April 7, 2011 Grieving Sin

Grieving Sin
Read 2 Samuel 24-Nehemiah 3

2 Sam 24:10 I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.
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Neh 1:4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

WE TRANSITION from the stories of David and the Kings of Israel to the book of Nehemiah. In the time between these books, Judah and Israel are two countries of God’s people. The kings of both countries most often lead their people away from God. Great sin occurs. And eventually God sends his people into exile in Babylon.
Jerusalem is destroyed. After 70 years of exile, God begins to work in the hearts of his faithful. One of them is Nehemiah, and he will be one to return to Jerusalem to begin to rebuild it to its pre-exile glory.
David and Nehemiah are biblical “heroes” in that God has chosen them to a special purpose, and they respond. There is one very important trait they share. They grieve sin—their own and their people’s.
We cannot be truly in God’s will until we grieve our sin. I actually experienced that today when I realized something I had done years ago was sin. I grieved it. My grief released it from me. I could sense God’s presence and his forgiveness.
Your God is holy. He grieves your sin. It is good and right for you to grieve your sin—and accept his forgiveness on your heart.


Pause and Consider: God’s forgiveness gift.