2 Samuel 12: Restoration
Verse 1 tells us it is the Lord who sent Nathan to confront David about his sin. Certainly not an easy task to confront a powerful leader, but God has directed Nathan to do this. Nathan has a good relationship with David and is a godly counselor.
I am sure Nathan has prayerfully prepared how he will approach King David. Nathan uses a parable told as an actual event. In doing so he gets David attention by appealing to his experience as a shepherd and his compassion. In the parable Nathan introduces the story which contains a rich man, a poor man, a ewe lamb and a traveler. The rich man had large number of flocks and herds. The poor man has but one little ewe lamb which he has brought up and nourished. This lamb was a dear family pet that had grown up with his children. They fed this precious lamb from their own food and drank from his own cup and the lamb lay in his bosom like his own daughter. A traveler comes to the rich man. The rich man then refuses to take from his own flock and takes the poor man’s only beloved ewe lamb and prepared it for the traveler.
We read in verse 5, David’s anger was greatly aroused and wanted immediately to kill this rich man and restore fourfold for the lamb because of what the rich man has so callously done to this poor man, showing him no pity at all.
Nathan stabs him in the heart with these four simple three-letter words: “You are the man.”
King David is the rich man. Uriah is the poor man. Bathsheba is the ewe lamb. Who then is the traveler? The traveler is the temptation and the lust which visited David on the roof. Remember what the Lord told Cain when Cain became angry because his sacrifice was not accepted. The Lord told Cain: “… sin lies at your door and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4. Sin is crouching at the door of your mind. You must not open the door to it as a guest and entertain it, for it will master you.
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
Ever looked into a mirror with has very bright lights and made this remark? ‘This mirror makes me look terrible!” David has succumbed to sin and we had looked at the anatomy of sin and the steps last week by quoting the passage from James 1: 14&15 which tells us- “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death. “The tempter tempts you to sin in order to keep you from experiencing God’s best for you. The enemy hates God and wants to discourage his people from doing His work. James goes on to write: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does.” David had forgotten the goodness of the Lord who had given him every good thing.
THE SENTENCING
Having been found guilty, the sentence is then pronounced. Notice what Nathan says: “Thus says the Lord:” The sentence comes from God who reminds David of what all he has been given. The following verses are the Lord speaking through Nathan to King David:
- I anointed you king over Israel.
- I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
- I gave you your master’s house.
- I gave you your master’s wives.
- I gave you the House of Israel and Judah.
“And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more.” Oh, to have missed the “much more” which God would have done!
“Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?” Why do we ever sin and displease the Lord who has given us so much and withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly? These verses in James tell us why this happens. We have not engrafted, implanted the word of God in our souls. It cannot be engrafted or implanted by merely hearing the word. You will be deceived and forget what you have heard. The enemy snatches away the seed, the incorruptible seed, the Word of God. It can only be engrafted by doing what you have heard; obeying the Word of God is what engrafts it. James says “lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul. Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. “
We must engraft the word through obedience. Then the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God empowers us to say no to the temptation and the tempter. We must be familiar with the whole word of God, the logos, but know specific scriptures, rhema, which enable us to use it specifically as the Lord showed us in Matthew 4.
David is told because he killed Uriah using the sword of the enemy and committed adultery with his wife, David will reap what he has sown.
“Now therefore, the sword will never depart from your house “David will experience chaos and rebellion among his family- his sons will seek to kill him and take over his kingdom. His wives and concubines will be taken from him and David’s life will become a public spectacle. We will see this happen in the coming chapters as David will struggle with the consequences of his sins for the last 20 years of his life.
David then confesses: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan says to David, “The Lord has also put away your sin and you shall not surely die. However, because of this deed, you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
CAN ANY GOOD COME OUT OF THIS?
YES. I want to share with you Psalms David wrote as a result of these dark chapters in his life. These are three magnificent prayers we would not have had otherwise, except for this dark blot on David’s life. God does not throw away broken hearts and contrite spirits. He restores them. He mends them. Only love can break a heart and only love can mend them again. In that song one of the lines says: “Give me a chance to make up for the harm I’ve done, try to forgive me and let’s keep the two of us one.” God is faithful to forgive and gives not only a second chance but chance after chance after chance. God is willing to forgive us. But his forgiveness is conditional. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “ Did you see the condition? We must confess our sin. Confess means we agree with God we have sinned. This is what David did. Let’s look these three Psalms: Psalm 51, Psalm 32, Psalm 103 and 23.
PSALM 51
David knows his sin deserves punishment. He writes: “Have mercy upon me, O God. According to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. “David’s plea reveals two things: his sin deserves punishment, and that God is merciful and forgiving. Next David prays God will blot out his transgressions and wash him thoroughly from his iniquity and cleanse him from his sin. David wants to be scrubbed clean. He feels dirty. I John 1: 9 tells us when we confess our sins; the Lord is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Lord Jesus once again takes the towel and the basin and cleanses us.
David then takes full responsibility for his sin. “Against you I have sinned and done this evil.” David does not blame anyone else- not Bathsheba, not the devil. His sin was a willful choice. He was tempted by his own evil desire and dragged away and enticed. David is a broken man. He knows he needs God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness comes when we confess our sins because we have the right view of sin.
In verses 10 -12 David asks God to create in him a clean heart and RENEW a steadfast spirit. As Christians we have God’s promise He will never leave us or depart from us. But we can break our fellowship with Him, even though we are still His children. David then prays: “RESTORE to me the joy of YOUR salvation.” We cannot lose our salvation, but through sin we can lose the JOY of our salvation. I still remember what life was like when I was lost. Each morning I woke up in fear and loathing. There was no peace in my life. And when there is no peace with the Lord there is no peace in one’s life, no real joy or contentment. We see this in the world today, of people rushing to and fro trying to find something in their life which brings them joy and peace. David says when you restore me and uphold me by Your generous spirit, then I will teach transgressors about your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. We are comforted by the Lord so that we might be able to comfort others.
PSALM 32
This Psalm is called a Maschil, when means it is a teaching Psalm. David is experiencing the joy of forgiveness. I remember the days and weeks after I was saved. I experienced peace and joy. Blessed is a word which can be translated as happy. Let’s use that word as we read David’s Psalm of happiness which comes from the restoration of forgiveness. ‘Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy is the man (woman) to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. David acknowledged his sin, confessed it and received forgiveness.
“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with MY Eye. Isaiah 55: 6 says: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him who is near.” The Lord invites us to call upon Him, night or day. Call upon Him Who wants to show you great and mighty things you know not. You and I can call upon Him for counsel, for forgiveness of sins, to make requests, or just to spend time with Him and enjoy Him. He is there to keep you from sin and He is there to forgive you when you sin. This is why we enter the throne rooms to obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4: 16)
PSALM 103
Peter tells us: Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you. Surrender all. This is what David writes in Psalm 103 as he praises God for His mercies.
“Bless the Lord; O my soul and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all our diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is RENEWED like the eagle’s.
David wrote in his famous Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” David knew as a shepherd, a shepherd’s heart. He knew his sheep by name and they knew his voice. He protected them, put his life in between them and danger be it a bear or a lion. Our Lord is a protective Shepherd. Our relationship with Him is one of restoration. He restores my soul. No wonder God chose a shepherd to tend to the flock of Israel. They needed to be restored. He leads me in the paths of righteousness. Jesus the Good Shepherd is the Way. He is our comforter, our protector. Looking back to where I was as a young man, I can see this clearly now, how precious was that grace, amazing grace, the hour it first appeared. Looking back I can see- “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever!” David’s story is a story of a loving, merciful God who wants to forgive us all our sins and restore every sinner who repents. AME fffffffffff