The Stunning Truth About God
Everything happens for a reason. Even non-believers say that. You know why that sentiment is true? Because God is sovereign, which means He’s in control. But how “in control” is God?
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. (Prov. 16:9)
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. (Prov. 16:1)
Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? (Prov. 20:24)
LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. (Jer. 10:23)
This level of God being in sovereign control of every movement, word spoken, decision and action is true beyond our comprehension. But knowing that, you can look at every event in the Old Testament through the lens of “God was in control of that for a reason.” And often that reason is because it’s a dry run for something that is yet to happen in the future. (The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Ecc 1:9)
Take David’s sins of adultery and having Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed. If David, king of Israel, was such a great type of Jesus, why did he commit those sins? He totally missed the opportunity to be a “perfect type” like Joseph and Daniel, about whom no sins are recorded.
The sovereign prophetic “why” for David’s sins comes into focus in Psalm 51—David’s prayer of confession. Oh, by the way, what were David’s sins again? Adultery and plotting the killing of an innocent man. What were Israel’s main sins? Unfaithfulness to God/Adultery (Num. 25:1-2) and plotting the killing of Jesus, an innocent man. (1 Thes 2:14-15).
David’s anguished prayer of confession in Psalm 51 is in lockstep with Israel’s future turning to God in national confession of the same sins. They will finally look upon Jesus, whom they have pierced and mourn in bitterness of soul. (Zech. 12:10) David’s sins and his eventual Ps. 51 confession are a white board illustration of the sins of Israel and how that will play out in the future. When? That day. The Day of the Lord. (Zech. 12)
David was definitely dealing with his own sins, but prophetically, also representing the sins of Israel. He asked to be delivered from “bloodguiltiness.” (Ps. 51:14) Both he and Israel were guilty of the shedding of innocent blood.
The end of David’s confession reveals what happens after Israel humbles itself, becomes contrite in heart and is finally forgiven. I’ll summarize it. (Ps. 51:14-19)
Israel will praise God and sing aloud for His righteousness.
Israel will grasp that burnt offerings mean nothing compared to having a broken spirit and broken and contrite heart before God.
The Millennium will commence with God repairing the walls of the yet-to-be torn-down Jerusalem.
Sacrifices (that will have stopped when the antichrist desecrates the yet-to-be-built temple) will commence throughout the Millennium with Israel’s heart restored.
What happened in David’s life happened ever so sovereignly. God wove David’s specific sins and his forgiveness into the tapestry of the Old Testament. God was declaring the end from the beginning through the sovereign events of history. God’s divine direction has always been building up to the completion of the tapestry, and what we will see is Jesus Christ ruling and reigning on the throne. It’s where everything is headed and is what the Bible is about.
R&J Shee