THE KINDEST CUT

2 Samuel 23:24-24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23

“Will you choose three years of famine throughout the land, three months of fleeing from your enemies or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and let me know what answer to give to the Lord.”

“Have mercy on us Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt.”

“The wise are known for their understanding, and instruction is appreciated if it’s well presented…. From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.”

We all make bad decisions from time to time. Mistakes are, in fact, a great human commonality. What is not common, however, is how we respond to our own errors. Most consume ourselves with unhelpful rationalizations or unnecessary explanations. Some try to learn from the experience. A select few, though, actually accept responsibility, confess and simply suffer the consequences without complaint.  I am coming to believe that only this latter group is truly blessed for several reasons. First, excuses may explain, but they never justify. Second, while learning from our experiences is good, it is not all. It does not remove the guilt or permanently improve our underlying natures. That leaves confession, a different sort of “name it/claim it” which is the only response that gives the Holy Spirit a chance to redeem the situation. David had multiple chances to try out various strategies for dealing with his sin. His consistent return to simple repentance and redemption was a big part of what made and kept him a man after God’s own heart.

Why would God expressly tell David to take a census and then punish him for doing so? Because David did not blame God or complain of injustice, I took a second look. Turns out, the Lord wanted a tribute census, where each Hebrew counted would have been required to contribute to a Temple offering. The Jews had angered God, and this was to be their sentence/sacrifice. David, though, corrupted the process and turned it into a military census, counting those able to fight so he could more precisely number (or, possibly more accurately, gloat over) the size of his army.  In that light, one can see how what was intended to appease the Father ended up compounding His anger. The best thing David could do at that point was just own responsibility for his pride and accept the punishment. He did not implement God’s prescribed discipline. He could not undo or justify the harm his pride wrought or avoid the punishment the people’s sins against God required. That the two compounded each other is a lesson on what it means to ignore or cover up sin in the first place. Only when sin is effectively addressed can there be any hope of restoration or resurrection. David had actually interfered with the process, and a serious price had to be paid.

In studying this, one final tidbit also struck home. Turns out, I Chronicles 25 tells the same story, but attributes initiation of the census to Satan instead of to God. One of the better commentaries pointed out both accounts are right. God started the process to lead to restoration. Satan corrupted it to cause alienation. David carried it out for personal recognition. Explaining this gets us nowhere. Who doesn’t understand we are all subject to having our greater purposes and projects aborted or misdirected by the Evil One? Just learning this (again!) doesn’t provide much room for growth, either. Humans have understood their tendency to be spiritually misled for centuries, even as they have also exhibited a frustrating inability to avoid or withstand it over time. It is only in repenting that we, like David, find the deepest spiritual truth: forgiveness is not the absence of punishment; it is the restoration of relationship, and that never comes without cost.

My inability or failure to understand this basic concept kept me confused for years. I thought forgiveness meant no punishment. Therefore, as a parent, I did my kids a grave disservice by sometimes choosing to correct more through voicing disappointment than by discipline. I didn’t realize I wasn’t fighting fair. Disappointment may not intentionally punish, but the scars it can inflict run deeper than any penalty. Disappointment burdens. Disappointment also lingers. No one is ever truly sure when they’ve gotten past it, and it has a nasty way of compounding with each new, perceived failure.

That’s probably why Christ never corrects with disappointment. Because He does love us, He never pussy foots around sin’s penalty or His punishment of disobedience, either. He loves us enough to prove our errors have consequences, however unintended. But Jesus also loves us enough to pay the ultimate price for our sin Himself. Because of the Cross, we know where and when our guilt ends. We know redemption, and one more thing, too. Whatever the quality of our performance as God’s adopted children, as long as we remain willing to own our shortcomings and accept the Father’s loving discipline, our eternal relationship with Him is guaranteed. Godly discipline is actually “the kindest cut of all.”