Into Whose Hands Will You Fall?

Did you ever read one of the many “Choose Your own Adventure” novels? Instead of simply reading about what happened to the characters in the story, you were a character, making choices that shaped the outcome. You could decide to hide in the woods, and turn to page 110 to learn the result, or escape by canoe, and turn to page 123. The power of choice is fun, but you also had to live with the consequences. David gets a similar opportunity today. His choice tells us a lot about the God he’s learned to trust.

David was so bull-headed about that census. But as soon as the deed is done, he cries out, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Yahweh, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly (10).” It would have saved much heartache had David seen matters this clearly before he sinned. Still, we must admire his repentance. He turns quickly, fully, and sincerely. No minimizing his sin, blame-shifting, or excuse-making. He owns what he did, with the Bible’s own hard, ugly labels. That’s why there is hope for David. Your greatest barrier with the Lord today is not your sin; God has dealt with that through the cross of Christ. Our greatest barrier is our refusal to repent God’s way. David is a great sinner, but he is also a great repenter—this is how great saints are made.

He calls in the prophet Gad for a word from the Lord. Of course, David did not want to see his pastor before he did what he wanted. He only calls him in after he has set his life on fire. I’ve heard that God’s people sometimes do this today. At any rate, God confirms that David sinned seriously and incurred his judgment. But in a remarkable episode, he will allow David to choose the form the judgment will take: a three-year famine, a three-month flight from enemies, or a three-day pestilence. Once again, David is confronted at the far-reaching consequences of his sin. Again, his personal choices will negatively impact so many people. It is all so overwhelming that David can’t “choose his own adventure” at all; he can only cast himself on God.

David the Psalmist has left us so many immortal lines. But if pressed, I might pick this as my all-time favorite: “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of Yahweh, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man (14).” There is such pathos in the old man’s confession. In David’s long and stormy life, he has been through just about every adversity imaginable. What has he learned at the end? He can’t count on heartless, ruthless man. He would not trust his own pitiful wisdom to write the script for his future. If life has taught him any single lesson, it is that he can trust in God alone, for his mercy is great. “Even when I have been at my very worst, and God disciplined me severely, I always found mercy at the bottom of his heart. Whatever happens to me, let me fall into his hands.” With everything on the line, David bets on God’s mercy.

The next scene is a Passover replay, only no Egyptians and no blood on the doorway—just an angel of death slaying everything in its path, headed straight for Jerusalem. Was David wrong about God’s mercy? But as the Avenger reaches the outskirts of the city, God stays his hand (16). He could have sent the angel’s sword right into the heart of Jerusalem, and right at David. Instead, God restrains his own holy judgment. David was right: even when God’s discipline is fiercest, his heart still beats with mercy toward his people. David learned it firsthand, over a lifetime of walking with God. Have you learned it? When everything is on the line, in whose hands do you want to fall?

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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church