King & KingdomsSýnishorn

At the pinnacle of this story, David once again cries out to the Lord. He asks for the punishment that is about to fall on the people of Israel, to instead fall on him. In this cry, David says, “But these sheep, what have they done?” (v. 17). It is in this phrase that we are reminded that at David’s roots, he is a shepherd. And in his cry of surrender to the Lord, not only does David point backward to his early shepherding days, but he points forward to the True Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

In John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Although David deserved to take on the punishment due to his own sin, Jesus lived a sinless life and still willingly took our punishment on himself by laying down his life.

Think it Over: What does it make you feel when you think about someone dying for you, even if you didn't ask for it? Spend some time thanking Jesus today for taking our punishment on himself, so that we can have life.