Against You Only

2 Samuel 12:13 “So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Remember the story of David and Bathsheba?

Turn in your Bible to 2 Samuel 11 and read the set up for a man that was about to make one of the biggest errors of his life.

It starts almost poetically…

2 Samuel 11:1 “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”

The story progresses into what seems a very brief encounter…

Vs. 2-5 “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”

Someone in David’s service recognized the woman David had lusted after, such a scandalous encounter undoubtedly spread quickly throughout the palace walls. What was suppose to be a random and spontaneous act of indulgence turned into a deep mire by which David fell.

As David attempted to cover up his sin, he only compounded the injury. The attempt to entice Uriah to sleep with his wife only revealed the character of the man David had offended. Uriah proved to be a greater man than the one whom he served. By refusing to go to his wife, Uriah prevented David from covering up his indiscretion. This act of valor on Uriah’s part proved to be his death sentence, since he wouldn’t acquiesce to David’s plan, David had him murdered in battle.

The progression of sin from lust, to adultery, to murder, only exacerbated the problem of David’s fallen character that was on full display.

It wasn’t until Nathan the prophet, who was sent by God to confront David, did the reality of being caught finally settle into heart of the deceiver.

2 Samuel 12:7-9 “Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.”

The Pattern of Sin

Sin is ugly.

For those who understand, the need to conceal sin is founded in the reality of its nature. Sin by nature is offensive, it reveals a lack of moral character, and it ultimately is a proclamation of our weakness.

When we sin, we reveal that part of our being we hoped to deny.

It is particularly hard on christians to sin. I’m not talking about someone who goes by the moniker of christian because it fits their idea of themself. I’m talking about a real christian who has committed their life to Christ, who lives to honor God, and whose hope is founded in a future that God ordained.

I’m talking about a Spirit filled believer.

In David’s case, he offended many people in the midst of his failure. All those in his kingdom had a diminished view of their king from that point on. To those in other kingdoms, the word undoubtedly made its way into their palaces and the shame of God’s established king was undoubtedly met with mockery.

Bathsheba was the initial victim and Uriah payed the ultimate price. Davids family, friends, and everyone else who looked up to him lost something as well…their joy.

Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”

Solomon, David’s son ruled after his death. Solomon must have had his father in mind when he was penning some of his letters.

Proverbs 16:9-14

We can make our plans,

but the LORD determines our steps.

The king speaks with divine wisdom;

he must never judge unfairly.

The LORD demands accurate scales and balances;

he sets the standards for fairness.

A king detests wrongdoing,

for his rule is built on justice.

The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;

he loves those who speak honestly.

The anger of the king is a deadly threat;

the wise will try to appease it.”

As Solomon grew in wisdom, the lessons he learned from his father seemed to fade. Solomon himself became obsessed with women, the magnitude of wives and concubines became the trap by which he fell.

The Nature of Sin

Sin by definition is the breaking of God’s law. (1 John 3:4) God’s law bears the image of His character.

When David realized the extent of his offense, he cried out in anguish over who he offended. Ultimately, God is the one who bears the offense. God’s love is over those people who fell victim but it is His law that holds the standard.

The only recourse for sin is repentance. David accepted his punishment and moved on, we too must learn from our experiences and grow through failure.

I have had to learn to accept my guilt and grow through my failings, if I don’t I am bound to repeat them. Jesus bore the brunt of my failure, the least I can do is strive to honor Him moving forward.

Let us move on to maturity, not looking back but toward the prize of God’s freedom, a freedom from sin that Jesus paid dearly for us.