So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” And the children of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
Throughout the Old Testament it seems like Israel went from one backsliding episode to another. They would promise to be faithful to the Most High God, but get seduced by the allure of the world and start serving other gods. And when they did, there was a consequence: God stopped delivering them from their enemies.
How did Israel overcome this? How did they turn the heart of God and regain His favor? They followed a protocol. If you read carefully through Judges 10 you’ll see it. And if you turn to 2nd Samuel 12, you’ll find it play out again in the story King David and Bathsheba.
Just a quick overview to set the stage here. When Judges 11 opens we find Tola serving as a judge. He was followed by Jair. And after the death of Jair the Bible says the following:
Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord (verse 6),
So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years (verse 7-8)
And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You (verse 10)
#1 CONFESSION: WE HAVE SINNED!
One of the most important things for Christians to grasp is that sin separates us from God. It creates a gap between us and a God who is holy. Effective prayer requires us to bridge this gap created by sin, and we do this through confession and repentance.
Woman of God, if there are things that you’ve been praying for, but you’re not seeing any progress, ask yourself if you have unconfessed sin.
Woman of God, repentance is your secret weapon to success! It’s your first line of defense against an enemy who will seduce you into thinking your good is good enough. A deceiver who will mislead you into feeling that if you did your best but missed the mark…just give yourself grace. This teaching may be comforting, but it’s not Biblical. Grace dear sister is God’s domain. Your domain is planted firmly in the soil of confession and repentance.
The Bible says in Isaiah 64:6: But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. What then is clean? What rises up sweetly to Him? Draws Him near, rather than makes Him turn up his nose, and turn His head away from us? It’s the sound of confession on our lips. It’s the prostrated heart falling before Him. Desperate that He make up the difference, and not the gift of grace we’ve given to ourselves.
No one in the Bible better epitomizes this posture and the effect that it has on the Father better than King David. We’re talking about a man who lusted after the wife of one of his most loyal soldiers. A man who slept with the wife of this loyal servant. A man who found out she was pregnant and connived to pin the paternity of this baby on her husband. And when that didn’t work, David sent him to the frontline of battle and had him executed. That man.
David didn’t give himself grace. He said this: I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD
What did he do next? He groveled, he pleaded, he begged, he fasted, he cried out to God in complete and utter humility. David was doing the most. He says in Psalm 51, a prayer of repentance, that You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart–these, O God, You will not despise. (verse 16)
#2 ACCEPTANCE OF PENALTIES
One of the first things that Nathan the prophet tells David when he confronts him about Bathsheba is that there will be a penalty for the sin: the child will. (2nd Samuel 12:13-14). In this verse we come front and center with this infallible truth: there is always a penalty levied for sin. Always.
Fortunately as a believer, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin through his death on the cross. But during David’s time, he had to ultimately bear the penalty himself. The child died, and David got up from the floor and accepted it: Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 2 Samuel 12:22
#3 PETITION: Only deliver us this day, we pray.
“David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground” – 2nd Samuel 12:16
One of the most illuminating things about what David did was his belief that he could change God’s mind. The prophet had issued judgement, yet still, David embarked on a 7 day fast. What was he doing? He was chasing God’s heart. King David stopped his routine for a 7 day fast because he had seen the effect that a broken spirit and a contrite heart could have on God before.
#4 ACTION: TURN AWAY AND SERVE
“So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord”
This is key: Israel turned away from their wickedness, they excavated the abominable things in their possession and turned to serve the Lord. They put away all the things that were contrary to God’s law. And they served the Lord. And the result? God’s soul couldn’t endure their misery any longer. The King James Bible says God’s soul was “grieved” for Israel. And he sent a man who would deliver them. This after He said, I will deliver you no more.
Likewise, David won God over. His petition worked. God blessed the next child that he fathered with Bathsheba. The Bible says in verse 2nd Samuel 12: 24 “and YAHUAH loved him.” He was called Solomon or Jedidiah, meaning “Beloved of Yahuah.” God’s love for Solomon was uncomparable… he ascended to the throne after his father and he knew no war.
Woman of God, is there something deep down in your heart that you’ve been hoping God would do for you? Know that if it is within His will – an acceptable request per the Bible – then it’s God’s will that you should have it. Not tomorrow. Today. So take what’s not working for you, place it at the feet of the Most High God, and say LORD I HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU. That’s the best starting place.
