The end of David’s trial is bittersweet. He gains back his position but only by the death of his son. There is likewise something bittersweet in our salvation. We can rejoice that God forgives our sins but there was a terrible cost to making that possible. This cost is graphically portrayed in the four Gospels as we see Jesus being punished for our sins. We gain God’s favour but only by the death of the Son of God. In the Christian experience, therefore, there is a strange blend of joy and sadness just as there was for David in this victory. We can rejoice that we have been restored, but, in another sense, we must bemoan the inherent tragedy of the crucifixion. No one, not even God, rejoiced over the death of Christ. This was a cause for great sadness. The death of Christ is a reminder to us to feel the sadness of our fallen state. Our joy is in the victory that was won by Jesus’ death, not in the cost of that victory. The symbol of the cross, so readily donned by Christians, should be a sobering reminder that sin has a cost. We got salvation for free, but it was not cheap. If we will not allow our hearts to be broken by the sin in our lives, and in our world as a whole, then I believe we cheapen God’s gift. We thank God that, in Jesus, he paid for our sins. It is impossible, however, to rejoice in salvation if we do not bemoan the sin from which we are being saved (see Psalm 126:5).
Reflect on what Jesus did for you.
Read 2 Samuel 18:1-19:8
