As a leader, David inspired an enthusiastic and committed following. "We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you" (1Cr 12:18). His mighty men knew that God was with him and would therefore give them the victory.

David obeyed God and made himself dependent on God by seeking his counsel at every turn. Right after Saul's death, and before the beginning of his reign, he asked God: "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" (2 Sam. 2:1-4). The need was for all the tribes to unite under one leader. Was he to be the one? God told him to go to Hebron in Judah. Soon after settling there, all the leaders of Judah came and anointed him king over Judah. Sometime later, the leaders of all the tribes of Israel travelled south to Hebron and anointed him king over Israel. Finally, all the people came and made him their king. But it wasn't until King Hiram of Tyre offered to build him a palace that he finally accepted that God did, indeed, want him to be king (1Ch 14:1-2).

David knew the state of his own heart and did not let it discourage him. He knew he was undeserving of God's love and blessing. After being told he would not be the one to build the Temple, God reminded him of how he had taken him from tending sheep and selected him to be leader of his people. He then gave him an amazing promise: "Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!" David's response was: "Who am I … that you have brought me thus far? And now … you speak of … a lasting dynasty … What more can I say to you about the way you have honoured me? You know what your servant is really like [you know the ugly stuff that can lurk within my heart]!" (1Ch 17:7-18)

And David knew how to repent. Some say that following his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah, although he repented, he never amounted to much after that. For me, this misses the most important point. Genuine repentance leads to total forgiveness and a brand new start!

• David prayed. He ran to God not away from him. He asked for mercy; making no excuses. He appealed to God's unfailing love and great compassion. He recognized his sins of lust and murder as rebellion against God; as disloyalty.

• David had failed to keep a watch over his heart. We are all vulnerable to temptation, especially when we let our guard down. "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall" (1Co 10:12).

• As a faithful Father, God will confront us when we sin. He will often do this through a fellow believer or spiritual leader. How will we respond to it being spelt out? David immediately said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord."

• Nathan's words: "The Lord has taken away your sin [you have been forgiven]" did not mean there would be no consequences. The child Bathsheba was carrying would die, and trouble would later arise within David's own family.

• David didn't argue with God; he submitted to all he said. But he didn't treat it lightly. He prayed and fasted that the child would survive, thinking: "Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live."

• But the child died. Then David did something truly remarkable. He got up from his knees, washed, put on fresh clothes and went into the house of the Lord and worshipped! He knew he was forgiven! He knew that what God forgives he decides never again to call to mind (Jer. 31:34). He knew the intimacy of his relationship with God had been restored, purely by grace.

God even accepted Bathsheba as David's legitimate wife; blessing their marriage. They had a son and "the Lord loved him … and named him Jedidiah [Loved-by-the-Lord]." Amazing grace! Repentance makes it possible for God to draw a line in the sand regarding all that has gone before.