David’s Story: Steps to True Repentance (Part 1)

Psalm 51

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. DAVID. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

Photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini holding hands and hugging spread quickly across social media. Both are married and have families. Vrabel serves as the head coach of the New England Patriots, while Russini worked at The Athletic as its lead NFL insider and previously spent several years at ESPN as an NFL analyst. She has since resigned and remains out of the public eye aside from additional pictures of her and Vrabel that continue to surface. 

When the first image was posted—the hand-holding one—Vrabel said the idea of anything inappropriate was “laughable.” As other photographs of the two seen together at a bar and a casino emerged, Vrabel admitted his actions were regrettable, and said he would seek counseling to become “the best version of himself” for his family and the Patriots. Initially he said he would be away from the team for as long as it took to become that better version. As it turns out, the counselor must have been amazing: Vrabel took a weekend off and was back at work Monday morning. I want the name of that miracle-working counselor!

Vrabel and Russini are not the first to be photographed in compromising situations, and I don’t know what did or didn’t happen between them. But Vrabel’s knee-jerk reaction seems to follow a familiar pattern: denial, then regret–for getting caught. 

That really wasn’t the person I am. I am going to become the best version of myself. And I might take up to two days to deal with my issues. 

So what does authentic repentance look like? What are the biblical steps to confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration? King David—whose actions were far worse than Vrabel’s—offers a vivid picture of egregious sin, denial, cover-up, and, ultimately, true repentance. His story also shows the path to restoration. Let’s consider David’s journey.

David’s sin accrued compound interest, so to speak. Adultery was followed by murder, which was followed by cover-up, and cover-up led to prolonged denial. But remember: “the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” Now, a year after the affair, God took action. He sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. 

Nathan addressed the issue masterfully by telling David a story about a rich man and a poor man. The poor man had “nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him….” The lamb was a beloved family pet. In fact, Nathan said the lamb was “like a daughter” to the poor man (2 Sam. 12:3). 

One day the rich man had a houseguest. As the host, instead of taking a lamb from his own vast flock, he took the poor man’s lamb and “prepared it for the man who had come to him” (2 Sam. 11:4). Upon hearing the story David was incensed and demanded that the rich man die for such a heartless act. 

Then Nathan delivered the harsh truth: 

2 Samuel 12:7-12
Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 

When David heard these words from the Lord, he said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13). At that point, David wrote his prayer of confession and repentance recorded for us in Psalm 51. Bible scholar Allen Ross notes, “Few psalms have found as much use as this one among the saints of all ages, a fact which bears witness to the spiritual needs of God’s people. Psalm 51 stands as a paradigm of prayers for forgiveness of sins.”[1] 

The power of this psalm is its constant reminder that if David can be forgiven, so can we. In fact, understanding and practicing repentance is essential to our spiritual growth. The word “repentance” means “to undergo a change of one’s mind.”[2] And when the mind is changed, so too are one’s views, values, and goals. One’s whole life is lived differently.  

As J. I. Packer explains, “the change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly; mind and judgment, will and affections, behavior and life-style, motives and purposes, are all involved. Repenting means starting a new life.”[3] 

Repentance is necessary to become a Christian. Sproul describes repentance as a “prerequisite, a necessary condition for salvation.”[4] Ongoing repentance is also necessary for growth as a believer. It is “an attitude and action that must be repeated throughout the Christian life. As we continue to sin, we are called upon to repent as we are convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit.”[5]

So…how does a person stay engaged in this process of true repentance? That’s where we’ll start next time.  

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on Psalm 51.  How do I typically respond when God uses his Word or others to confront sin in my life?

Talking to God: Ask God to help you confront your sin.

Have questions? Please send your questions to our team. We're happy to assist as we explore God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll respond soon. If you're interested in learning more about a relationship with Jesus or seeking spiritual guidance, let us help you take the next step.

THE LIVING GROUNDED YOUTUBE CHANNEL
I invite you to visit the Living Grounded YouTube channel, where we share conversations to help you stay rooted in your faith. Don’t miss my conversation with Cliff Graham on the life of David: Episode 123 True Masculinity: Cliff Graham on the Story of David

Check out all of our podcasts on The Living Grounded YouTube Channel: [Living Grounded YouTube Channel]. 

And be sure to subscribe—the more subscribers we have, the broader our reach.