David blew it.  And it was bad.  We don’t know if it was the Bathsheba incident or something else, but he capitulated to sin and now he was dealing with the reckoning of truth.

“For my sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear  My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.  I am bent over and brought low; all day long I go around in mourning” (Ps 38:4-6).

And it’s worse when you are a leader.  When you are the low person in society, people don’t care if you sin.  But if you are a leader?  Everybody cares. And so what did those around him do?

“My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance” (Ps 38:11).

“Those who seek my life set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long” (Ps 38:12).

But David was indeed repentant:

“So I confess my guilt; I am anxious because of my sin” (Ps 38:18) and then he prays this:

“LORD, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me.  Hurry to help me, Lord, my Savior” (Ps 38:21-22).

The consequences of sin are tough.  There is a good grief that occurs but it is still a grief.  Friends, family, and relatives may reject us.  Our enemies may be opportunists.  But first and foremost we must restore our relationship with the LORD. We must humble ourselves before him and plead his mercy over our lives.

The good news is that He is indeed a merciful God.