2 Samuel 11

1. In the spring, at the time when kings go off 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.

2. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,

3. and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

4. Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

5. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

6. So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David.

7. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going.

8. Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

9. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house.

10. When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?"

11. Uriah said to David, "The ark and 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 not do such a thing!"

12. Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.

13. At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

14. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

15. In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

16. So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were.

17. When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

26. When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.

27. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

Premeditated

Guilty

Murder

Malice

Forethought

Conniving

Deception

Adultery

Dishonest

Selfish

Devious

Cover-up

Manipulation

Deception

Liar

Betrayal

Human

Sin

Abuse of power

Weakness

Greed

Self-assertive

Rebellious

Willful

Immoral

Transgression

Iniquity

Twisted

Off-target

Unclean

Shameful

Dirty

Uncontrolled

Abomination

Ungodly

Mistake

Crooked

Ruined

Offense

Stained

Stink

Wasteful

Destructive

Forgot God

Cowardly

Illegal

Hiding

Failing

2 Samuel 11:27b

But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

2 Samuel 12:1a

The LORD sent Nathan to David.

How much time has passed? It actually tells you because later in chapter 12, we learn that the child has been born. It’s about a year later. It’s not the next day.

As a matter of fact from the time David had sexual relations with Bathsheba, it was six to eight weeks before she knew she was pregnant. So there is time going by here. This isn’t one day and then the next day and then the next day. Time is going by.

<David tried to cover this up so that no one knew. But the Lord knew. The Lord sent Nathan. You can cover it up to men but God knows, "I’m going to bring it to your attention because I know.">

Do you think other people in the kingdom knew? They had to. The messengers, the people who went to get Bathsheba, the commanders in the army, etc. You know what those people did. They gossiped, "Do you know what David did the other day?"

Notice that God is initiating the conviction with David. Don’t miss that. God initiates the conviction with you through the Holy Spirit. That’s goodness when you feel the heat and uncomfortable-ness of sin. When you’re sitting there this afternoon and the Holy Spirit convicts you and you feel that searing pain or heat in your brain, that’s God. God is sending Nathan to alert David to his sin.

2 Samuel 12:1b-3

When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 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.

This was his precious pet. Do you think that sheep is in heaven? Never mind.

2 Samuel 12:4-6

"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." David burned with anger against the man and said 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."

Who said this? David.

2 Samuel 12:7-10

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. I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 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. 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.'

This took some guts. He said this to the king. After a year has passed and David has covered it up, Nathan says this to the king.

The word "despised" there is the same thing that happens when we sin against the Lord. We have despised the Lord. That’s the strength and power of the language and the point God (through Nathan) was trying to get across to David. "You despised me."

2 Samuel 12:11-12

"This is what the LORD says: `Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"

God said, "You did this in secret but I’m going to have it done in public and all Israel will know."

We don’t have time to read them all but throughout the rest of 2^nd Samuel, this occurs. One of David’s sons rapes one of his daughters. It’s a half-daughter but it’s still a daughter. Another son takes David’s wives and sleeps with them. David flees Jerusalem and the throne and lives in the caves because he doesn’t want to hurt his son, Absalom. Absalom kills another brother and then Absalom, himself, is killed. So there are the consequences of sin that God said to David, "Your household will be full of blood and calamity."

Here’s another aspect of personal sin. We make it personal and say, "You know, God, I thought this and was convicted of sin but no one else knows. So what harm is it?" You know what happens with those thoughts? The New Testament says, "Guard every thought. Take captive every thought for Christ Jesus." What happens with these thoughts is that you have thought #1, then you have thought #2 (along the same lines), and before you know it, you’re at thought #4338.

Guess what your mindset is now? You’ll be convinced that what’s wrong is actually right. You’ve convinced yourself this is right because you allow these thoughts to keep coming and you thought there was nothing wrong with them. Then someone comes along (a spouse, a child, a parent, etc.) and it doesn’t take long before they realize, "Man, you have twisted thinking. Your thinking is not right." Do you know anyone like that?

<It’s like the Michael Jackson interview. We know he’s twisted but he doesn’t think he is.>

He doesn’t think he is. But back to us and personal sin, we can have this thought so long that we convince ourselves that something that’s totally sinful and irrational is alright. We must know God’s absolute and never waiver from it. God is absolute and we must stick to it. There is an absolute. Liberals will never accept an absolute—it always depends on the conditions and circumstances. It depends on what you’re going through that makes it OK. It’s temporary insanity that caused the woman to drive her Mercedes over her husband. "I didn’t mean to hurt him."

It goes back to absolutes. As a matter of fact, the strongest person the world wants to see, even though all of this immoral stuff is out there, is someone who does know that there are absolutes and lives by them. That’s their anchor and hope. We have our anchor and hope in one who is an absolute and that is Jesus Christ. We can show people who our savior is—Jesus Christ. We have to have the courage to stand up in front of others and say, "You know, it’s wrong for you to live together before you’re married. It’s wrong for gay and lesbian people to be together." I will not condemn the person. I’ll talk to them about Jesus Christ. But their actions are sinful. I can’t call it any other way.

It is an absolute. A lie is a lie. A parent was having discipline problems with his son. There was some money missing. It’s one of those things where you ask, "What is the son thinking about?" Has he heard other people say, "It’s OK. If you want some money, just go get it. Don’t worry about it."? What is forming up in his mind rather than the absolute—stealing is stealing and lying is lying? "Son, did you take this money?" "No, I didn’t take it." "Did you take it?" "No." What is the absolute? A lie is a lie is a lie. There’s no other way around it.

When you get to the point where you catch your children doing something wrong and you know something is wrong, you go up to them and give them this absolute. See if this doesn’t happen: they finally start to feel a little conviction. You see a little tear or a downcast face. What’s the first thing a parent wants to say? "It’s OK. It’ll be alright. People make mistakes." What did you just do with that absolute? You just took it away. You did. You have to let the conviction go through the person. Trust me. As parents, you have to let your kids feel the conviction. You can’t say, "Oh, it’s OK. Let’s go get some ice cream and you’ll feel better." What did you just teach your child? "Hey, if I do wrong, I’ll get some ice cream."

2 Samuel 12:13a

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

He sinned against the Lord. It wasn’t against Bathsheba. It wasn’t against the kingdom. It wasn’t against Uriah. It was against the Lord. So right here is where David feels the sting of conviction. It’s not just what Nathan said. David feels the heat and searing pain of God’s conviction.

2 Samuel 12:13b

Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

What did Nathan say? God has forgiven you. David acknowledged the sin, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan says, "God has taken that sin away from you. You will not die."

2 Samuel 12:14

But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."

Listen to that. What does that say? I’ve already told you about some of the consequences to David’s family. What’s another consequence of David’s sin? The enemies of the Lord show contempt for God.

In the Saturday newspaper, there was an article about church splits—wars and battles within churches. Could the enemies of the Lord (those outside the church) look with contempt on those in the church? Sure. Can they look at you with contempt when you say, "I’m a Christian. I go to church every Sunday. I teach a Bible Study," and then they see you doing something, saying something, yelling something, etc. What does that tell them about your relationship to God? It allows them to say, "I can have utter contempt for the Lord because of the way you treat Him." That’s the consequence of sin. There is no such thing as a personal sin that you keep to yourself. There are sins that we acknowledge and confess to God but there are consequences of sin that live on and on. God has forgiven you. We acknowledge the sin. There’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to live with the consequences, whether it’s you, yourself, or your children, coming along. Your parents have probably said the same thing to you.

I want to look at Psalm 51 because it shows us David’s heart after this episode. We see his pain of conviction and what he needs. Listen to this. See if it doesn’t ring true.

Psalm 51:1-2

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

What do you think God was doing while David was pouring his heart out like this? Forgiving him. Rejoicing. He was pleased. What David did displeased the Lord. What David is doing now pleased the Lord. Do understand now why the Bible can say that David had a heart after God? Was God looking at his sin or was He looking at David’s response to sin? What was He doing? Looking at his response to sin. What will God do with you? He’s looking at your response to sin. He has already forgotten your sins. He says, "They’re already gone. I don’t even remember them. But let me see how you respond to the conviction that I give you through the Holy Spirit. Let me see if you try to cover it up or make it light or shallow or compare it to someone else’s. Let’s see if you can have a relationship with me and acknowledge your personal sin to me."

Psalm 51:3-4

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

Through all this, do you see David’s heart during the heat of this murder and adultery that he’s been caught with, David says, "God, you are the just judge. You have unfailing love for me. Forgive me of my sins."

Psalm 51:5

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

That is the Adam nature that we all grew up with. Then we reach the age of accountability. That’s what David is talking about.

Psalm 51:6-8

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

"The bones you have crushed"—that’s the conviction of the Holy Spirit. David felt that conviction so much that it just crushed his bones. "Let the bones you have crushed rejoice."

Psalm 51:9-10

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

If you remember from Genesis, that word "create" is "barah." The only other time it is used outside of Genesis is here. What does it mean? God creates it. God speaks it into existence. God does it. We don’t.

Psalm 51:11

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

This is the acknowledgement and response to sin that David is giving to God. When you feel the conviction of sin, read this. Don’t put David in here. Put yourself in here. "God, take this weight off of me." We know that God is not going to take the Holy Spirit away from us because we have the promise and guarantee of the Holy Spirit now. Acknowledge it.

Psalm 51:12

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

You can read the rest of this.

This was written during the time of David’s sin with Bathsheba. Take a look at Psalm 32. I want you to see the after-effects of the confession—what forgiveness brings. After David has asked for forgiveness, God forgives him like he does us. Then David says…

Psalm 32

1. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

2. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah

5. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

7. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

8. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

9. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

10. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

So David goes from the conviction of the Holy Spirit to realizing and recognizing the forgiveness God has given him. Do you see that is God’s plan? He says, "I know you’re going to sin. I’ve already given you forgiveness of sin through the blood of my Son, Jesus Christ. Now acknowledge it to me. Feel the heat of conviction. Acknowledge it to me and you will recognize and grow in appreciation (like David) for my unfailing love, my forgiveness, and my joy."

Without going through the acknowledgment of that sin, how can you understand God’s joy? Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s not that God says, "Oh. Go ahead and sin so that you can learn more about me." He says, "I know you’re going to sin. Now here is my forgiveness. Think on that forgiveness so much that when you look at me, you realize how I have forgiven you and how much my unfailing love for you is so that you will respond to me." Do you see the positive side of that? The negative side says that we do our own thing. The positive side says, "I will respond to the Lord." In Romans 7, we see the two natures warring with each other. The flesh says, "Do this or don’t do that" against God. The Spirit within us says, "Do right. Create me anew."