‘House of David’ Brings Us the Chance to Learn From the Sins of King David

Prime Video’s brand-new biblical drama series, House of David, has been renewed for season two. This is great news—over 20 million people have been experiencing the life and story of David like never before thanks to this wonderful series.

This has been a vision on director, and my good friend, Jon Erwin’s heart for most of his life. Going back to his early childhood, he was literally writing a script for a movie about David’s life story. He made a lot of films from that time, including Jesus Revolution, but now he’s finally been able to see this childhood dream of his come true. And by sharing the story of Scripture worldwide, House of David is making cinematic history.

There is so much to learn from David. He is a figure we can all relate to, because he was a man with a life filled with mistakes. Future seasons of House of David can bring us more opportunities to reflect on the various sins of King David we see in Scripture, and see ourselves in him.

Adultery with Bathsheba

One of those sins of King David included lust.

More specifically, his sin was his continuous looking at Bathsheba bathing, then the dramatic action he took afterward. He misused his considerable power as king and had her brought to his bedroom.

So in addition to his many other titles, you could add “adulterer.” But he’s a guy we can connect to. He stumbled, just like us.

It’s not just some ancient story, but a cautionary tale. For a few moments of pleasure, you can have a lifetime of regret.

Through the telling of his story cinematically, we get a front-row seat to David’s highs and lows.

The Plot to Have Uriah Murdered

Adultery wasn’t the end of David’s sins. He also plotted the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, in order to cover up his sin and her subsequent pregnancy.

David ordered his general to send a charge against the enemy and then have everyone fall back, leaving Uriah on his own. As a result, Uriah was killed in battle, and word came back that he was dead.

David married Bathsheba and thought no one would ever know. But a man or woman of God will live in guilt when they’re sinning, and David was still “the man after God’s own heart.”

In the aftermath, David wrote, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight” (Psalm 32:1 NLT). After all King David’s sins, he was still forgiven by God and made his way into the Messianic line.

That’s called the grace of God. God gives second chances. In the next seasons of House of David, we might see ourselves in David—a sinner, sure, but never too far from a second chance.

God Turns Messes into Messages

God gives us heroes like David, imperfections included, so we can learn from their lives.

David was flawed and he knew it. Lust, murder, and more—he had a long list of mistakes. But despite his shortcomings, despite his flaws and sins, God redeemed his story. And isn’t that an inspiration for us all? Each of us has messed up in some way, but God can redeem our story. He can turn our mess into a message and our test into a testimony. And if any life shows that, the life of David does.

No movie or show will ever replace the Bible or gospel—nor should it. But House of David is a chance to share the timeless, relatable story of David with an audience of millions who can learn from it. And it might inspire those who have never read the Bible or don’t have a relationship with God to want to know more. I look forward to seeing how God uses season two.

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