God’s story in god’s people

Today we begin a survey of fascinating periods in Old Testament history that highlight key lessons for us, starting in 931 BC, the year Rehoboam became king.

In the Old Testament book of Ruth, we meet a young Moabite widow who leaves her homeland to live in Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Though she had grown up knowing only Chemosh, the god of Moab, Ruth came to know Yahweh through the influence of her husband and his family. Longing for Naomi’s people to become her people and for Naomi’s God to become her God, Ruth moved to Israel.

From David to Jesus, there are 1,000 years of Israel’s history to cover. Today, let’s look at David’s successor, his son, Solomon.

What is true repentance? We are continuing our study of Psalm 51, the prayer for forgiveness that David wrote after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed.

Let’s consider the six steps of true confession and repentance found in Psalm 51–David’s prayer of forgiveness.

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.

Every person is one step away from a life-altering decision—one instance that can change the course of a life. That moment is often shaped by previous actions and emotions we either embraced or avoided. But in the end, it all culminates in a choice that leads us in the right or wrong direction.

While fleeing from Saul, David took refuge in Philistine territory and settled in Ziklag, where he found favor with Achish, one of the five Philistine kings. Later, when David and his men lined up with the Philistines–the enemy!–ready to fight against Israel–-their own people–the other four Philistine kings refused to let them join, fearing they would switch sides during combat.

“My dad’s in Ziklag,” a teenager told me during a sermon series I preached years ago. In that series, we followed David during the time he was running from Saul. After eight and a half years as a fugitive, David said, “I’m done,” and escaped to Philistine territory. He settled in the remote town of Ziklag. In those messages, Ziklag came to represent the place we go to hide from God– as if that were possible.