A Man After God's Own Heart? (2)

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Last week we began a 6 week look into the life of King David. A man who was referred to in scripture as a man after God’s own heart. When we say that somebody is “after our own heart” we are saying that they are like us - they think like us - they act like us - we relate to them on a pretty deep level when somebody is a man or woman “after my own heart.”

As we read the story from last week about David and his misadventure on the roof of the palace, as he gazed out over his kingdom while the army was off to war and he allowed his gaze to focus on Bathsheba. Then he allowed his gaze to become lust and desire, followed by adultery, and finally murder - as he had Bathsheba’s husband killed at the warfront. Although it was an Ammonite sword that struck Uriah - do not be fooled - it was David who killed him!

This morning, we are going to look at the follow up to this story and see how it played out from there. There was a true prophet of God in Israel, named Nathan and we hear from him as we pick up the story in 2 Samuel 12:1-14.

2 Samuel 12:1–14 NIV

1 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 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. 4 “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.” 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 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. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ 11 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ” 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. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.”

I want you to take note of a few things from this passage before us this morning.

You could say that this passage is much more about the prophet Nathan than it is David - it is Nathan that tells the story, and, in a way, you could say that he manipulated David, but I believe that Nathan knew that it was the most effective way to get David to see the depth of his failure and sin.

We are not told how Nathan came to know of David’s indiscretion, so we must assume that God revealed it to him. At the same time, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to discern what had happened. I mean, everybody knew that Uriah was off to war with David’s army. Word would have gotten out that he had been called back home, and that when he went back to the front, he was placed on the front lines where he was ultimately killed. Even the report that came back to David about the incident would have raised suspicions - the person sent with the news of what had happened was told that if the king got upset about the losses to just say that Uriah the Hittite was dead, and that would calm the king. As the reporter gave the news of what was going on in the war, David did indeed get upset until the news of Uriah’s death calmed the king. And, of course, the quick wedding to try to cover up the sin. It all added up to one thing, and Nathan was either told by God or he was able to deduce the situation. Either way, he confronts the most powerful person in all of Israel - the anointed king!

God sent Nathan to speak with David! It was not something that Nathan would have done lightly or flippantly - it would have taken a great deal of thought and preparation to go before the king with this parable. In fact, it is clear from the story that he spent some time formulating what it was that he was going to say. It was brilliantly designed to get a reaction from the king - and it worked perfectly as he had planned.

This does not mean that every time we see an indiscretion that we are the one that is supposed to confront the person.

God sent Nathan! We are not called to be on the look out for indiscretions so that we can point them out, we are called to love and to obey our heavenly father, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves - so if He calls us to confront, then confront we must.

I must admit that I don’t like confrontation! I don’t enjoy it when God directs me to speak to somebody about a sin in their lives, but as a messenger of God, I cannot overlook that responsibility - but if I am going to confront, I better be SURE it is in times that I am sent by GOD! I am not the judge and jury of other people’s lives, but we are called to help others grow in their relationship with God. That doesn’t mean that we have a license to “call out” people for not living up to the standard of holiness that God has called us to live - we are called first and foremost to love God, and secondly to love people - but sometimes loving our fellow believers may mean that we must confront. Be aware, though, that that also means that sometimes when others are loving us, they must confront us as well.

If there is anything worse, in my opinion than confronting somebody, it is being confronted myself! How many like being confronted? I figure that none of us really enjoy that! The beauty of confrontation, though, is that sometimes it can lead to repentance and growth, and I like those things! Sometimes, though, the growth God intends comes at the cost of something painful like confrontation.

Note, however, that Nathan uses tact and wisdom in his presentation to the king. He could have just walked in and said: “What have you done? I can’t believe that our king, who was anointed by God would do such a vile and disgusting thing! You are no longer fit to serve as king - a king after God’s own heart would never commit adultery and then murder to cover it up!

There is an art to confrontation that is hard to capture, but Nathan is able in this confrontation to get the king to buy in to the need for punishment before he realizes that the prophet is talking about him. His reaction is deeply rooted and emotional. The law would not call for a man to be killed for the indiscretion that is described by Nathan. It would have been a horrible thing to do, but it was not worthy of death according to the law.

It may be hard for us to imagine having a sheep that was like a pet to us, but we certainly can imagine having a dog or cat that we have as a pet and we deeply love our pets don’t we? In David’s day, it would not have been uncommon for a person to have a pet sheep that they cared for like we would for a pet dog or cat.

We’ll do all kinds of things for the pets we love! The market for pet products is huge! We take them in and they soon become part of the family! Whether it is a dog, a cat, a bearded dragon, a snake, or even a rat - we understand how people can become attached to their pets.

The man in Nathan’s parable had 1 sheep - and it wasn’t designed for lunch - it was a pet. He loved it, he cared for it - he may even have dressed it up. In fact, Nathan tells David that the man loved this lamb like it was a daughter to him. He even let her sleep in his bed! The rich man, though, had plenty of sheep that were destined for the dinner table - but instead of using one of his many sheep to feed his guest, he forcibly takes the poor man’s lamb and has it prepared for his guest to eat.

Of course, Nathan is referring to the fact that David already had multiple wives, and could have added to his harem at any time, while Uriah had one wife that he loved very much. David didn’t understand the parallel right away, though. It was a brilliant parable because he got David to start thinking and understanding how the man with only 1 sheep might feel Remember that before David was king, he was a shepherd - he understood what it was like to care for a sheep and love it like a part of the family.

David doesn’t understand the parable until Nathan makes it clear - “You are that man!”

Upon hearing the prophet utter these words, he could have reacted in a number of different ways - he even had the power to have Nathan put to death - he had already done it to Uriah, and nothing would have stopped him from having Nathan killed too. He could have responded as many people do when they are confronted - by lying! That sometimes is the natural “go to” for people when they are confronted - let’s be honest, we don’t like getting caught!

David’s response, though, was immediate and very deep sorrow and regret! We often will belittle a confession that only happens after being confronted, but David admitted to Nathan that he sinned against God! His Psalm that he wrote following this confrontation shows a deep level of repentance.

Psalm 51:1-19 (NIV)

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

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

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

In spite of his sorrow and repentance, there were consequences to his sin. I’m sure it doesn’t seem fair to us, but the consequences were painful and brutal.

We cannot expect that asking forgiveness will alleviate all consequences.

Anybody with kids knows that they learn pretty quickly that saying “I’m sorry” will make things better - it helps to restore the relationship, but it doesn’t mean there will not be deeper consequences.

In David’s case, the consequences would be painful and bitter. Sin may bring pleasure for the moment - or maybe even for a season, but one thing that this passage reminds us is that there will be a day of reckoning for continuing in sinful ways.

I want my reaction to sin in my own life to continually be like that of David’s in the 51st Psalm.

Close with song