God Forgives

The REALITIES of David’s Sin

This is a familiar passage . David has went completely off the rails.

[I often say that it is not the first look that get’s a guy in trouble…it is the 2nd-999th]

David stepped up and put everything aside

2 Samuel 11:2–4 NIV

2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

2sam 11.

[Danger…Danger…Danger Will Robinson if you remember the show Lost in Space from the 60’s]

This sin, as most sin occurs, is a spontaneous thing.

I coveted it, translated I thought I needed it,

I planned a way to get it, translated in my planning I’ve already sinned,

I got it, translated I’m in trouble here

I’m going with it, translated, I know I’ve sinned, it FEELS good, I’m going to keep doing it

FINALLY…Either the law or God catches up with me and now I have to FACE A GIANT.

I hoped you noticed…there were many “I” statements.

“I have sinned and fell short of the Glory of God!”

Romans 3:22–23 NIV

22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sometimes as I’m dealing with people it is helpful for them to allow them to “un-wind” there sin. To recount it, to say where they went wrong to explain the place where they are. For others it’s only necessary to know in more general terms. It all depends.

The import note here is listening for regret, embarrassment, sometimes disgust for the sin, I also hear a huge weight that is resting upon their shoulders.

If I don’t hear or feel those things, we either need a “Nathan” moment, that we will talk about in a minute or they need blunt honesty.

The person that we have highlighted is David. The representative of God on earth. The one anointed by God through Samuel to lead and guide, the who God says

Acts 13:22 NIV

22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

But this is all of us. Men and women alike. All have sinned and fell short.

One more thing before we get to the “Nathan” moment.

2 Samuel 11:27 NIV

27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

2Sam 11.27

The “Nathan” Moment

The “Nathan” Moment

David needed Nathan, God sent Nathan, David got VERY angry at Nathan (God), Nathan was very blunt to David

2 Samuel 12:9 NIV

9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

2Sam 12.

David’s sin, is our sin, is my sin, whether public, private, small or large is in essence as the verse says…despising the word of the Lord and doing evil in His eyes.

I’ve done that, You have done that, We have done that. As says

Romans 3:23 NIV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

R

Now what…you are condemned for your sin. You can either live in condemnation, live under the penalty of sin, live a life that becomes wasted because you are always chasing sin and trying to atone for it, trying to make it right and yet you can’t…because the one that you REALLY need to deal with God. If you keep running, you will never stop running.

Let me use a last example from this passage

Nathan, the prophet laid out David’s sin in front of him. He cloaked it a bit to not be terribly direct. That didn’t get through to David…or David still wouldn’t acknowledge. Finally Nathan laid it out…directly as it was.

2Sam

2 Samuel 12:13 NIV

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

WOW!!! After all of that, after all that David, Nathan, Bathsheba, Uriah, many many others who are wound up in this web of sin and deceit.

David’s sin was “taken away” immediately after he confessed it

The BIGGER story here is REDEMPTION. Coming back from sin to wholeness with God!

This is our BIG IDEA

Forgiveness returns us to wholeness with God.

Turn if you will to . Psalms are found almost in the middle of your bible.

Just a little background

David was anointed king ahead of all of his brothers

This caused much friction in the family.

The King at the time, Saul went nuts about killing David and holding on to power.

Eventually Saul died and David ascended to throne in Jerusalem.

was written AFTER Nathan rebuked him for his sin. This is one of the 18 or more Psalm’s that were written by David.

I believe this is the real story of . Yes…Yes all of those things happened all of those trespasses occured. What was God’s response? What was God’s remedy for David? What does any of this have to do with me?

First what was God’s remedy

Again from 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 12:13 NIV

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

David penned this Psalm. Pouring his heart out over his actions over several months. What we get to peak in on is how God treated David with Grace and Mercy. This is Grace and Mercy.

Psalm 51:1–2 NIV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

The Hebrew word used for “unfailing love” is hesed that’s the word last week that was used for “Loving kindness”

David prays for forgiveness...

For David sin is described in three aspects

Transgression, fleeing or rebellion from God

Iniquity - The perversion of right, the depravity of the sin

Sin - Missing the mark (hamartia) is the Greek word.

The removal of the guilt is also triply described.

“blot out” - remove the debt that I have incurred.

“wash me” - remove the stain of sin which only God can truly cleanse.

“Cleanse me” - Make me whole again, like I was before.

We have established that God chooses to “remember no more our sins”

All of those events that are currently on David’s mind have been washed away.

It’s like AMEN we are done here…we can start fresh again with God.

I think here David has corporate responsibilities. Responsibilities to Israel as well as to himself as a leader.

His sin with God is gone..

Psalm 51:2 NIV

2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

2Sam 1

He and God are good. Now it is time for David to draw in the tribe of Israel. The people of Jerusalem to instruct them in dealing with their sin. Their sin breaks fellowship, walks all over the covenant between God and Israel.

Psalm 51:3–4 NIV

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

His sins have been known to God all along. Now, however, David has come to know them himself; they are unceasingly present to his conscience, at least since Nathan had pricked his conscience with the word of God.

David says...God, I’m busted… People of Israel. you have sinned against God. People of First Baptist, people of Sunnyside you have sinned against each other, against God.

Old Testament Survey Series: The Wisdom Literature and Psalms C. The Prerequisite of Redemption (Ps 51)

His sins have been known to God all along. Now, however, David has come to know them himself; they are unceasingly present to his conscience, at least since Nathan had pricked his conscience with the word of God.

At some level we know when we have sinned, when we have transgressed God, all sin is a sin against God and his ways.

Psalm 51:5 NIV

5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

David is speaking here to remind EVERYONE who hears or reads this that we have made choices in our lives. Those choices change our nature

David is NOT speaking her against his mother or his birth. Nor is he excusing himself.

It is the TOTALITY of facts that are overwhelming David.

OK…You and I have been here. We are caught, we are truly sorry for the situation that we have caused. It’s a mess and it’s our issue.

Psalm 51:7 NIV

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Ps 51.

Psalm 51:6 NIV

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Psalm 51:7 NIV

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 32:1–2 NIV

1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Dear Great God, Founder of the Earth. I wish to be clean. I can’t think of any bath that could wash away this sin in my life.

God, I need to be purified, I need to brought back into relationship with you.

Ps 32

Psalm 51:8 NIV

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

The prayer is for Mercy and unmerited favor from God… There is another name for “unmerited favor” We would say

So the inward cleansing of David will be the prelude to his restoration to that joy of God’s Salvation.

GRACE!

David begs for a “pure heart” in Vs. 10. In Hebrew David is asking for a brand new heart. He wants a heart transplant.

Finally I want to look at Vs. 11

Psalm 51:11 NIV

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Do not take your Holy Spirit from me…In the Old Testament the Spirit could come and go.

And finally...

Ephesians 1:13 NIV

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

In Christ alone the Holy Spirit came on ALL who heard the message of truth, who heard the Gospel and Believed. YOU WERE FOREVER MARKED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

In Christ alone the Holy Spirit came on ALL who heard the message of truth, who heard the Gospel and Believed. YOU WERE FOREVER MARKED.

Yes, I’m a sinner, my sin is before me and behind me. I have sinned against my God. I deserve death. But because to the SINGLE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS MY SIN IS FORGIVEN! GONE, NEVER TO RETURN. PRAISE GOD! CAN YOU SAY IT…PRAISE GOD!!

Joe..

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Samuel (2) Nathan Announces the Lord’s Judgment and Forgiveness (12:1–14)

Then, in a verse that may be viewed as a key—a turning point—in the structure of 2 Samuel, the Lord furthermore suggested that David had not yet plumbed the depths of God’s generosity in his behalf. After providing a relational context describing how David had been so richly blessed, the Lord made explicit the exact nature of the offenses committed. Fundamentally, David had rejected the terms of the relational framework that had bound the king to his God: David “had shown contempt for [NIV, “despise”] the word of the LORD by doing what is evil” (v. 9) in the Lord’s eyes. David had made a mockery of the Ten Commandments, the central tenets of the Lord’s covenantal relationship with Israel, by committing the dual sins of murder and adultery.

jp