Good Out of Bad
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. . . .
- Matthew 1:1
The life of David, the greatest king in Israel's history, could be summed up with two names: Goliath and Bathsheba.
The greatest victory in David's life, of course, was when he killed Goliath. Not one man in the Israeli army could be found who was willing to face off with the 9-foot-6 wall of muscle. But David looked him up and down and told King Saul, "Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:36). You know the rest of the story: David loaded his sling with a smooth stone, let it fly, and Goliath fell.
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Then there was his greatest defeat. He slept with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and a child was conceived. He tried to cover it up by attempting, unsuccessfully, to get Uriah to be with his wife so Uriah would think the child was his own. Ultimately, David had Uriah sent into the heat of battle, effectively murdering him.
The amazing thing is that despite his sin, David made it into the most exclusive family tree in history: the messianic line. Not only is he part of it, but he may be the most important member of it other than Jesus himself. When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he said of Jesus, "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David" (Luke 1:32). When Jesus walked this earth, people would call Him the "Son of David."
David's name was redeemed, despite his shortcomings. Although David experienced the repercussions of his sin, God still brought good out of bad. And He can do the same for us.
