When We’ve Blown It

O LORD, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.
—Psalm 5:1

Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved? Have you ever faced seemingly insurmountable odds? Has it ever seemed as though there was no way out of your dilemma?

If so, then you have a good idea of how David felt when he penned the words of Psalm 5. David had made some mistakes in his life. He committed a number of sins that haunted him in his later years. Because of his multiple marriages, he had children who were half brothers and half sisters, and there was a lot of conflict in the family.

Two of his children, Absalom and Tamar, were full brother and sister. But one day, Tamar’s half brother Amnon took advantage of her. Absalom was outraged. And he was angry that his father hadn’t taken stronger measures to deal with him. So, Absalom arranged to have Amnon killed. And the result was that Absalom was banished from the kingdom.

After a period of time, David allowed Absalom to return. But in the process, Absalom turned the hearts of the people away from his father, the king.

David was reaping the results of the sin that he had committed many years earlier. After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered, God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan. He said, “From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own” (2 Samuel 12:10 NLT).

Out of his own household, David was reaping the results of his sin.

It’s sad when we see the bad aspects of our character reflected in our children. We want to say to them, “Listen, do as I say, not do as I do.” But our kids will watch us, and they will emulate our behavior.

In reality, David was simply seeing his own behavior reflected in his children. Amnon treated his half sister Tamar like David treated Bathsheba. And Absalom, in turn, treated Amnon like David treated Uriah. Like father, like son.

As the adage says, “Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”

After David readmitted his wayward son Absalom into his kingdom, Absalom devised a plan to overthrow his father. He stole the hearts of the people away from the king and was preparing to take over. This prompted a very aged David to flee for his life into the wilderness. And it was during this time that David wrote Psalm 5, which begins, “O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you” (verses 1–2 NLT).

When we have really blown it, when we have sinned, that is the time when we should call on the Lord. That is the time when we need to get help from God and His people.