David, A Hero Who Really Messed Up
#heroes
OKAY… Maple Grove are you ready to open up and dig into the Word of God?
NOW - we are in this Summer of 2016 series, ‘Heroes, Amazing Stories Of Faith…’ SO FAR – in this series we have talked about
• Noah – a dad who saved His family
• Moses – a guy who like has was called to be a deliverer
• Daniel – a guy who remained faithful to God for 70+ years despite living in an ungodly culture
• Ruth – a hero who taught us about redemption
• Gideon – an unlikely hero who had an unlikely victory
• David – a hero who defeated his giant
• Elijah – a hero who did not waver
NOW THIS MORNING – we are going to job another lap with David… AND – just a heads up this is a PG chapter in David’s life… Bottom Line…
IF – you have younger kids with you – you may want to be prepared to answer some questions. AND – don’t send them to me…
BECAUSE - I’ll just send them right back to you.
OR – this would be a great time to take them to our awesome children’s ministry.
NOW – a few weeks back we looked at an event in David’s life that he is probably best known for…
THAT - classic one-on-one contest with the giant Goliath.
Where David taught us how to defeat the giants in our life.
We Must Face Them by
overcoming fear, naysayers and procrastination
We Must Visualize The Reward
What would your life look like if your giant wasn't there?
We Must Anchor Our Confidence In God
To David what really mattered was not the size of his giant, but the size of his God.
How David made his God bigger…
He remembered past victories
He pursued a deep relationship with God
YEAH – the picture we see of David in the first 3 quarters of his life is pretty amazing…
A skilled soldier, a loyal friend, a faithful son, a servants heart, a great King, and an extremely passionate (worshipper and follower) of God.
HOWEVER – the 4th and final quarter of David’s life second half isn’t so good.
IT - was not as noble. Not as God honoring.
IT – was full of lies, secrets, scandals and conspiracies.
IN FACT – it was a train wreck that would result in his family going down in flames, in every imaginable way…
AND LISTEN – most of the trials that David went through during this time were of his own making…
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. – Proverbs 19:3
IN OTHER WORDS – people get themselves into trouble and they get mad at God…
BUT UNDERSTAND – this is one thing that David never does.
AGAIN – David taught us some powerful truths a few weeks back about defeating the giants in our lives…
AND THIS MORNING – this not so good, event in David’s life is going to help us (you and I) defeat a giant that is even bigger than Goliath…
YOU KNOW – when I step into this chapter of David’s life, I am really grateful that God finished writing Scripture 2000 years ago. Aren’t you?
I MEAN – who in this room would want to have their sins and failures recorded for all generations to…
Read, discuss, make movies about, write books on –
And preach sermons on down through the centuries.
YEAH – no sin, other than Adam and Eve, has received more press than this one… David’s sin with Bathsheba.
Proseuchomai
The Story
Act 1: Sin
(1 Samuel 11:1-5)
AS – chapter 11 of 2 Samuel opens up David is probably between the ages of 50 and 55…
AND – over the years…
HE HAD – distinguished himself as a man of God, as a composer of Psalms, as a faithful shepherd, as a valiant warrior on the battlefield, and as a great leader of God’s people.
SO UNDERSTAND – as we look at this segment in David’s life, we are not examining the life of some wild rebel or sexual pervert.
BUT RATHER – a guy who really messed up, fell into a period of sin that had devastating consequences for his life, his family his reign and his nation.
YES – David is the ‘poster guy’ for the truth that…
Sin always takes us further than we want to go
Keeps you longer than you want to stay
And costs you more than you were expecting to pay
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war,
Awe look, the flowers are blooming, the sky is blue, the breeze is gentle and cool, the birds are singing – what do say, we go kill some people.
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.
But David remained in Jerusalem.– 2 Samuel 11:1
NOTICE – that David stayed home when he should have been out doing battle for the Lord.
UNDERSTAND – if David had gone where he should have gone and had done what he should have done -- these chapters in his life could have been avoided.
AND HEY
Isn't this when we get ourselves into trouble as well…
WHEN - we are not doing the things we should be doing,
WHEN - we are not going where we should be going.
WHEN – we are not with the people we ‘should’ be with
YOU SEE - it is at these times that we (you and I) are most susceptible to temptation and sin.
YEAH – one day David woke up and decided not to go to war but to instead do what his desires wanted to do.
AND LISTEN – satan had been waiting for decades, to get a stronghold in David’s life…
YOU SEE - David didn’t fall suddenly… no some chinks had already began to form in his spiritual armor many years earlier…
UNDERSTAND - strongholds more times than not start out with small footholds…
AND - in 2 Samuel 5 we see the formation of a very costly foothold, that root in David’s life.
David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
IN OTHER WORDS – (David is thinking and with good reason) that things are rocking… all is good, God is good and I am good…
After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.
– 2 Samuel 5:13
IT SAYS – that David took ‘more’ which means that he already had a bunch of wives and concubines….
(concubine = an almost wife)
AND LISTEN – even though it may have been the culture norm in that society for a king to have many wives… it was forbidden by God.
IN – Deuteronomy 17… God is talking to Moses about the kind of king he wants the nation to have…
And in verse 17 God said,
He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.
– Dt 17:17
Why must the king no take many wives?
Because if he does… his heart will be led astray.
I MEAN – could that be any clearer?
AND LISTEN – that is exactly what happened, David’s heart drifted and was led astray from God and His ways.
NOW UNDERSTAND – there are a lot of things that our society (our culture) says are okay, are perfectly fine (to do, be) and participate in… that God says in His word are NOT okay.
AND MAPLE GROVE – that is where the rubber meets the road for us as believers…
WHO – will we listen too?
WHERE – will we get our values, our sense of what is right and wrong from… From the Creator, or from the creation?
For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” – 1 Peter 1:24,25
Let God be true, and every human being a liar. – Romans 3:4
IN OTHER WORDS – whenever there is a conflict between what an infinite, infallible, always existing, all powerful – holy God says…
AND - what finite, fallen human beings say…
What culture says… Go with God. Trust God
UNDERSTAND – for those who claim to follow Christ… The Word of God not the opinions of people or culture is to be our ultimate and final authority.
LISTEN
The truth is that opinions, people, cultures, philosophies, values came and go… But God’s word endures forever!
I MEAN – for me it makes more sense to anchor my life to the Words of a God who was and is and always will be…
THEN – to the opinion of finite fallen people in the year 2016.
BECAUSE – some of what our culture says is perfectly okay is just plain wrong.
Kynleigh Grace Acocello
23 weeks old
Father and Daughter
LISTEN – many times, often times…
Our Culture is wrong!
Jesus and His Word is always right?
NOW – it is not always easy, but it is always right.
It's hard to follow Jesus. He doesn't go where we want to go. He never takes the easy way. He always takes that blasted 'high road' and then expects us to keep up with Him. - Bo Chancey ?
YOU KNOW - as pastor – I think the greatest threat to mission of Christ in our country is a growing disregard and disrespect for the authority of God’s Word, among God’s people.
I MEAN – is God’s Word the final authority on our lives or not.
IS IT – the final authority on…
• How we use our tongue
• How we love our spouse
• How we handle our money and spend our time
• How much we give to the church
• How we deal with conflict
• How we respond to hurt
• Treat our enemies (those who hate and curse us)
The grass whithers and the flowers fall but the Word of the Lord stands forever.
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Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect… - Romans 12:2
QUESTION…
Why do you think David kept adding to his harem?
More kids
More college tuitions
More mother in-laws
NOW - IF – I was a betting man, I would say the reason David kept adding to his harem was because he wanted to be with more women.
MGCC
In David’s life we see an important lesson about sexuality and about the nature of lust for ‘anything’ in the world that is outside the boundaries of God’s Word… More is not the answer.
I MEAN – David had all of these wives and concubines and it still was not enough.
YOU SEE – when it comes to lust for anything (sex, power, possession, fame...etc) Mike Jagger was a prophet we can’t get no satisfaction.
One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace.
YEAH - he knew where he was going and he knew what he was going to see…
From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, - 2 Samuel 11:2
AND (Tim, Laurie) – when the bible says a woman is beautiful… It means it! AND LISTEN - rarely will the Scriptures include the word ‘VERY’ and when it does you can be sure that she is a knock out, physically attractive beyond description.
NOW – I read this and I wonder…
DID – Bathsheba knowingly put herself in a place where she could be seen?
I MEAN – she knows who lives right next door.
She knows whose roof over looks her bathing area.
SURE – David may have had his own issues with lust… And he is the bigger sinner here…
BUT LISTEN - Bathsheba (a very beautiful woman) bathing naked pretty much in his backyard did not help matters any.
BOTTOM LINE – if she was not out there taking a bath (in front of David)… He would not have sinned…
Understand, before that fateful day David didn’t even know who she was.
It is not enough merely to avoid sin ourselves. The New Testament insists that Christians must ensure that they do not become a stumbling block to others.
Decide to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble. – Romans 14:13
If David had gone to war he would not have seen Bathsheba that night. If she had thought seriously about her action she would not have put temptation in his path.
NOW…
I feel the need to say something here… AND – it may not win we many friends… BUT LADIES – when you dress in an immodest way. In ways where guys see too much skin… too much, just too much…. It is not very helpful to them.
That is why Paul wrote these words about ladies helping a brother out…
I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves… - 1 Timothy 2:9
OKAY - enough said here back the Hero who really messed up.
DAVID – was on a rooftop when he should have been doing his job as king.
DAVID – should have turned around and walked away – and found satisfaction in one of the 20 or so wives and concubines he already had… but he didn’t.
SO…
David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” - 2 Samuel 11:3
NOW - that seems like an odd way to tell David her name…
“She is Laurie, the daughter of Dale Martin and the wife of Steve the pastor.”
YOU SEE – this unnamed servant knows exactly what is going on here. He has seen David make his moves on women before… He knows what David is thinking….
SO – he is trying to give David a not so subtle warning…
Who is this beautiful woman you are lusting after?
WELL MY KING…
She is the daughter Eliam one of your long time friends – a most trusted general in your army… one of ‘The Thirty’…
(2 Samuel 23 lists 30 of David’s most trusted and mightiest warriors)…
OKAY – an older guy making moves on the daughter of one of his friends is just plain creepy…
I MEAN – it is wrong in just so many ways…
AND NOT ONLY THAT ‘My King” – but Bathsheba is married to another one of ‘The Thirty’… Uriah the Hittite.
A GUY - who left his country and his people, because of love his for and loyalty to you.
Oftentimes just before we jump off the cliff into a sin and all it’s consequences – God usually gives us one last warning and way of escape.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. – 1 Cor 10:13
• Before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed an angel came to Lot and told him to get out
• God told Jonah to go to Ninevah and tell them… you have 40 days to repent or I am going to level the place.
• Jesus said to Peter before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.
But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”
– Romans 10:21
NOW…
MAY I – be so bold as to say that maybe…
This event in the second half of David’s life …is your warning from God.
A WARNING – that you are on the edge of a cliff of huge mistake…
AND – this morning God is reaching out to you… telling you:
Don’t do it
Don’t go there
Walk away,
while you still can
WELL - David did not walk away, he ignored the warning…
YOU SEE – for him it was too late…
YOU SAY - What was he thinking?
B/S - that’s the problem… he wasn’t thinking, he was only feeling...
Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. – 2 Samuel 11:4
AND – I am sure they had a great, passionate and exciting time together… (I mean, sin is usually fun, right)
THEN – Bathsheba went back home.
Probably under the cover of darkness.
No one ever needed to know.
And if anyone ever found out…
Hey who has a right to judge what 2 consenting adults do behind closed doors.
I mean, no one really got hurt.
YEAH – that’s what culture says…
BUT LISTEN – there are rarely clean getaways, when it comes to breaking God’s moral law.
AND – the truth is, we don’t really break God’s moral laws…
INSTEAD - we are broken by them.
WHY – because we are made in the very image of God and His moral laws therefore are woven into a inner being.
SURE – we can try to dent them, but the are still true.
We reap what we sow… We reap more than we sow… We reap later than we sow.
BOTH – in positive and negative ways.
Charles Swindle said it well…
“It’s been my observation over the years that the devil never tips his hand in temptation… He shows you only the beauty, the ecstasy, the fun, the excitement, and the stimulating adventure of stolen desires.
But he never tells the heavy drinker, “tomorrow morning, they’ll be a hangover. Ultimately you’ll ruin your family.”
He never tells the drug user early on, “This is the beginning of a long, sorrowful, dead end road.”
He never tells the thief, “You’re going to get caught, friend. You do this and you will wind up behind bars.”
He certainly doesn’t warn the adulterer, “You know, pregnancy is a real possibility,” Or “You could get a life-threatening disease,”
Are you kidding? Face it, when the sin is done and all the penalties of that sin come due, the devil is nowhere to be found. He smiles as you fall… but leave with no encouragement when the consequences kick in.”
NOW – let me make this clear…
Sex is good.
Sex is God’s idea, and
Sex within the boundaries that God (the Giver and Sustainer of life – you know the guy in charge) has set up (a man and woman in a covenant marriage relationship) is a powerful, intimate and beautiful experience that supernaturally binds two people together.
BUT – sex outside of God’s design will always reap some painful consequences…
AND – for David that painful reaping began about 3-4 weeks after that incredible night of ecstasy…
The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” - 2 Samuel 11:5
YEAH – those are 3 words that someone engaging in sex outside of God’s design never wants to hear…
YES – we have free will… and yes we can choose to do whatever we want. GOD – lets us make that choice…
BUT ONCE – we’ve sown we do not get to choose the size or the yield of our harvest.
Act 2: Cover Ups
(1 Samuel 11:6-25)
NOW UNFORTUNATELY – David’s first response to this sin was not repentance… INSTEAD – it was how do I fix this? How do I cover this thing up?
So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. – 2 Samuel 11:6,7
QUESTION – do you think David really cared about how things were going…?
NO – he just wanted Uriah to come home and sleep with his wife… So everyone would think the baby was Uriah’s…
YEAH - it seemed like a good plan… no DNA testing back then. SURE - the baby may have been a little underweight… and not really look like him, but no one would suspect a thing.
Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9
AND DAVID – is like, wow, this was a close one, but think we’re good…
But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house. 10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”
And here we see just how awesome and loyal this guy was…
Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Juab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”
The honor of Uriah must have stabbed David’s heart…
BUT – David quickly goes to Plan B.
Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. – 2 Samuel 11:12,13
YEAH – you are right, Uriah at this point has more character drunk than David has sober. Time for Plan C…
Things are about to get worse.
David sits down and writes a letter to his general Joab…
In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” - 2 Samuel 11:15
David seals the letter…
AND THEN – he hands the letter to ‘Uriah’ to carry to Joab.
Think about it – Uriah faithfully carries his own death warrant.
Joab obeys the order (though I am sure it radically changed his image of his commander and chief).
The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”
David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another.
– 2 Samuel 12:23-25
NOTICE – not only did Uriah die but so did a bunch other soldiers…
UNDERSTAND…
Other wives lost their husbands
Other parents lost their sons
Other children will have to grow up without their dads
All in order to cover up David’s up sin
SUCH – is the ripple effect of our sin.
AND DAVID – is like wow.. that was tougher than I thought – but at least it’s done, it’s over I can move on.
BUT LISTEN – if we think David was free and clear… living large. We could not be more wrong.
UNDERSTAND - this sin (though a well kept secret) was killing David… destroying Him, from the inside out.
I fact, years later he wrote about how he felt.
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. – Psalms 32:3,4
Ever been there?
Act 3: Confrontations and Consequences
(1 Samuel 12:1-11)
About a year later (the son David had with Bathsheba is a couple of months old), The Lord send the prophet Nathan to David…
NOW NATHAN – was a trusted friend and advisor… and after a little small talk, he was like, “Your Majesty I need some advice in a delicate area.”
“Let’s hear it…”
• In this town there are two men – one very rich, the other very poor
• The rich man has hundreds of sheep and cattle, and the poor man has only ewe lamb… and it wasn’t just a lamb it was more like a pet, a member of the family. He shared his food with the lamb, the lamb drank from his cup and even slept in his arms
• Well one day when the rich was entertaining a traveler, rather then take one of his own lambs to prepare a meal – he took the only lamb this man had to feed his guest
David burned with anger against the man
We too tend to burn with anger over sins that we are also committing…
and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! - 2 Samuel 12:5-7
THEN NATHAN – revealed to David the consequences he would
suffer… There were many…
• The child born because of his adultery with Bathsheba would die
• The sword would never depart his house
• Incredible dysfunction would come upon his family
• His son Amnon would rape his sister Tamar
• Tamar’s brother Absalom would murdered Amnon
• Absalom would become estranged from his dad and would ultimately try to take his throne.
• Eventually Absalom would be killed in battle
I MEAN - David’s household became like an MTV reality show on steroids.
The pain of reaping always exceeds the pleasure of sowing
Act 4: Confession and Restoration
(1 Samuel 12:12; Psalm 51)
David is caught and confronted by Nathan
David hears of all the tragedy that is soon to fall on his life and his family…
Q - How will the king respond?
I MEAN – it looks like it is time for plan D.
Time for another cover up?
Time to shut Nathan up so that he can’t tell anyone else?
Is that how David responds?
NO… not even close. Understand when - David got caught and in an unbelievable display of repentance simply said to Nathan 6 words… 2 Samuel 12:13
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
And then Nathan replied with 7…
“The LORD has taken away your sin.”
HEY – did you catch how quick David was forgiven?
UNDERSTAND – Authentic repentance leads to automatic, immediate complete forgiveness!
NOW - is that GOOD NEWS or what.
(repeat)
WOW – our God is sooo good, sooo merciful, soo gracious
No sin is beyond restoration, but neither is it without consequences.
2 Samuel 12:14
But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the LORD, the son born to you will die.”
QUESTION…
HOW – can you be, a man after God’s heart
AND - commit adultery with one of your best friends and most loyal servant’s wife?
And then murder him and a bunch of other guys in order to cover it up?
UNDERSTAND… IT – is not about the sin we committed,
BUT about our response to the sin…
REMEMBER… 1000 years later in Acts 13:22, when the Holy Spirit is reviewing David’s life inspires Luke to write…
God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ – Acts 13:22
LISTEN – 1000 years on the other side of David’s sin
GOD could have revised it… clarified it, redefined it…
BUT he didn’t.
SUCH – is the wonder, the power, the beauty, the amaziness of God’s mercy and grace!
NOW – when you read the OT you will find that King Saul didn’t make ½ the mistakes David did…
BUT HE FAILED – as a king (and a God-follower) because when he was caught, he pointed the finger at everybody else…
• Samuel if you weren’t late…
• The troops they are the ones who kept all the stuff…
• I only made the wrong sacrifice to keep my troops frpm leaving.
BUT DAVID – instead of pointing fingers when he was caught in sin, bowed a knee.
SURE – there are always consequences, but NO SIN is beyond restoration.
YOU KNOW – when we read 2 Samuel 11,12 – we are reading David’s biography.
BUT LISTEN – if you ever wanted to know how David felt when he got caught and confronted by Nathan… All you need to do is turn to Psalm 51…
YOU SEE – after he left Nathan, David hit his knees before the Lord and wrote one of the most powerful journal entries of all time. Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
The Takeaways
AND – let me say this, everyone of us needs a least one of these takeaways….
IN FACT – I am convinced that there is one takeaway that is the very reason why God brought you into this room this morning.
When tempted – run from it!
Don’t play around with it…. Don’t debate with it
Run from it, run from it
When you sin – own it!
Don’t point fingers
Don’t blame someone else for your sinful behavior
When God offers forgiveness – accept it!
LISTEN – authentic repentance always leads to automatic, total, immediate and complete forgiveness…
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” - Revelation 7:10
When the new day dawns – live in it.
UNDERSTAND – David did not wallow in his guilt.
EVEN THOUGH – he had consequences to endure, he lived in God’s grace and forgiveness.
Spent his last years doing everything he could to ensure God’s temple was built.
Your sin doesn’t disqualify.
LIVE IN – your freedom and in His grace and mercy.
