Recall Notice

We have a little car that is used by the newest driver.
It is the car that gets driven locally, back and forth to high school.
It is economical, practical, and a favorite of whoever drives it.

This past weekend we got a recall notice for that car.

The front passenger airbags could have been assembles with improperly manufactured propellant wafers. There is a small chance that improperly manufactured propellant wafers could cause the inflator to rupture due to excessive force and propel fragments toward occupants in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of serious injury.

We have an appointment with the dealer so that they can repair the problem.
It is disconcerting to realize that we were driving around with a potential problem.
A potential problem that could cause serious injury.
And we never knew.

Something life threatening and we drive along.
Something that can cause serious injury and we are oblivious.
Until someone tells us.

Warning signs.
Notices given for our good.
Information that should motivate us into action.

We received the recall notice in the mail.
We called the dealer on the same day.
I am amazed that people often disregard their recall notice.
Disregard it until it is too late.

David was king over Israel.
God made a covenant with David.
Your household and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:16)

God blessed David.
David was a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)

There was nothing that David lacked.
While the kings went off to war in the spring of the year, David stayed behind.
He walked on the roof of the palace and saw a beautiful woman bathing.
David saw her, he coveted her, and he took her.

The woman was married to a brave soldier in David’s army.
The woman sent word to King David that she was pregnant.
David was desperate to cover up what he had done.
An elaborate scheme was set up to make the child appear to belong to her husband.

King David tried to get the husband to spend the night with his wife.
Loyal to the soldiers with whom he served, he refused.
The man would not give in to the temptation of eating, drinking, and being with his wife.

Finally, desperate, David arranged for the husband to be placed on the front lines.
Putting him there was a death sentence.
The fighting was fierce and the honorable husband died.

David married the woman after her time of mourning was over.
A son was born but what David did displeased the Lord.

That is when God sent a recall notice to David.
A recall notice that would cause serious injury if ignored.

The Lord sent Nathan (the prophet) to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup, and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him. David turned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:1-7)

You are the man!
Recall notice!
Come in for a repair of your heart.
Repent and turn back to the Lord.

David could have disregarded the recall notice.
He could have justified his actions because he was king.
David knew that there was a Greater King.
A Greater King whose warning needed to be heeded.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
All of us need to pay attention to the recall notice that is given.
We cannot disregard the warning, because there will come a day when it will be too late!

David sinned grievously against the Lord yet was still a man after God’s own heart.
How can that be?

David received the recall notice.
David paid attention.
David heeded the warning.
David was repentant.

God is patient.
God’s patience will not last forever.

God’s recall notice informs us of our sin and our need to repent.
We come to Jesus for repair.
Jesus took our sin problem on Himself in order to repair us.

The dealer will perform an inspection on our car.
If necessary, the damaged part will be replaced.
God does the same thing.
He replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh so that we will follow Him.

We must pay attention to God’s recall notice.
We cannot ignore the warning.
Our eternal security depends on the repair being done correctly.