Grace with Humility

Do you ever wonder if you’ve messed up so bad that God won’t want to use you anymore?

If anyone has ever stood firmly in that place of uncertainty, I think it was David and Bathsheba. Yet tucked away into Jesus’ genealogy is a small detail of significant impact the notorious couple left to encourage those who feel irreparably broken.

Tucked away into Jesus’ genealogy is a small detail of significant impact that David and Bathsheba left to encourage those who feel irreparably broken. Click To Tweet
But before I get to that, first let’s talk about a man who did mess up so bad that God wrote him off.

Not only that. This guy screwed up so bad, God wrote off his offspring as well. King Jehoiachin. David and Bathsheba’s descendant through King Solomon.

Jeremiah 22:28-30 paints this picture:

Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know? O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.”

It seems as though God is creating an impossible puzzle for himself. We know that God promised David that the Messiah would sit on his throne. Yet in this moment, God is cursing the royal bloodline, promising that Jehoiachin’s descendants will no longer sit on the throne.

It seems as though God is creating an impossible puzzle for himself. Click To Tweet
Why this punishment?

Seven verses earlier, the text tells us: I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me.

It is a recurring, dominant theme throughout the entirety of scripture that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Click To Tweet

James 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Proverbs 3:34

He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.

1 Peter 5:5

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Psalm 31:23 

O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer.

We know that we are all sinners and that we all fall short. (Romans 3:23)

So, what was the difference between King Jehoiachin whom God called a broken and despised pot and King David who knew he was the apple of God’s eye?

Arrogance and humility.

Jehoiachin did what he wanted. He ignored God’s warning. He despised God’s correction. Jehoiachin was the definition of pride and arrogance.

But David was humbled in the face of his sin.  Psalm 51*  is a beautiful record of David’s repentance before God. As soon as Nathan the prophet pointed out David’s sin, David repented  (2 Samuel 12). He didn’t try to justify his actions. He didn’t hold onto his pride. He reacted in face-down repentance before God.

But David was humbled in the face of his sin. Click To Tweet

Nathan’s visit to David brought more than discovery and repentance. It brought heart-breaking consequence. David and Bathsheba lost the son that had been conceived in their sin.

As David comforted Bathsheba through the loss of her son, Solomon was conceived. Jehoiachin was Solomon’s descendant and is listed in Jesus’ genealogy in  Matthew . The throne passed from David’s soft heart to Jehoiachin’s prideful heart and God said, “No further.”

How did God solve his own puzzle? And does it show anything more about the power of humility? Click To Tweet

Matthew opens his gospel by presenting the Jehoiachin puzzle to his Jewish audience.  Joseph was a descendant of Jehoiachin. Matthew’s Jewish audience would understand the ramifications. If Jesus were Joseph’s true son as it was being argued, then he was disqualified as Messiah. Matthew jumps straight from the impossible genealogy to the solution—Joseph is not Jesus’ father. Mary  is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

So how did God fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be the seed of Abraham  (Genesis 12:3)  from the tribe of Judah  (Genesis 49:10) and the house of David  (Jeremiah 23:5-6)? By fulfilling the prophecy that he would be the seed of the  woman (Genesis 3:15).

And this is my favorite part. God repaired the broken threads of David and Bathsheba’s story to weave a beautiful tapestry of redemption. If they were living under condemnation, the name Nathan would have been synonymous with punishment and heartbreak and death. It would remind them of their great sin and the cost of their mistake.

God repaired the broken threads of David and Bathsheba’s story to weave a beautiful tapestry of redemption. Click To Tweet
But David and Bathsheba lived under grace.

Though their famous son Solomon ascended the throne, it was through their lesser known third son that Jesus’ blood genealogy—and his legitimate claim as Messiah—can be traced. The son David and Bathsheba named after the prophet who had brought God’s correction into their lives—Nathan. Luke 3:21-38

*Read more about Psalm 51 here.

Post originally written for Pierce Point Community Church blog. 

19 thoughts on “Grace with Humility”

  1. Love the truth you point out here! I love how David’s story truly does show how important humility is. David sinned in horrible ways, yet he admitted his sins and turned back to God with humility. What a great testimony!

  2. Great study, Stephanie! I like the Scriptures on humility and grace. Humility is so critical and key to God’s forgiveness. David initially hid and covered up his sin with Bathsheba and it’s the cover up that would’ve done him in (not so much the scandal), so it’s so awesome that God in His grace sent Nathan to give him another chance at humble confession. Love this post.

  3. I have made so many mistakes in my life, and I am so thankful for God’s grace. I am so thankful that He didn’t come to call the righteous but the sinners. Love this post, Stephanie!

  4. Sometimes I do wonder if God will give up on me because of all the mistakes I made and continue to make. Then I remember His grace and I am so thankful.

  5. Yes, Stephanie! This is my favorite part too, “God repaired the broken threads of David and Bathsheba’s story to weave a beautiful tapestry of redemption.” Once true confession and repentance of the heart are heard and felt by God, healing and wholeness follow. It’s often hard to lay down our pride and be humble, but it makes all the difference in the spiritual world. Such a great post and thoughts. Thanks for the reminder and the way you study to “show yourself an approved workman” (woman of God). 😉

  6. Wow. I love the way you weave these threads together. Well done.
    I’m reminded that God loves a repentant heart. And an honest one. We can’t be truly honest with ourselves or with God unless we are repentant.
    Thank you for writing.

    1. Wow, Miranda, I love what you just said, “We can’t be truly honest with ourselves or with God unless we are repentant.” That is something to think deeply on. Thank you for reading.

  7. One of my favorite stories, too! You did such a good job presenting this in such a way that the intricacies of Messuah’s lineage and the beauty of Nathan’s name all shine! Such a beautiful Savior! Such a faithful God!

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