STUDY THEME: SEEKING GOD'S HEART: LESSONS FROM DAVID'S LIFE. "HONEST ABOUT SIN." 2 SAMUEL 12: 1-14 MAY 14, 2000. PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO 1 SAMUEL 11. Many years passed between the event's in last Sunday's lesson and today's lesson. David went from youth to adulthood in several stages. After defeating Goliath, he became a military leader in Saul's army, married Saul's daughter, and became best friends with Saul's son Jonathan. Then David was forced to flee from Saul's jealous fury, and he spent several years leading a band of outcasts. After Saul died, David became king over Judah, fought a civil war, and finally was recognized as king over all Israel. Then followed years of victory and expansion of the Israelite kingdom and God's promise of a descendant who would reign forever. David was 30 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 7 years over Judah and 33 over all Israel. Since a number of years intervened before the events of 2 Samuel 11-12, David must have been about 50 when he committed his great sins. Today's lesson is about an experience of David as well known as his killing the giant Goliath. It is about his tragic sin of adultery and murder. David was terribly wrong and sinful in what he did but at least it can be said of him that he was honest in admitting he had sinned when confronted by the prophet Nathan with the sin. Today so many Christians are unwilling to admit and confess that they have sinned. Our culture and society, especially the mass media, has so glamorized sin and immorality that it is often difficult to get even Christians to admit that immorality is truly sinful. I t seems to be a natural human tendency to rationalize and excuse in our own selves what we would readily and openly condemn in others. The suggested "Lesson Bible Truth" is that God holds people accountable for their sins and forgives those who genuinely confess their sins. 1 John 1:9-10 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." God says in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Do you know that today the mortality rate for both males and females over the age of 50 is 100%? Yes, every person over the age of 50 will die--along with everyone under the age of 50. Do you also know that the sin rate for all people is 100%? Every person alive has sinned, is sinning, or will sin. You are not surprised that we all are sinners. God's Word and our experience confirm that truth. What is more important about this truth is that we need a Bible study on being honest about sin. First, are we honest about our sin? How often do we face the truth of our sinfulness. Several years ago Christian Today published an article about public leaders' private lives. The author listed seven forces that make people think they can sin without facing the consequences. Two forces in the article apply to King David in 2 Samuel 12 and to us: individualism and isolation. Individualism implies that a person lives in this or her own world. What that person does supposedly is nobody else's business. Isolation is in force when we are not surrounded by significant people who care for us and who hold us accountable for our actions. As we study 2 Samuel 11 and 12, think about how these two forces contributed to David's sin. Then look for the way God countered these forces thru a faithful friend and prophet. David's two great sins are recorded in 2 Samuel 11. His lust led to adultery with Bathsheba. When David discovered that she was pregnant, he tried to cover up his sin by calling her husband Uriah home form the war front. When Uriah refused to go home to his wife, David acted with cold calculation to have him placed in battle where the enemy would kill him. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. We wonder how a man after God's own heart could have done such things. David is certainly a warning about the need for believers to remain alert and to avoid self- confidence. One can throw away a lifetime of good influence in the weakness of a moment. In 2 Samuel 11 we can trace the course of David's fall. In Vs. 1 David relaxed at home when he should have girded on his sword: he preferred the luxuries of the palace to the hardships of the battlefield. It is so easy to follow the line of least resistance. In 2 Samuel 11: 2 we find not only had David shunned the post of duty, but he was guilty of "slothfulness". The third thing is his "wandering eyes." We are told in Isaiah 33: 15-16 concerning the one that "shutteth his eyes from seeing evil, he shall dwell on the heights. his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks." Let's look next at the actual steps in this fall. "and David sent and inquired about the woman." He purposed now to satisfy his lust. In Vs. 2 "He saw", in Vs. 3 he inquired, and now "he lay with her." Yet that does not give us the complete picture: we need to go back to Vs 1 in order to take in the entire scene, and as we do so, we obtain a vivid and solemn illustration of what is declared in James 1:14-15. First, David was drawn away by his lust, he was then "enticed", third, "then when the lust had conceived it brought forth sin" that of premeditated adultery and, as the terrible sequel shows, "sin when it is finished brought forth death--the murder of Uriah her husband. Several months elapsed between what is recorded in 1 Samuel 11 and that which is found at the beginning of Ch 12. The one obstacle which lay in the way of the free indulgence of his passion was removed. Bath-sheba was now his. Apparently, the king in his palace, was secure and immune. But if David was pleased with the consummation of his vile plans God was not pleased. God may suffer His people to indulge the lusts of the flesh and fall into grievous sin, but he will not allow them to remain content and happy in such a case; rather are they made to prove that "the way of transgressors is hard." The coarse pleasures of sin cannot long content a child of God. It has been truly said that "Nobody buys a little passing pleasure in evil at so dear a price, or keeps is so short a time, as a good man. "The conscience of the righteous soon reasserts itself, and makes its disconcerting voice heard. Even a pal ace can afford no relief unto one who is filled with bitter remorse. A king may command his subjects, but he cannot quiet the voice of outraged conscience; there was no escape for David. Day and night God's heavy hand weighted him down. David learned, what we all learn, that every transgression is a blunder, that we never get the satisfaction which we expect from any sin, or if we do, we get something with it which spoils it all. So long as David refused to humble himself beneath the mighty hand of God, seeking from Him a spirit of true repentance, and freely confessing his great wickedness, there could be no more peace for him no more happy communion with God, no further growth in grace. At the end of 2 Samuel 11 we read "But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord," upon which Matthew Henry says, "One would think it should have followed that the Lord sent enemies to invade him, terrors to take hold on, and the messengers of death to arrest him. No, He sent a prophet to him--"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David." 1. PLEASE READ 2 SAMUEL 12: 1-6. Ch. 11 ended with David's bringing Bathsheba into his house and making her his wife. That might have been the end of the story, except the last sentence in that chapter says, "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. You will note that it was not David who sent for the prophet. No, it was God who took the initiative; it is ever that way, for we never seek God, until He first seeks us. Probably about a year had elapsed from what is recorded in Ch 11, for the adulterous child was already born. It was said, "Though God may suffer His people to fall into sin, He will not suffer His people to lie still in it. The prophet Nathan's task was far from being an enviable one: to meet the guilty king face-to-face. As yet David had shown no sign of repentance. It was now time for David to judge himself, and then to discover that were sin had abounded grace did much more abound. It was no easy matter for Nathan to rebuke his royal master. He did not decline the unwelcome task, but executed it faithfully. Nathan did not charge into David's presence and begin to accuse the king. Nathan told David a story of injustice. Nathan did not say the story was a parable or a moral illustration. As far as David knew, the story was about a real incident. Perhaps David thought Nathan had heard it. David would have expected the prophet to brings cases of injustice to his attention because the king was Israel's chief judge. Nathan kept the persons anonymous, referring to a rich man and a poor man "in a certain town." The situation apparently was common. Some people in the land were rich, while others had little. The rich man was extremely wealthy, and he poor man was almost destitute. Both men seemed to have good characters. The "poor" man was warmhearted and kind. The "rich" man was hospitable and gracious, welcoming the traveler who came to him. In Vs. 5 as David listened he got caught up in the story. When Nathan described the rich man's callous action in taking the poor man's only ewe lamb, David's emotions boiled. He was in a burning rage. He pronounced an oath, ‘as surely as the Lord lives", not as a curse but as a strong statement affirming the truth of what he said. David's statement, "The man who did this deserves to die!" was not an official verdict but only his passion. Under O.T. law stealing property ordinarily was not punishable by death. Also any official verdict required hearing evidence from both men and considering legal issues, not hearing the story secondhand. Literally David described the rich man's character, calling him a "son of death" or a person characterized by death. Even in his emotion of rage David did not forget God's law. Ex. 22: 1-4 provided for repayment of a theft. A thief was not to be executed but was to repay what he stole. If the stolen animal was found alive, the thief repaid double. If the thief had killed or had sold the animal, he paid fivefold for cattle or fourfold for sheep. If the thief was poor, he could be sold to pay the debt. David probably wanted to demand more of a repayment because the rich man "had no pity" on his poor neighbor. The rich man had committed his crime in cold, calculating fashion. In condemning the rich man, David unwittingly condemned himself. Sin may be an old fashioned word, but we understand concepts such as injustice, unfairness, and lack of concern for others. yet these terms can be vague or focused on high-level wrong, such as when governments deny citizens' basic rights. Keep in mind that we cann9ot sin against others without sinning against their Maker. Loving our neighbors as ourselves is as binding as the Commandment prohibiting murder. Even sins we do not think hurt others grieve God and bring His judgment. Many people neither understand nor acknowledge sin's seriousness. Often they try to justify their sinful behavior. We need to realize that we cannot hide our sins from God and that our sins always have terrible consequences. To break God's law is to sin, and the results of sin are very serious. 2, PLEASE READ 2 SAMUEL 12: 7-9. As we have seen, David sinned and sinned grievously. What was yet worse, for a long season he refused to acknowledge unto God his wickedness. A period of months went by ere he felt the heinousness of his conduct. Now God will not suffer any of his people to remain indefinitely in a state of spiritual insensibility: sooner or later He brings to light the hidden things of darkness, convicts them of their offenses, causes them to mourn over the same, and leads them to repentance. In the case of David God employed a parable in the mouth of His prophet to produce conviction. Though it is the very nature of sin to blind its perpetrator, yet sin does not take away his sense of right and wrong. Nathan traced the trouble back to its source, and showed what it was which occasioned and led up to David's fearful fall. The details of the parable emphasized the excuselessnes, the injustice, the lawlessness, the wickedness of his crime. In Vs. 7-8 God reminded David of what He had done for him in the past and said He would have done more. When Saul died, God gave David Saul's "house" and "wives." Together the two words represent all Saul had, and God had given that to David. Saul may not have been wealthy with a large number of wives, but the point is that God provided for David. God also had given David Israel and Judah. Only thru God's leading and provision had David become king. Did David not have enough, He had wives, sons, respect, and power. If David thought that was too little, God would have given him more. He already had wives of his own, why, then, must he rob poor Uriah of his! The case was so clearly put, the guilt of the offender so evidently established, the king at once condemned the offender, and said, "The man that hath done this thing shall surely die. Then it was that the prophet turned and said to him, "Thou art the man." David did not flame forth in hot resentment and anger against the prophet's accusation, he made no attempt to deny his grievous transgression or proffer any excuses for it. Instead, in Vs. 13 he frankly owned, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nor were those words uttered mechanically or lightly. David's slumbering conscience was now awakened, and he was made to realize the greatness of his guilt. 3. PLEASE READ 2 SAMUEL 12: 13. David admitted his wrong. That humility in the face of conviction for sin distinguished David from Saul, Israel's first king. When Samuel identified Saul's sin, Saul began to explain or to alibi. Saul's confession of sin had to be dragged from him. David, however, admitted that he had "sinned against the Lord. He also had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah. Adultery with a woman who probably could not resist Israel's king without being punished was a sin against her. Ordering Joab to make sure Uriah was killed was a sin against Uriah, Bathshea, and Joab. Yet every sin was first a sin against God. God established the whole concept of sin and righteousness. Without Him and His revelation, we might devise a system of right and wrong; but would it be valid? Sin is primarily a violation of our relationship with God and secondarily a violation of our relationships with others. When David confessed his sin, God forgave him. David understood that God will forgive confessed sins. David would not die for his sin, but he would see his sin's effects in his life and in his family's life. Admitting sin is difficult and painful. We may admit our sins to God through prayer. Even then we often are not specific. Sometimes confessing our sins to God in another Christian's presence is helpful, giving us a deeper sense of having faced our sins and having received God's forgiveness. Privately or with another believer, as we admit our sins God forgives us. We never get too old or too far beyond committing sin in this life, and we never get too old or beyond the need to confess our sins to God. We, too, need to admit our sin and get right with God. 4. PLEASE READ 2 SAMUEL 12: 10-12, 14. As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now for the rest of the story." God took away David's sin, but He did not take away the consequences. Because David had Uriah killed with the Ammonite sword and took Bathsheba as his wife, God said that "the sword will never depart from your house." In David's own home, his sons Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah met violent deaths: some by the hands of family members. God explained to David that this judgment upon his house was "because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own." Earlier God had asked David "Why did you despise the word of the Lord? Now, God declared you despised me and took Bathsheba to be your wife. Too despise God's word is to despise God Himself. Adultery was an offense against God's law, and it also offended God. God declared further judgment on David thru his household. In taking Bathsheba and killing Uriah, David had destroyed a household. As consequence, God said, "Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Many terrible things happened to David in his own household. He would have to deal with incest, estrangement between two of his sons, murder, and a rebellious son who would be killed trying to dethrone his father. God told David about one specific calamity: "Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you." David had taken Uriah's wife. Now David's wives and concubines would be taken from him and given to another. God said, "I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel. This was fulfilled during Absalom's rebellion when Absalom in 2 Samuel 16:22" lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel" on his rooftop. David did it in secret when he took Bathsheba and then tried to cover it up. But what Absalom would do would be out where all Israel could see. Sleeping with David's wives would signify that Asalom had taken over the household and throne and was to be considered the king. Nathan told David that he would not be put to death for his sin, but he would suffer tragedy in his family. David's sins have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt. David's unholy actions reflected on God's holiness. Nathan announced to David, "the son born to you will die." Bathshea's baby, conceived in the adulterous relationship, would die. Seven days from this announcement, the child died. The law called for David's death, but God mercifully spared his life. The law did not call for the baby's death, but the baby died--a severe blow to David and to any parent. The baby's death is a reminder that sin has tragic consequences. For the next 20 years until his death, David's household suffered many sorrows and tragedies. We already have seen two. Bathsheba's baby died. David's son Absalom slept with his father's concubines. Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar. Absalom hated Amnon for his wicked deed and eventually had him killed. Absalom led a rebellion against David and tried to take his throne. David had to flee Jerusalem. David's army fought Absalom's army, and Absalom was killed. We need to remember this truth today: Sin brings consequences. Gal. 6:7 says "A man reaps what he sows." Forgiveness neither removes nor prevents terrible consequences resulting from our sins. We are promised forgiveness is we truly repent and turn from our sin, but Paul preached a preventive approach to sin: In Rom. 6:12 he said, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." Sin may be pleasurable but only for a short time, and its consequences can be horrible for a long, long time. I hope you will read the outcome of this lesson in Ps. 51 and Ps. 32. NEXT SUNDAY IN 1 CHRONICLES 21 & 22 WE SEE DAVID IN A MUCH BETTER LIGHT, AS HE SEEKS GOD'S WILL FOR HIS LIFE. A.V. DAUGHERTY 5-14-00.