Surprised by Grace (19): Shame of David

It can’t be missed.

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham . . . and Jesse the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah) (Mt 1: 1-6, NET).

In an earlier note (Surprised by Grace [5]: Christmas), the peculiar appearance of the five women in this genealogy was discussed. It is not to be repeated here.

Yes, the focus will still be on David’s wife.
But it will not be dealing with the remaining four women in the genealogy.

Unlike the cases of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary, in this case, the woman is not named.
But that’s not to say she has no identity.
Instead, she is given the identity via the name of her murdered husband, the unfortunate husband who lost his life because his wife was too attractive and scooped up by the king, none other than David.

David gives Uriah a letter for Joab (from Wikimedia Commons)

Forever, the son of David will be remembered by the name of his mother’s murdered husband!
Forever, David is remembered thus.
Forever, a smirk will surface on every reader of this portion of the genealogy.
Forever, David carries his stain.
With it, the shame.

This is extraordinary.
Unbearable.
Unnecessary.

It’s hard to decide which is worse.
To be remembered via the husband of your child’s mother.
Or to be remembered how your child’s mother ended up with you!

Neither is an amenable avenue to be etched in history.
It’s downright shameful.
The weight of shame is proportional to the glory of David’s legacy.
There is no escape.

Except perhaps it is viewed through a different lens: that of grace.

“by the wife of Uriah” is a forever testimony not to David’s shoddy murder to grab Uriah’s wife.
It is.
It must go through that valley of the shadow of shame.

But there is more.

There is an emergence from this valley of shame through to the plateau of grace!
The severity and depravity of King David’s act in history becomes the monument marking to posterity the grace that conquers shame.
Grace doesn’t whitewash or finish shame.
Grace conquers shame.
Shame remains as reminder of the powerful grace that conquers.

There should have been no need of keeping David, in history or genealogy.
It would have been tidy, easy and efficient.
But it’s there, in Mathew 1:6, forever.

David can tastes forgiveness.
Others like him, or worse, can likewise.
Grace conquers shame.

In the end, grace surprises.