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Trigger Warning: Makes mention of assaults of a sexual nature.
David made a mistake, choosing to stay back in Jerusalem during a war campaign (2 Samuel 11). This error didn't seem like a big deal until he went up on the roof of his palace one evening and looked down. He saw a beautiful woman bathing and desired her. Alas, the lust he felt in that moment triggered a series of unfortunate events.
He slept with that woman, Bathsheba. It didn't matter to him that she was married or that her husband, Uriah, was a soldier in his army. When he discovered she was pregnant, he brought Uriah back from the warfront, hoping he'd sleep with his wife and the pregnancy could be pinned on him. However, Uriah didn't go home to his wife, frustrating David's devious efforts. So, the king had Uriah placed on the frontline of a battle and he died, opening the way for David to take Bathsheba as his wife.
The Lord confronted David with his sin through His prophet Nathan who told the king, "the sword will never depart from your house" (2 Samuel 12:10). Although David sincerely repented, and God forgave, the judgment stood and David's family endured several violent incidents. David's daughter, Tamar, was assaulted by her father's son, Amnon. He was encouraged to do so by their first cousin, Jonadab. Amnon was in turn killed by his brother, Absalom, another one of David's sons with whom Tamar shared a mother.
Although Absalom received his father's forgiveness, he later usurped the throne. He then slept with his father's concubines within earshot of the public on the bad advice of Ahithophel, Bathsheba's grandfather, a man who'd been a counselor to David and was previously known for his wisdom. The violence continued with Absalom going to war with his father and losing his life on the battlefield. Even after this, another son of David tried to muscle his way onto the throne when his father was much older. This son, Adonijah, was outsmarted by David who announced Solomon as his successor. That same Adonijah later took a step that was interpreted as a threat to Solomon's reign and that resulted in his execution.
Look at all the bloodshed that stemmed from a solitary lustful thought in the mind and heart of one person! Keep in mind that David was a man who pleased God. The Lord used him as the standard for every other king that sat on the throne of the kingdom of Judah. God loved David so much that He ensured Jesus was his descendant. Jesus was regularly called the Son of David in His time in acknowledgement of His connection to royalty (Matthew 9:27; Matthew 21:9).
Ezekiel 14:21 states that God uses four judgements - famine, beasts (death from animal attack), the sword (war/violence) and pestilence (disease). The judgment David and his family faced was the sword and it cut deep. This was in spite of how God felt about him. He placed a visible scar on him and his family to serve as a reminder of the cost of sin. That said, it is crucial to note that not every sin will produce a judgment the way David experienced. Especially because of the blood of Jesus spilled at the cross for us.
God can and does forgive as He did with David. Still there are times He must leave a scar on the person so that they won't easily forget the consequences and their sin won't become a skeleton they can hide in a closet. When God does this, however, it is to keep the individual from becoming a hypocrite whose private life does not align with their public persona. The reminder of their sin can also serve as a testimony of where God brought them from. For those who receive godly perspective, they are strengthened in their faith to continue serving God but with even more zeal. And those of us who get to learn from their story, will hopefully hesitate to do that which could bring such a judgment upon us.
In His divine authority, God knew that his servant needed the reminder and that generations of Christians would learn from this. Fortunately, David never once turned away from the Lord. He remained humble and feared the Lord. God didn't allow his mistakes to eliminate him from His grand plans for him including contributing to the Temple's construction. As He has made us aware of the scar, the Lord will help us. By the grace of God, we shall not commit the sins that would cause Him to mark us with a scar. And I pray that when we err, the blood of Jesus will speak a better word than that of Abel, IJN, Amen.
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