Slices
Prepare
‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’* Praise God for his grace and mercy despite our sinfulness. Maybe even sing the hymn!
*J Newton, ‘Amazing Grace’, 1772
Bible passage
‘He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21 ‘The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 ‘To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
Explore
Today’s passage is not easy. It commences with David describing God’s rescue from his enemies (vs 17–20). Just like Moses, he was drawn out of challenging waters (v 17; Exodus 2:10). From tight places of hiding, God had rescued him (v 20).
Yet verses 21–30 are puzzling. Is David saying that his rescue was a reward for his righteousness (vs 21,25)? That God owed him for his blamelessness (v 24)? What about his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11)? We need to dig deeper.
This song, placed at the end of 2 Samuel, recognises all that has gone before it. David’s life has not been perfect. Yet he has confessed his sin and asked God to ‘create in me a pure heart’ (Psalm 51:10). God forgave him, not because of his commitment to God but because of God’s commitment to him. Amazing grace indeed!
No wonder that David is now full of confidence in God. God had enabled him to turn his life around and follow God’s ways (v 23), even scale impossible walls (v 30)! What impossible walls do you need to climb today?
Respond
Reflect on some challenges that seem too much to manage. Draw strength by turning the words of this passage into a prayer.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 21,22; Psalms 117,118
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for Mark Griffiths as he settles into his new role as Director of Mission Resources, asking that he would quickly get to know the team and the SU resources, and will inspire the creation of new resources to help others reach the 95.