As I look back in the archives, the format of my journaling was a little different back in the early days. Obvious this morning as I read some thoughts from 2008. But regardless of how I rendered my words, the impact of THE WORD is the same. So, I’m taking something from this day in my reading plan 17 years ago, touching it up a bit and posting it. Marveling afresh that God has put away my sin.

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Ok . . . so my “aha!” moment this morning seems now pretty obvious and more of a “Duh, why didn’t I really get that before?” But hey, sometimes the word of God is like that. You know you “know” it . . . but then you read it and it hits you afresh and you just sit back and look heavenward and say, “Wow!” This is what I saw this morning . . .

2Samuel 11 and 12 . . . David & Bathsheba . . . very familiar story . . . read it a number of times . . . have heard it preached on a number of times . . . pretty familiar ground. But here is what hits me . . .

In chapter 12 the prophet Nathan has confronted David with his sin — his lust . . . his adultery . . . his treachery . . . his murderous plot. Man! . . . what an ugly list. There’s no doubt as to how the the law sees it — Death!!! And David doesn’t deny it. “I have sinned against the LORD,” he says. Busted!! Exposed!! Guilty!! David, this man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) knows that it isn’t just that his transgression is against Bathsheba and Uriah, but his sin is against God Himself. David’s crushed . . . broken . . . good time to read Psalm 51 . . .

And here’s the phrase — actually the two words — I’m chewing on in Nathan’s response to David’s confession and repentance . . .

And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

(2Samuel 12:13b ESV)

Put away . . .

The NIV and NASB translate it this way, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” And as I read that, the light bulb goes on as I realize afresh, “This is not some arbitrary act of God. This is not a whim by which God says, ‘I like David . . . I won’t hold him accountable for this . . . even though others might.’ ” No, a holy God could only be a holy God and yet still “put away” or “take away” David’s sin because of an event yet to occur on earth that had been determined before the foundation of the earth in heaven. God could only justly put away David’s sin because of the impending atoning sacrifice of His Son on a Roman cross. Jesus, fully God, part of the Triune Godhead . . . would become fully man, a descendant of David . . . would come as the Lamb of God, to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and, in doing so, allowed God to put away David’s horrendous sin.

It wasn’t about showing favoritism . . . that’s not the way our God works. I read that this morning in Galatians, “God shows personal favoritism to no man” (Gal. 2:6)

It wasn’t about God overlooking sin . . . turning His head . . . ignoring it . . . that isn’t how God operates. Psalm 111 reminded me this morning that, “The works of His hands are truth and justice” (Ps. 111:7 NASB).

God didn’t look away. He put away. With justice . . . in truth . . . in absolute holiness and righteousness . . . God sent His Son who knew no sin to become sin for David . . . and for me (2Cor. 5:21).

How glorious to see the cross this morning even in this old, familiar, “pre-age-of-grace” story. To see the grace of God poured out on a sinner. To realize anew that this sinner sitting in this chair is too a recipient of such wondrous grace, is also a benefactor of the finished work of the cross of Christ!

Hallelujah! What a Savior!!

My sin is put away.

By His grace. For His glory.

Amen?