Integrity: Part Two

Psalm 51 offers an unparalleled glimpse into the life of Israel’s most popular leader to date. King David – the darling of the nation, the slayer of ten thousands, the giant killer, the singing shepherd, the humble hero – had a problem of integrity. He had a problem no amount of ‘spin’ could remedy. To make matters worse, others knew of his failures. His spiritual advisor made it quite clear that not everyone had been fooled by his boyish charms, devastating good looks and position of power. David’s problem was sin, namely pride, covetousness, adultery, lying, murder, and selfishness to name just a few. Brought face to face with the reality of his sin, David cries out to God. You are provided the opportunity of reading the transcript of his prayers. In them are principles to guide your own search for integrity.

David describes his process of repentance in the first 9 verses. This involved a detailed record of what had transpired. David did not confess generally, but very specifically. He then pleads for mercy to be the overriding principle in his correction. He requests a thorough clearing of his record, asking for his offenses to be expunged from the official records. He does this with a simple, yet profound acknowledgment of his guilt, a unvarnished representationof his depravity, and a heart-wrenching cry for some solution to be reached. Reading these verses one walks away with the picture that David is truly sick of his sin. One need look no further than verse 4, in which David states that his offense is only committed against God. Remember, at this point in the game, Uriah is dead, Bathsheba is pregnant, other wives and mothers are mourning the loss of their dead - and David states that God is the only offended party? How can he make such a claim? I would submit that David was addressing the heart of the issue. By denying God the right to govern his actions, David had begun traveling a path that could only lead to destruction. Sins against others do not break one's relationship with God; rather, one's broken relationship with God results in sinful actions towards others. Ponder that thought for a moment. You may try to excuse your actions toward others as shortcomings, lifestyle choices, character weaknesses, personality flaws, or social acceptability; but these attempts only serve to highlight the depth of one's depravity. Boil it all down, our sinful actions toward others are the results of our broken relationship with God. No wonder we must beg for His mercy and forgiveness!

But what hope is there that God will hear and act on your behalf? The hope lies in God Himself! He has promised those who confess that their sin will be forgiven (1 John 1:9). He has promised to remove our sins as far as the east is removed from the west. He has promised to remember them no more; to no longer use them as evidence against us. He has promised to lovingly correct those who are legitimately His children.

The outlook may be bleak with a good chance of increased gloominess at this point. Do not despair! There is hope, not in your ability to perform better or in your skill at mastering new concepts. The hope is found in God being exactly what He promised Himself to be: God, the Unchanging Holy One. Integrity is only forged on the anvil of His righteousness and perfection. Allow Him full discretion at how He molds and shapes your life. The process of building integrity has begun!