When Good People Do Bad Things

When Good People Do Bad Things

Generous in love- God, give peace!

Huge in mercy- wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt,

Soak out my guilt,

Soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been;

My sins are staring me down.

You’re the One I’ve violated and you’ve seen it all,

Seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

Whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,

In the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,

Scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

Set these once-broken bones to dancing.

Don’t look too close for blemishes,

Give me a clean bill of health.

God, make a fresh start in me,

Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don’t throw me out with the trash,

Or stop breathing holiness in me.

This is the Word of the Lord for the People of God and the entire world. Thanks be to God. Hallelujah! Amen!

Let us pray.

Father God,

Maker of heaven and earth, creator of us all, and parent to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that my words be your words today. Hide me bind the cross and let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight dear Lord, my strength and my redeemer. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Psalm 51 is a passage of scripture that we can all relate to. Oh my goodness! I can relate to the anguish that David was experiencing. If anyone doesn’t know why David wrote the 51st Psalm it is based on what happened in 2 Samuel 11:2-27; 12: 1-21.

Let’s examine what happened…

David was walking on the roof top of the palace one night, and he noticed a woman in bathing in the her window, why was she washing for all to see, I don’t know, but whose to say that everyone had a bird’s eye view like David did.

Well David basically said, “This woman is fine as all get out and I just got to have her!” So he sent word to Bathsheba and told her that her presense was requested at the palace. Well before they got down, he got some personal information from her. She was the wife of Uriah the Hittite; he has been off fighting with his homeboy, and captain of his army, Joab. With all introductions aside they went on and did the deed. I know that this sounds a little steamy for church, but that is what happened. It’s in the Bible!

When all was finished, he sent her back home, and she eventually reported back to him that she was of child. Well, David was floored of course, but he was trying to find a way to remedy the situation in a way that all of them could save face.

So he sent for her husband Uriah. His plan was for him to be intimate with his wife so that when she gave him the news that she was of child that he would not question paternity. Well, Uriah came to the palace, and David treated him like a king, gave him all the drink he could drink and all the food he could eat. He basically said, “I am glad that you had a good time, but I think that it’s time for you to gone on home now. Be with your wife. I am sure she would be happy to see you.”

But Uriah did NOT go home. Instead he stayed at the palace and fell asleep drunk in the door way. David had him for dinner again, and after he got him drunk, he didn’t go home like he asked him to; he got busy with one of the maidservants in the palace. At this point, David was getting frustrated and desperate! This guy won’t go home!

David had him over to dinner a third time and he just came out and ask, “How come you are not at home with your wife resting. That is why I sent you home so you could get a break from the fighting.”

Uriah just answered, “What’s up with you dude!" I need to be out there fighting with the rest of my homeboys. You got me up here kicking like there isn’t a war going on. I need to be with my boys holding it down. And you keep trying to send me home to be with my wife. My wife, she gone always be there. I appreciate what you done. I liked kickin’ it here in the palace, but I am ready to go back to the fight.”