God's severe mercy

God's severe mercy 2 Samuel 12 When we looked at chapter 11 of 2 Samuel last week we saw the shocking steep downward path that David took into sin's clutches, from the time that he decided to rest from his kingly duties and not to go to war with his men in the spring, to the time that he married Bathsheba. And we noticed how, in the intervening period, he committed both adultery and murder whilst at the same time trying every means available to him to cover these up. In fact it must have seemed to David that he'd succeeded because anyone not in the know would have thought that Uriah the Hittite had unfortunately died in battle whilst his widow Bathsheba, now David's wife, had become pregnant immediately after their marriage. So then the problem had been dealt with, and King David could get on with his life as if nothing had happened ... he could put it all behind him, he could forget about the past and look to the future. However, as we noted last week, right at the end of chapter 11 there's a short sentence that reads: "But the Lord was not pleased with what David had done". And we're reminded that whilst man might be fooled, God never is. And so we read in the very next verse, the beginning of chapter 12: "The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David." God wasn't happy and he sent his messenger ... the Lord's notice of judgement, in other words, wasn't long in coming. And yet before we begin to think of this as a purely negative reaction to what David had done, a declaration of the grief that was coming upon him, let's bear in mind that God wasn't acting as we might act, say to someone who we'd suddenly discovered had done great wrong. Because our reaction no doubt would be tainted with feelings of anger, of desire for punishment, of confusion, by negative feelings. Whilst God, the God of love, by sending Nathan was acting with a sure and positive purpose because of his great love for David, his once faithful servant. One who, yes, had wandered far from him but who now needed to be brought back both for his own sake and for the sake of the people. Now, as king, David was chief advocate for the rights of his people, such that when folks had complaints they'd take them to him and he would render judgement, in the process demonstrating his great wisdom. So when Nathan came to him and put before him the case of a rich man who, despite his great wealth, had taken the only precious lamb of a poor man to provide food for a visiting traveller, David would no doubt have just assumed that this was a normal case being presented for his judgement. Actually the fact was that the rich man in the story hadn't broken the law as such, because the provision of hospitality for a passing traveller was seen back then as the responsibility of the entire town. Therefore the rich man would have been well within his rights to have asked himself why he should be the one to give up a lamb rather than the poor man. But this wasn't the point for David, rather he was incensed by the meanness and cruelty that the man had shown, and by his obvious abuse of power. So much so that, instead of giving the normal judgement which, according to Exodus chapter 22 verse 1, should have been a fourfold repayment, David insisted that in addition the rich man deserved to die. Imagine David's face then as Nathan revealed the punch line of his story saying to him: "You are that man!" Going on to drum home the truth as he told him the message that God had given him to say. How He, the Lord God of Israel, had given David so much and how, if this hadn't have been enough, he'd have given him even more. So why then had David turned against him, holding all that he'd received to be of so little value by doing what was evil in the Lord's eyes, by murdering Uriah and taking his wife Bathsheba? He'd despised the word of the Lord ... it was as if the one who'd been granted such a special relationship with God had turned around and spat in his face! So how would David react to this confrontation? This was a vital moment in the life of David. From his recent behaviour it must have seemed that perhaps he was no better than his predecessor Saul, a man who'd been a weak king and who'd therefore been rejected by God. When he was presented with the facts of his disobedience by Samuel he'd simply gone to pieces, putting forwards every excuse he could think of, trying to put the blame on anyone but himself. And later when his son Jonathon had challenged him over his grossly unfair treatment of David Saul, in his anger, had thrown a spear at him. So was that going to be how David reacted to Nathan? Not at all, because here truly was a man who'd been touched by God. So that we see the stark difference between the two of them when, having received his rebuke, David, verse 13, answered Nathan by saying in all humility: "I have sinned against the Lord." As Don Carson writes, "That, surely, is one of the ultimate tests of the direction of a person's life. We are a race of sinners. Even good people, people of strong faith, even someone like David, "a man after God's own heart", may slip and sin. There is never an excuse for it, but when it happens it should never surprise us. However those who are serious about the knowledge of God will in due course return with genuine contrition. While spurious converts and apostates will string out a plethora of lame excuses, but will not admit personal guilt except in the most superficial ways." David certainly was full of contrition, here was a man who was particularly serious about God, there wasn't even a hint of an excuse but rather a complete acknowledgement of his sin and an acceptance of whatever God's judgement would be ... which according to law, and unlike the rich man's punishment, should be death, the rightful punishment for both murder and adultery. And yet the Lord was merciful to David responding to his genuine, surely God enabled, repentance, by taking away his sin. He wouldn't have to pay the true penalty that was due. And of course only God, by grace, can forgive in this way. A level of forgiveness that was in stark contrast to the way that David had acted himself towards Uriah. Indeed forgiveness that Jesus himself spoke of and made possible when he died for us upon the cross. However although David had been forgiven this didn't mean that the consequences of his sin would be simply swept away. Because the sad reality is that our sins often do have repercussions, even though we may have confessed them and received the assurance of the Lord's forgiveness. And so for David, apart from the harm that he'd done to those who had already suffered, there were to be three major consequences of what he had done... Firstly the child that Bathsheba was carrying would die which, verse 14 of our passage tells us, was because in doing what he did David had caused the enemies of the Lord to show utter contempt for the Lord. Had given these people reasons for dismissing David's God as one who would turn a blind eye to the behaviour of his favourites. So that he wasn't a God of Justice after all but simply one who, like any other man created god, could be bought. It was as if the words of Ezekiel would be written with David in mind (Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 22): "my holy name ... you have profaned among the nations where you have gone". Words which Paul was later to level at the Jews of his own day when writing to the Church in Rome.... Romans 2 verse 24. Isn't this a very real danger for the church in any generation where its members, being ambassadors of Christ, are too often able to give very wrong impressions to the world around of the one whom they represent? Of course, with the death of David's son, the enemies of God and Israel, with their lack of understanding of God's true nature, would have been convinced that David had been justly punished and so their fear of the Lord would have been maintained. How awful it would be if such punishment had to be brought on God's people today, where they're found to be blaspheming God's name by their behaviour, to achieve the same result! The second consequence of David's sin was that his sons would follow his example and be caught up in violence and adultery. They themselves would seek to gain power and use that power over others, just as they'd seen their father do. There was to be so much bloodshed and heart ache with David's sons Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah all destined to die violent deaths. Even David's successor, the great Solomon, seems to have been more often in a state of ignoring God's law, in order to obtain his own selfish ends, than living faithful to the Lord and his word. And then thirdly, as a further result of the bad example that he'd set his children David would himself discover what it was like to be betrayed, when someone from his own household would temporarily seize his throne and openly sleep with the royal Harem, a prophesy that was fulfilled by his aforementioned son Absalom. David was to learn then that we're all created as responsible human beings, and that we must bear that responsibility. As a direct result of David's actions in breaking the law others' lives would be devastated and he would be responsible, even though he never intended those consequences, and would always have to live with that knowledge. Though of course God is a merciful God and will always give the grace to his own to bear such responsibility. And of course these consequences became obvious immediately for David, as his young son became ill. But then once again David demonstrated the kind of man that he was, his great capacity for love, his deep faith in and knowledge of God; as we're told (verse 16) that he: "pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground". Because David knew God's nature. That he's not a vindictive God, but that he's a God of mercy, mercy which of course David had himself so recently experienced. David knew that he's a God who relates to individual people and responds to their prayers and actions. And so, as he told his servants in verse 22, whilst the child was still alive he felt that the Lord might yet be gracious and let him live, that maybe there was some other way that the consequences of his sin might be atoned for. And so David prayed and fasted, laying out his thoughts and feelings before the Lord, seeking his will, until finally he had his answer ... the child had died. At which point David got up from the ground, washed and groomed himself and then went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. After this he went back into his house and ate. God you see had answered him and for David there was nothing else to do; the Lords will, would be done ... the reason why he immediately went in to worship the Lord, when no doubt he'd have bowed down before Him, humbly acknowledging His sovereignty over him. For David to have done otherwise, for him to have wept and mourned after God had spoken, would have in effect been for him to question once again the Lord's authority, to doubt his love and mercy, his control of all his circumstances, so forgetting the bitter lesson that he'd just received. However what David also did, which was very important, was to go and comfort the one who would've been really grieving at this time ... the child's mother. And then we're told that the Lord demonstrated his acceptance and love of them both by enabling Bathsheba to give birth to another son, Solomon, who was to fulfil God's promise to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7 verse 12 of an heir who would succeed David and establish his kingdom. We're also told that the Lord loved Solomon and that through Nathan the prophet he gave him the name Jedidiah which means, "Loved by the Lord". Finally, it's interesting that our passage should end with an account of David taking up again where he left off at the beginning of Chapter 11 when he decided not to go off to war. Joab was about to finally conquer the Ammonite city of Rabbah so he sent for David to come and lead them into the City. So that the glory, as it rightly should, would go to the king. And so David left Jerusalem, at last, and went where he should have been all the time, with his men in battle; demonstrating that once more he was back on track with the Lord, in the place of obedience. Showing us too that even spectacular failure needn't prevent us from being greatly used by God. What an encouragement for those who find themselves far from the Lord, for those of us who from time to time realise that we've drifted away, because of our own short comings, from God's closer presence. When we consider the extent of David's wilful disobedience of the Lord and yet of God's just mercy, what hope there is for all who know and acknowledge, along with David, that they've sinned against the Lord. And surely that's just the message with which we the church have been entrusted. That there is hope, whatever we've done, whatever the consequences have been of our actions, and that's because of the cross, the ultimate demonstration of God's mercy. Because like David all our rebellious ways deserved death, but yet God punished his Son Jesus in our place. Jesus, the perfect man, who met God's need for justice, so that our sins too might be taken away, so that we also might not die. But what a challenge as well! If his love for us is that great, and if he has done that for us, then how can we continue to be anywhere else than the place of obedience? In Psalm 51, the Psalm that it's acknowledged David wrote after Nathan came to him exposing his sin, he writes: "Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity" and "Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you". The place of obedience, the place of service ... may we also respond to the Lord's mercies to us by living as his servants today! Amen