Pity The Fool, David

Estimated Reading time: 6 minutes · Written by Judy moore

When I think back to my school days, there are many stories I could share. Some are not particularly flattering. I remember one occasion when I mischievously squirted my chemistry teacher with distilled water as he leaned over my experiment. It was a dare, and I suppose I enjoyed pushing boundaries and making people laugh. Thankfully, he showed me immense patience, offering me chance after chance, and for that I remain deeply grateful. Ironically, I later became a teacher myself, so I eventually experienced the other side of the equation!

That memory has often reminded me of the grace I received even in my youthful foolishness. And as I reflect on the story of David at the end of 2 Samuel, I am struck by how often God does the same with us. David, remembered as a hero of the faith, ends his story on a very sobering note. He was deeply flawed. He sinned in devastating ways—more than once. Yet somehow, God continued to call him a man after His own heart.

This is one of the great mysteries of grace. God seems to hold a special place in His heart for those who fall spectacularly and yet keep returning to Him in repentance. We see it in Peter, who denied Jesus and was restored. And we see it here in David.

A Book of Failures and Redemption

The Bible is not a book of pristine, perfect lives. Rather, it is a book filled with stories of broken people who often fail but are redeemed by God’s mercy. That is part of what gives me hope. When I look at David’s moral failures, I see a mirror held up to my own life.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband’s death. We heard in our last teaching that he failed to defend his daughter Tamar when she was abused by her half-brother Amnon. He succumbed to pride in numbering his army. Time and again, David stumbled. And yet, God did not discard him. Instead, He invited him back into relationship through repentance.

This is why I believe David’s story is still worth our attention. It does not glorify sin, but it does glorify the God who forgives.

The Foolishness of Ingratitude

Let us begin with David’s sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah. At the time, David was at home, enjoying comfort and success. His armies had defeated their enemies, and perhaps he was coasting spiritually. From the rooftop he saw Bathsheba, desired her, and took her. When she became pregnant, he tried to cover his tracks by arranging Uriah’s death in battle.

It is a story of shocking betrayal. But when the prophet Nathan confronted him, he told a parable that cut David to the heart. He described a rich man who had many sheep, yet stole the one beloved lamb of a poor man. David was incensed, declaring that such a man deserved to die. Nathan replied, “You are the man.”

Those words must have pierced David’s soul. He suddenly realised that what he had done was not merely poor judgement or weakness. It was an act of ingratitude towards God. The Lord had rescued him, given him the throne, and blessed him abundantly. And yet David wanted the one thing he could not rightly have.

How often do we do the same? Surrounded by blessings, we fixate on what is withheld. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, who had everything except one tree, we grasp for more instead of thanking God for what He has already given.

Ingratitude is a dangerous seed. It blinds us to grace and fuels discontentment. David, who wrote so many psalms of thanksgiving, momentarily forgot the generosity of God. His sin brought devastation not only upon himself but upon many others.

Yet when confronted, David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin.” Grace triumphed over guilt.

The Foolishness of Pride

Later in David’s life, another failure occurred, this time less dramatic but equally telling. He ordered a census of his fighting men. At first glance, this seems harmless. Why should counting soldiers be wrong? But the issue was not the census itself, it was David’s motive.

Israel had been called to trust in God’s strength, not military might. By numbering his troops, David was shifting his trust from God to human power. His general Joab warned him against it, but David pressed on.

This was pride. It was the shepherd boy who once defeated Goliath with a sling and five stones now seeking security in statistics. He forgot the God who had always delivered him.

Pride is often subtle. It creeps in when we measure ourselves by numbers, status, or appearance. It tempts us to believe we are self-sufficient, that our strength or achievements are enough. But it always distances us from God.

David soon felt the weight of his disobedience. The Bible says his heart was struck, and he confessed, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done.” This time, his repentance was immediate. No prophet needed to confront him; his own conscience convicted him.

There is a lesson here. Maturity in faith means recognising sin quickly, owning it, and bringing it before God. True repentance is not delayed until we are caught; it is born of a heart that longs to be right with God.

The Wisdom of Repentance

When given a choice of consequences for his sin, David chose the one that placed him most directly in God’s hands. He said, “Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

This is profound. David knew that God is more merciful than people. Even in judgement, he trusted in the character of God.

At one point, as a plague spread among the people, David cried out, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me.” Here we glimpse a foreshadowing of Christ, the Good Shepherd who took the punishment on Himself for the sake of the sheep.

David’s life points us forward to Jesus. Where David failed, Jesus succeeded. Where David sinned, Jesus remained pure. Where David’s pride led to destruction, Jesus’ humility led to salvation.

Obedience Over Success

In our culture, we often measure success by numbers, influence, or achievement. Yet David’s story reminds us that God measures differently. He values obedience over appearance, faithfulness over fame.

I was struck recently while watching A Man for All Seasons, the play about Thomas More. He refused to take an oath that compromised his obedience to Christ, even when it cost him his life. At one point he declared, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” The audience erupted in applause. How rare, I thought, to see obedience celebrated so openly.

This is what we are called to. Not to be impressive in the world’s eyes, but to be faithful in God’s eyes. Obedience may not always look successful, but it brings joy that success cannot.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

What strikes me most about David is not his failures but his response to them. He repented. Again and again, he returned to God. His psalms are filled with cries of confession and pleas for mercy.

Psalm 51, written after his sin with Bathsheba, captures this beautifully:

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

These words have been prayed by countless believers through the centuries. They remind us that no matter how far we fall, God is willing to forgive and restore.

Our Invitation

David’s life challenges us to reflect on our own. Where have we been ungrateful? Where has pride crept in? Where do we need to repent?

But it also offers hope. If God could call David a man after His own heart, then He can do the same with us. Not because we are flawless, but because His grace is greater than our sin.

The story of David reminds me that following Jesus will cost us—but not following Him will cost us far more. To pursue our own way is to invite chaos, but to repent and trust in God is to find life, freedom, and joy.

So let us keep our hearts soft. Let us not excuse sin or harden ourselves to correction. Let us be quick to repent, quick to trust, and quick to obey. For in Christ, we are released from guilt and shame.

David points us forward to the greater King, Jesus, who laid down His life for the sheep. And it is to Him that we now turn, not in pride, but in humility and gratitude.

The original teaching has been edited for clarity and brevity; This is not a transcript.