murder and near civil war. David’s story is of concealment after concealment to avoid consequences. The awful reality of sin is that committing one sin, without confessing and forsaking it, leads to committing another more heinous sin in order to hide the previous offense. David committed adultery and murder under the cloak of kingly power. But God’s eye sees beneath the outer garments and lays bare the heart.
It has been said, “If adversity has slain its thousands, prosperity has slain its ten thousands.” With David’s life in mind, what dangers does prosperity expose the soul to? Why does adversity often draw us closer to God? How can we avoid prosperity’s pitfalls?
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