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1 Kings 8: 22-30, 41-43

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said:“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true. “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

Have you ever marveled that Jesus is called the Son of David? The marvelous news behind Jesus’ title is suggested by Solomon’s prayer: “Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David.” This prayer, after all, refers to the Lord’s promise that one of David’s sons would always reign over Israel—a promise made in 2 Samuel 7, four chapters before 2 Samuel 11, where we read of David’s adultery, deceit, murder, and consequent loss of the child conceived by Bathsheba. Yet despite David’s sin, the promise stands firm.

The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 picks this up in an interesting way. Wanting to make sure that the reader knows the heritage of Jesus the Messiah, Matthew traces Jesus line back to David (and even further back to Abraham). Within this genealogy, three mothers are mentioned—Ruth, Tamar, and Bathsheba. But unlike Ruth and Tamar, Bathsheba is not named. Rather, she is referred to as the wife of Uriah. Even Jesus’ genealogy bears witness to David’s sin. And, yet, Jesus is the son of David.

The Scriptures tell us that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). We must be careful here, for not all things are good. Far from it, which is the point of the verse. But God does work good from situations and circumstances, even sin, that are themselves decidedly not good. For from the wife of Uriah comes the Savior of the world. David sinned deeply. He was also forgiven. As he came to know, “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Even from David’s sin, God worked David’s salvation, through the Promised Messiah who would bear the sin of the world.
Let’s make it clear that there is forgiveness for sin like David’s—for sexual sin, for deceit, and for the taking of life. That there is forgiveness for abortion. And that, despite how things appear, that there is hope—for God works all things together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to his purposes. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9).