His unmerited favor does not rest upon our performance

One of the most moving and profound expressions of God’s grace is in Second Samuel chapter 12.  It’s the story of the birth of Solomon.  This is what God says about this newborn.  “And the LORD loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet.  So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.”  The name “Jedidiah” means “beloved of the Lord.”  I know of no other person in the Old Testament of whom God spoke this at their birth.  Even more—God was so concerned that everyone knew of his love for this baby that he spoke to one of his prophets and in some manner changed his name to remind all those who would call him by that name that God had given him his special love.  What makes this story truly remarkable is the context in which God places his love on Solomon.  God loved  this child even though:

·   He was born to Bathsheba—the woman with whom David committed adultery. He also murdered an innocent man and broke perhaps all the other Ten Commandments in this episode.  Before this pronouncement on Solomon, the previous recorded utterance from Nathan the prophet is a harsh word of judgment upon David and his house.  This same prophet now conveys God’s love for this child birthed from a relationship rooted in wickedness. 

·   As a newborn, Solomon had done absolutely nothing to merit God’s love.  Yet, God simply chose to place his love on him unconditionally.

·   At the very moment God pronounced his love for Solomon, God knew all the wretched sins Solomon would

    commit as king—all the foreign wives that were against God’s guidelines for Hebrew kings (Deuteronomy 17) and who drew his heart away from the Lord.  He knew that this would bring his discipline on Solomon and his family which would result in the kingdom of Israel being divided and the Northern kingdom living in a state of constant idolatry for the next 300 years.  In spite of that, God loved Solomon.

·   The first child of David and Bathsheba’s union God executed as part of his judgment on David’s sin.

God’s grace is neither rooted nor impacted by our past behavior, but in his loving character.  His unmerited favor does not rest upon our performance—it is given before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).  God’s grace is not related to God’s knowledge of our future sins.  In Christ our sins—past, present and future are forgiven.  Finally, God’s grace is not grounded in his previous work of discipline in our lives.  His discipline flows from his love (Hebrews 12:5-11).  God can discipline us for repeated sin in one moment and in the next bless us greatly.  Such is God’s grace—so very different than ours.  Enjoy God’s grace to you today as you think about this baby loved by God.