"YOU ARE THE MAN"
TEXT: II SAMUEL 11/12
INTRODUCTION
Today’s text comes from the 11th and 12th chapters of the book of II Samuel. In the chapters leading up to our text we see David becoming the recognized King over all of Israel. He lead the nation of Israel in many successful campaigns over their enemies in the surrounding nations. Chapter 10 the chapter right our text finds David winning a resounding victory against the Ammonites. David is now a feared and respected leader throughout the eastern world. And he was as I Samuel 13:14 says, "A man after God’s own heart."
David was a great King. He loved and worshipped God and won many victories with the help of the Lord.
The chapters that make up our text however are not more scenes of victory -- these chapters record what is probably the low point in David’s life/in his walk with God.
Let’s recount the tragic events together.
Chapter 11 opens up this way, "IN THE SPRING AT THE TIME WHEN KINGS GO TO WAR, DAVID SENT JOAB OUT WITH THE KING’S MEN AND THE WHOLE ISRAELITE ARMY. THEY DESTROYED THE AMMONITES AND BESIEGED RABBAH. BUT DAVID REMAINED IN JERUSALEM."
This is where his problems get started... David stayed home he should have been out doing battle for the Lord, but he stayed home. If he had gone where he should have gone and had done what he should have done -- these chapters in his life could have been avoided.
Isn’t this when we get ourselves into trouble, when we are not doing the things we should be doing, and when we are not going where we should be going. It is at these times when we are most susceptible to temptation and sin....Idle hands are the devil the devil’s workshop...
David was home and, he was not home alone. One evening he went up on to his roof to take a walk and while he was up there he saw a beautiful woman bathing (Bathsheba)... Whether David went up there to see just such a thing we do not know -- but we do know he could have looked the other way -- but he didn’t he allowed the temptation to turn into desire and as James says he was dragged away by this desire and it gave birth to sin.
David summoned her to his chambers and he committed adultery with her, it didn’t matter to him that she was married or that he was married.
Later he gets a call from Bathsheba and she tells him that she is pregnant with his child... David decides that if the Jerusalem Star got a hold of this it would be all over town so he sent for Her husband Uriah from the battle field. His plan was to have Uriah come home and sleep with his wife so that everyone would think that this child was his. But Uriah was a noble man and a great leader, even though David got him drunk -- he would not even go into his house he slept on the front porch, he said to David, "THE ARK OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH ARE STAYING IN TENTS, AND MY MASTER JOAB AND MY LORD’S MEN ARE CAMPED IN THE OPEN FIELDS. HOW COULD I GO TO MY HOUSE TO EAT AND DRINK AND LIE WITH MY WIFE? AS SURELY AS YOU LIVE, I WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"
What an honorable man, what a man to have fighting for your side -- on any other occasion David would have rejoiced at such leadership and loyalty ... But not now -- Now he could only think of covering up his sin.... And it was not respect he felt towards Uriah but intense hatred.
So David switched to plan B -- he sent a letter to his General Joab and in the letter he wrote, "PUT URIAH IN THE FRONT LINE WHERE THE FIGHTING IS THE FIERCEST. THEN WITHDRAW FROM HIM SO HE WILL BE STRUCK DOWN AND DIE."
The plan was carried out and Uriah the husband of Bathsheba was killed.... David allowed Bathsheba to mourn the required length of time after which he had her brought to his palace and she became his wife....
Nearly a year latter the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David... When Nathan came to him he said to David...
"There were 2 men in a certain town, one poor and the other rich. the rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle but the poor man only had one little ewe lamb. And the man loved and cared for that lamb. It grew up with his children, shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms --- It was like a daughter to him. One day the rich man was entertaining a traveler and rather than preparing one of his own lambs he took the ewe lamb from the arms of the poor man who with tears in his eyes watched it leave knowing that is was to prepared that for the rich man’s guest".
After hearing Nathan tell this story, David becomes enraged and says to Nathan, "AS SURELY AS THE LORD LIVES THE MAN WHO DID THIS, DESERVES TO DIE! HE MUST PAY FOR THAT LAMB FOUR TIMES OVER BECAUSE HE DID SUCH A THING AND HAD NO PITY."
THEN NATHAN SAID TO DAVID, "YOU ARE THE MAN!"
THE LORD HAS BLESSED YOU RICHLY, HE HAS PROTECTED AND PROVIDED FOR YOU... HE HAS GIVEN YOU THE HOUSE OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL AND IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU MORE....WHY DID YOU DESPISE THE WORD OF THE LORD AND DO SUCH AN EVIL THING -- WHY DID YOU STRIKE DOWN URIAH, AND TAKES HIS WIFE!"
How do you think these words from Nathan made David feel? What thoughts were going through his mind after this dramatic confrontation? Wouldn’t it have been great if David’s thoughts were written down? I’d bet he’d have a good lesson to share with us.
Do you know what? we do not have to speculate about how David felt at this time because he did record just how he felt after being confronted by Nathan -- it is David’s 51st Psalm.
In this Psalm David teaches us something about sin -- it is a lesson that he learned the hard way -- and it is one each of need to learn as well.... It is a lesson about sin.
Let me, before we begin quickly define sin (this is important because many times we think that only the really big sins are really sin) -- But all Sin is an offense against God, it is to fall short of God’s glory/character, what he wants us to be. And sin falls into one of two categories, sins of omission and sins of commission.
Sins of omission are when we fail to do what God requires of us, In James 4:17 we read, "ANYONE THEN, WHO KNOWS THE GOOD HE OUGHT TO DO AND DOESN’T DO IT, SINS!" WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GOOD WE KNOW WE SHOULD DO: GIVE GOD THE BEST OF OUR TIME, TALENTS, TREASURE AND SHARE HIS GOOD NEWS JUST TO NAME A FEW....WE KNOW WE SHOULD BE DOING THOSE AND IF WE are not, WE ARE SINNING....
Sins of commission are, the attitudes we have and outward acts we do, Paul in Galatians 5:19-21 gives us a pretty good list, though not exhaustive: "THE ACTS OF THE SINFUL NATURE ARE OBVIOUS: SEXUAL IMMORALITY, IMPURITY AND DEBAUCHERY, IDOLATRY AND WITCHCRAFT, HATRED, DISCORD, JEALOUSY, FITS OF RAGE, SELFISH AMBITION, DISSENSIONS, FACTIONS AND ENVY; DRUNKENNESS, ORGIES, AND THE LIKE....."
So today, as we study David’s thoughts and feelings in regards to his sins... if we keep our hearts open we will learn a great lesson. A lesson from a King... WHAT DID DAVID LEARN? (turn to Ps 51)
I. FOR ONE THING HE LEARNED THAT SIN HAS A PRICE
David found out the same thing that all sinners eventually find out -- "sin has a price." In Ps 51 David tells us about 3 of the prices of sin.. [1-5]
A. SIN STAINS (2)
In verse 2 David says, "WASH AWAY ALL MY INIQUITY AND CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN."
Sin stains, it tarnishes, it makes us dirty in the eyes of God. We are no longer clean and our sins are many times in plain sight for all to see.
One way that sin stains is that it ruins our good name, our reputation.. it puts a dark spot around all we do...
Take David for example he was a great King, He slew Goliath, defeated God’s enemies -- yet we will always remember his great sin -- it tarnished his reputation...
Two modern examples of a ruined name would be Pete Rose and Richard Nixon....The 4,000+ hits the great strides in foreign policy are over shadowed by the gambling and Watergate.
Sin stains, and even if it doesn’t become public knowledge, it will always be known before God... and we will not be able to stand before Him unashamed...
B. SIN SEPARATES [4]
It separates us from God, David said, "AGAINST YOU, YOU ONLY HAVE I SINNED..." All sin is against God -- and it separates us from God because he is Holy.
In Isaiah 6:3 we read of several angels with 6 wings, 2 of which covered their eyes, because they could not gaze upon the glory of God -- they were flying around and calling to one another;
"HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD ALMIGHTY THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY."
Our God is Holy and our sin separates us from Him -- just like oil and water. We can not mix with God is we have sin -- the wagers of sin is death eternal separation form God.. (A heavy price)
C. SIN SEIZES US WITH GUILT (3,5)
David says in verse 3, "THAT HIS SIN WAS ALWAYS BEFORE HIM"... The guilt over his sin was some thing David could not escape. The guilt was so heavy and David felt so bad about himself that he said in verse 5 he was a sinner even when he was in the womb....
Now he doesn’t really mean that he is exaggerating because he feels bad, kind of like when we say (after a failure) "I can never do anything right. Everybody is against me." That’s really not true but some times it is how we feel... David was seized with guilt over his sin.
We have all felt the agonizing attacks of guilt -- of letting our family/friends/ourselves and God down. Knowing that we chose sin and not God. In Psalm 34 a Psalm also about this sin David describes this guilt of keeping his sin hidden in vivid detail....
"WHEN I KEPT SILENT (HE KEPT SILENT FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR), MY BONES WASTED AWAY THROUGH MY GROANING ALL DAY LONG. FOR DAY AND NIGHT YOUR HAND WAS HEAVY UPON ME; MY STRENGTH WAS SAPPED AS IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER."
David learned and perhaps you have leaned that sin has a price: it seizes us with guilt -- it separates us from God -- and it stains....
II. DAVID ALSO LEARNED ABOUT THE PARDON FOR SIN [16,17]
A. In verse 16 David tells us what the Pardon is not...
David realized that he could not find forgiveness in anything that he could do.... He could not atone for his sin by bringing mere physical sacrifices... Nothing he could do could earn his forgiveness... In Mexico there is a group of people who practice asceticism (the art of self denial and suffering as a way to earn righteousness) -- each Easter to show devotion to, Christ and to earn His favor the beat themselves with rods, until the white robes they are wearing turn red.
Now that is extreme -- but before we get to critical Have we out of guilt tried to make up for our sin by practicing self denial in an effort to gain God’s favor...I’ll:
read the Bible more...go to church more...volunteer at the nursery.
Or punish ourselves by taking away some thing we like: Chocolate cake, pizza, TV... etc
I’m reasonably confident at some time or another each of us at of guilt have tried to do or not do something, to earn God’s favor... BUT THAT’S NOT WHERE OUR PARDON IS TO BE FOUND -- IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY...
B. WHAT THE PARDON IS... (17)
Because of the truth that David points out in verse one, that our God is: merciful, compassionate and has unfailing love for His children... BECAUSE OF THESE TRUTHS...
Pardon can be found by humbly coming before God - with a heart truly broken because of our sin and, with a heart full of repentance and desire to change....
When Nathan in II Samuel 12 confronts David -- David did not perform any ritualistic acts and gave no fancy worded speeches he just said, "I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD" to which Nathan responded with these words, "THE LORD HAS TAKEN AWAY YOUR SIN. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE."
God cares about the heart he always has and he always will and, when we come before him with a hearts of repentance -- the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
Jesus blood is our pardon.. from sin -- in only him will we find forgiveness. And the word of God teaches that His blood is applied to our lives during the baptism an individual whose heart has believed and whose heart is full of repentance.....AND it is also applied according to I John 1:7-9 when a Christian repents and confesses his sin to God.
David learned that Sin Has a price (stains, separates, seizes with guilt) and that sin has a pardon not because of anything we do, but because of what Jesus has already done....
III. THE THIRD LESSON DAVID LEARNED WAS ABOUT THE PLEASURE OF FORGIVENESS
The world and its ruler gets us to sin by telling us that sin is pleasurable, that it feels good -- and that’s true sin is pleasurable and it does feel Good - or else we wouldn’t do it. The Bible tells us sins is pleasurable...Hebrews 11:24 says, "MOSES CHOOSE TO BE MISTREATED WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD RATHER THAN TO ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SHORT TIME"
Did you catch what the writer says about the pleasure of sin, they only last a short time. It does feel good to do what we want to do/to live life they way we want, but only for the moment -- soon the feel good goes away and we are left to deal with the often tragic consequences...... David did experience pleasure with Bathsheba but before to long the pleasure was gone and he found himself consumed with guilt as he tried to cover up his sin.
When we live life to grab all the gusto we can we generally wind up with life’s hangovers: A broken spirit, a broken body, a broken home, a guilty conscious and a gloomy future.
David in the deeps of his despair learned about another kind of pleasure .... not short lived BUT everlasting....
not from this world BUT from God -- it’s called the pleasure of forgiveness.. and it their are 3 things we experience when we come to God for forgiveness.
A. FIRST WE EXPERIENCE THE REMOVAL OF GUILT
I’ve used this as an illustration before, but I am going to use it again because I think it provides a great analogy. How many here love to eat ice cream, frozen yogurt or sherbet? How many like it so much that they like to eat it pretty fast? And how many when you eat it too fast feel like your head has 213 ice picks sticking in it? It hurts doesn’t it? And it really feels good when it stops hurting -- When the pain stops.
In a way I think that is how the guilt of sin works... Just imagine how David must have felt when it stopped hurting.
David had lived a year with this sin hidden in his heart. You can just imagine how much it must have eaten him up -- weighed him down as he went through he motions of being the anointed King of God’s chosen people. What a heavy burden of guilt he carried.
And what joy he must have felt when it was lifted from his shoulders. One pleasure is for the removal of guilt -- for the pain to stop hurting... However, sometimes we like David will have to live with the consequences of our actions. The son born to David and Bathsheba would die, the sword would never depart form his house and he would be shamed publicly. (in a way consequences are good the remind us of the high price of sin -- can be a deterrent).
B. SECOND DAVID EXPERIENCED A RESTORATION OF FELLOWSHIP
I’m sure each of us here has had a disagreement with someone close to them (a spouse, parent, family member or friend). And I know that you know what it is like to have this disagreement stand between you and this friend... The tension in the air some times can be thick enough to cut with a knife. And I’m also sure, that you know what it feels like to have that relationship restored... to have the air cleared... it feels great to be close again.
David had a great relationship with God - but his sin tarnished that relationship. They weren’t close anymore - God had not moved -- but David did.
There was tension in the air and David felt bad , And he felt his relationship with God was in jeopardy. We read in David’s Psalm That David:
1. felt the presence of God was no longer there or that it would be taken from him.
2. he lost the joy in their relationship/in his salvation
3. his spirit was broken and weak -- he didn’t think he could go on and he feared that God would take his holy spirit from him.
The relationship needed to be restored and it was up to David to do his part. David had to come to God and confess his sins -- he had to admit to God and agree with God that what he had done was wrong.... And that is not always easy to do.... Many times pride gets in the way and we don’t want to admit that what we are doing, or not doing is sin.... But unless we confess there is no forgiveness....
And what did God do when David confessed?
He forgave him -- Listen to II Samuel 12:13 again, "THEN DAVID SAID TO NATHAN, `I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD’ AND NATHAN REPLIED, `THE LORD HAS TAKEN AWAY YOUR SIN. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE.’"
DAVID CONFESSED AND GOD FORGAVE, ALL IN ONE VERSE...
And right at that moment their relationship was restored -- and David no longer felt the heavy load of sin and guilt but rather he felt the pleasure of forgiveness.
Let’s turn back to Psalm 32 for a moment, remember we read from here about how the guilt of sin had weighed David down.... "groaning, strength sapped as in of summer" Well listen to the next verse (Ps 32:5-7,10,11)
David did what James recommends in James 4:18, "HE CAME NEAR TO GOD AND GOD CAME NEAR TO HIM." Now that’s restoration.....
C. AND AFTER THIS DAVID EXPERIENCED A REVIVAL OF PURPOSE
Sin has a way of clouding our minds, making us lose or even change our focus. With the guilt, tension and possible exposure of sin weighing down on us, our direction is lost , we forget why we are here, we forget our purpose....
That’s what happened to David -- he forgot why he was here, who he was and what he was supposed to be doing.... He was God’s chosen King for the people of Israel.... He was there spiritual and military leader... Yet from the time of his sin to his repentance -- a period of nearly a year he did not do much leading...(SCRIPTURE IS SILENT ABOUT THAT YEAR) DAVID was too busy trying to cover his sin and was THEREBY incapacitated by the burden of his sin.
but Once the guilt was removed, once his relationship with God was restored, David had a revival of purpose.... And in Ps 51 we see what that purpose was....
1. to teach; [13] David realizes that as bitter as the whole series of events was, that they had great value in teaching others about the love and forgiveness of God. And the sin that was hidden for a year has be proclaimed for 3,000 years -- and countless people have been helped and encouraged through those WORDS.
2. to worship; [14,15] I don’t imagine David did much true worship during that year... it is impossible to worship God while living in unrepentant sin... but now David is ready to WORSHIP TO sing God’s praise.
3. to serve God; As II Samuel 12 closes we find David serving God with the talents that he had, -- he was God’s King /leader and we find David here back where he belongs on the battlefield for God...back serving the Lord his God.
David has a lot to teach us about sin... And sin is not some thing far from any one here today -- as a matter of fact John in his first letter says that, anyone who says that they do not have sin is a liar and the truth is not in them. And sin needs to be dealt with... Sins of omission or commission, if not like a cancer sin will eat up your life and relationship with God.... Sin has a price!
And when we are in sin we are not doing what God has called us to do.... We are not Teaching others about him, we are not serving him with our talents and abilities and we are not really even worshipping Him.
CONCLUSION
THE STORY IS TOLD OF A FATHER WHO REALLY LOVED HIS CHILDREN... HE WAS A GREAT FATHER, HE PROVIDED FOR HIS CHILDREN, HE WAS ALWAYS THERE WHEN THEY NEEDED HIM... HE MADE COUNTLESS PERSONAL SACRIFICES SO THAT THEY COULD HAVE A BETTER LIFE. BUT WHEN THEY GREW OLDER AND FELT THEY COULD MAKE IT ON THEIR OWN THEY LEFT HOME AND, THEY NEVER CALLED OR VISITED HIM, UNLESS THEY NEEDED HIS HELP. WHICH HE ALWAYS GAVE....
YEARS LATER HE SAT DOWN WITH A LONGTIME FRIEND (WHO HAD WATCHED THE TERRIBLE TREATMENT OF THIS GOOD MAN BY HIS CHILDREN) THIS FRIEND WAS ALSO A LAWYER AND THEY SAT DOWN TO PREPARE THIS MAN’S WILL... AND HE ASKED HIS LAWYER FRIEND IF HE SHOULD LEAVE EVERYTHING TO HIS CHILDREN. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU THINK HE GAVE? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE GIVEN?
(those bums don’t deserve anything)
ARE YOU THE MAN? ARE YOU THOSE CHILDREN?
IF THERE IS SIN IN OUR LIFE YOU ARE NOT TREATING YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER VERY WELL, IF WE HAVE ACCEPTED HIS SACRIFICE AND ARE DOING WHAT WE SHOULD NOT DO -- OR, ARE NOT DOING WHAT WE SHOULD... WE ARE BUMS AND DON’T REALLY DESERVE ANYTHING... SIN NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH NOW!!!
FRIENDS SIN HAS A HIGH PRICE, BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO PAY IT....PRAISE GOD THAT THROUGH JESUS WE CAN HAVE A FULL PARDON...
AND WHEN WE DO WE WILL EXPERIENCE:
A REMOVAL OF GUILT -- RESTORATION OF FELLOWSHIP AND A REVIVAL OF PURPOSE.... NON CHRISTIAN AND CHRISTIAN...
YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE TODAY STILL IN YOU SINS....
