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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel chapter 12, continuing the fall of David. We saw last 
week in 2 Samuel 11 his particular sins, his violation of the Ten 
Commandments, specifically the 6th and the 7th. He committed 
adultery with Bathsheba, and then he covered it up. And the 
way that he covered it up was by taking Uriah off the battlefront 
bringing him home and trying to get him to lay with his wife 
so that when the baby was found out or when it was found out 
that Bathsheba was pregnant, persons would assume that it 
was Uriah's. And then Uriah was too much an 
honorable man to do that, so David tried again by getting 
him drunk. But even the alcohol didn't destroy Uriah's integrity. He still resisted. And then David 
sent a note via Uriah to Joab so that Uriah would be killed 
in battle. And that's what we found at the 
end of the chapter. The last comment, 2 Samuel 11, 
verse 27b, but the thing that David had done, was evil in the 
Lord's eyes. So we know that God was displeased 
with this, so we come now to chapter 12 to see how God responds 
to David in this event, beginning in verse 1. Then the Lord sent 
Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to 
him, there were two men in one city, one rich and the other 
poor. The rich man had exceedingly 
many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing 
except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished. 
And it grew up together with him and with his children. It 
ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his 
bosom. And it was like a daughter to him. and a traveler came to 
the rich man who refused to take from his own flock and from his 
own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to 
him. But he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the 
man who had come to him. So David's anger was greatly 
aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, as the Lord 
lives, the man who has done this shall surely die, and he shall 
restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and 
because he had no pity. 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 Annan." Now therefore the sword shall never depart from 
your house because you have despised me and have taken the wife of 
Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, behold 
I will raise up adversity against you from your own house and I 
will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor 
and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. You 
did it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel, 
before the sun. So David said to Nathan, I have 
sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, the 
Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. However, because 
by 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. Then Nathan departed to his house. 
And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, 
and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with 
God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all 
night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose 
and went to him to raise him up from the ground. But he would 
not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day 
it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David 
were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they 
said, indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him and 
he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the 
child is dead? He may do some harm. When David 
saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child 
was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, Is the child 
dead? And they said, He is dead. So David arose from the ground, 
washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. And 
he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he 
went to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before 
him, and he ate. Then his servant said to him, 
what is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child 
while he was alive. But when the child died, you 
arose and ate food. And he said, while the child 
was alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, who can tell whether 
the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live? But 
now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring 
him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall 
not return to me. Then David comforted Bathsheba 
his wife, and went into her, and lay with her. So she bore 
a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, 
and he sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet. So he 
called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord. Now Joab fought 
against Rabbah of the people of Ammon and took the royal city. 
And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against 
Rabbah and I have taken the city's water supply. Now therefore, 
gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the 
city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after 
my name. So David gathered all the people together and went 
to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. Then he took their 
king's crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold 
with precious stones, and it was set on David's head. Also 
he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance, and 
he brought out the people who were in it and put them to work 
with saws and iron picks and iron axes. and made them cross 
over to the brickworks. So he did to all the cities of 
the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people 
returned to Jerusalem." Amen. We're going to just take up the 
first half of the chapter this evening, specifically verses 
1 to 14, the rebuke of God's prophet and the repentance of 
the king. And we'll look at it under three 
considerations. First, the instruction by God's 
prophet in verses 1 to 6. Secondly, the indictment of God's 
King in verses 7 to 12, and then the implementation of God's grace 
in verses 13 to 14. And certainly as we look at this 
particular section, it truly does celebrate the amazing grace 
of God. I oftentimes think that God's 
grace looks that much more beautiful and glorious with the backdrop 
of sin. And certainly in chapter 11, 
that is what we have. God's grace shines most brightly 
when we see the sin and the depravity that God delivers persons from. 
And that is precisely the emphasis here. It's not upon David's goodness, 
it's not upon the efficacy of his repentance, it's not upon 
his flowery confession because he only confesses by saying two 
words, I have sinned against the Lord, two words in Hebrew. 
It's because of God's grace and it's because of the work of God's 
son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that he extends this forgiveness to 
King David of Israel. Well, let's look at the instruction 
by God's prophet. First, the initiative of God. 
Verse 1, then the Lord sent Nathan to David. That is a great blessing. Then the Lord sent Nathan to 
David. We ought to praise God that He 
does not leave His servants in their sin. Remember that David 
committed adultery, he committed murder, and about a nine month 
or at least nine months had lapsed. David did not deal with his sin 
for all of that time. But God takes the initiative 
and God sends Nathan to David. God is relentless in his pursuit 
of his people. He's not going to let David go. 
He may let him stumble, but he's not going to let him fall. He 
is going to deliver him, and the means by which he does that 
is to dispatch his prophet so that he can call David to repentance. God is good. It's good when you 
have people in your life that are sent by the Lord. Maybe not 
directly the way that Nathan was sent by the Lord, but a wife, 
or a husband, or a child, or a parent, or somebody that's 
faithful and tells you that you're in sin, or somebody that's faithful 
and tells you that you are wayward. That is a mercy from God. It's 
a thing to be terrified of when we are left to ourselves, but 
the fact that God does this is an evidence of His love and His 
concern for us. Even in preaching, praise God 
for applicatory preaching, because sometimes sins are found out 
in that particular way. Persons get convicted under preaching, 
they make resolution, or they repent before God, they resolve 
not to do it again. That's a mercy from the Lord. 
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. Ralph Davis says, the 
words and the Lord sent, they show us that grace pursues and 
exposes the sinner and his sin. They teach us that Yahweh will 
not allow his servant to remain comfortable in sin, but will 
ruthlessly expose his sin, lest he settle down in it. Again, 
a mercy, a kindness. It may be a bit uncomfortable 
to have sin pointed out, It may have been uncomfortable for David 
to be in this verse 7 posture where Nathan the prophet says, 
you are the man, but a little uncomfort on this side of heaven 
is far better than to end up in hell because God didn't seek 
us out by his servant Nathan. David says, you may succeed in 
unfaithfulness, but Yahweh will come after you. John Calvin comments 
on this brief phrase, then the Lord sent Nathan to David. He 
says, let us note that there is nothing better than when God 
sends us messengers of His wrath. for then he can make us feel 
his mercy and cease to enjoy our sins so that we may apprehend 
his vengeance and our conscience may torment us to the extent 
of humbling us to seek pardon and remission in him until he 
has accepted us." I think this is another reason why it is most 
important for us to attend to the public means of grace. I 
think that persons who only listen online, or persons who only used 
to, I don't think anybody does this anymore, but the cassette 
tape used to be a means by which persons got their sermons. Well, 
if things get a little bit uncomfortable, you can exercise the power of 
the finger to silence that cassette tape. You can exercise the power 
of the finger to silence that internet feed. But when you are 
under preaching, I mean, there are people and there have been 
people that will get up and walk out during the sermon, but for 
the most part, persons typically stay put. And that is a means 
by which God sends His Nathans to His Davids in order to call 
them to repentance and faith, or repentance and a renewed faith 
in Him. Now note the parable of the prophet. Essentially this is commentary 
or in parabolic form what we've already seen take place in chapter 
11. The persons involved, we have 
a rich man and we have a poor man. Notice that the prophet 
expands more upon the poor man than he does upon the rich man. 
Because up to this point, we've got a belly full of the rich 
man. We know how David has been functioning. We know how David 
has been acting. We know how David has been conducting 
himself. Verse 3, but the poor man had 
nothing, this is Uriah, except one little ewe lamb, which he 
had bought and nourished And it grew up together with him 
and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank 
from his own cup and lay in his bosom. And it was like a daughter 
to him." There was intimacy, there was communion, there was 
union, there was joy, there was happiness. Uriah had a good thing 
going with Bathsheba, his wife. Now note the specific issue that 
comes to pass. And a traveler comes to the rich 
man and the rich man refuses to take from his own flock and 
from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who 
had come to him." Notice, look at what the rich man does with 
reference to the poor man. It says that he took the poor 
man's lamb. Notice in 11.4, he sent messengers 
and he took her. David is the rich man in the 
parable. Uriah is the poor man in the 
parable. So he takes this little lamb, 
he barbecues it so that he can feed this wayfarer, so that he 
can feed this traveler. Now note David's response to 
this particular story. Verse 5, David's anger was greatly 
aroused against the man. His anger was greatly aroused. Now, Nathan's methodology here 
is absolutely brilliant. He wants to bring David under 
conviction of sin. What better way than to get David 
to see it for himself? He doesn't have to coax him. 
He doesn't have to bring all these things to bear upon him. 
He doesn't have to spend 20 hours trying to show him that what 
he has done is wrong. He tells this simple story which 
takes up two verses And he is basically, in essence, reeling 
David in. So David is outraged. One man, 
Robert Alter, says that Nathan's rhetorical trap has now snapped 
shut. David, by his excess of anger, 
condemns himself, and he becomes the helpless target of the denunciation 
that Nathan will unleash. Everything's going according 
to plan in terms of Nathan. And so David is outraged, his 
anger is up against this particular man. Now notice his judicial 
verdict. One of the aspects of being the 
king was to render a judicial verdict. In the first instance, 
David calls for the death penalty. David's anger is greatly aroused. 
He says, as the Lord lives, he swears by Jehovah. An interesting 
thing for a man who's been living apart from Jehovah, a man who 
has been distant from Jehovah, a man who has made peace with 
being absent from Jehovah. Nevertheless, he invokes the 
name of the Lord, and he says, the man who has done this shall 
surely die, or the man who has done this deserves to die. David, in essence, is signing 
his own death warrant here, and he doesn't realize it at this 
particular point. We, the reader, realize that 
this is indeed the penalty that is due for David. Committing 
adultery and committing murder were capital offenses under the 
law. And David does speak rightly. But in terms of the parable, 
that would be overkill, pardon the pun. The death penalty was 
never applied for property theft. And so David then, I don't know 
if it's an adjustment or it's an addition or an addendum or 
what, but he says in verse 6, and he shall restore fourfold 
for the land. That's what the law stipulated 
in Exodus 22 and verse 1. And as Gil points out, the Jews 
observed that accordingly David was punished with the loss of 
four of his children. It's precisely what's going to 
happen with David as the narrative unfolds. All the way from here 
to chapter 20, what do we see but the sword not departing from 
David's household? He loses the son that is in Bathsheba. He loses Amnon. He loses Tamar 
in essence. She goes and is desolate. He loses Absalom. He loses Adonijah. So there's different ways to 
tally the four, but there is a fourfold punishment involved 
in what David has done in this particular instance. And then 
note the clincher of David's complaint at the end of verse 
6. Because he had no pity. Exactly, David, we know that's 
the case. This rich man seizes or takes 
the poor man's ewe lamb in order to cut it up and to cook it for 
his traveling friend. And this was an act of pitilessness 
or pitilessness, and David rightly speaks concerning this. Now note, 
secondly, the indictment of God's king. You know, you probably 
think as you read scripture sometimes, I'd like to see the face on the 
person when this was said. I wonder how David looked when 
verse 7 was happening. The closest I get is John Knox 
leaning over his pulpit, preaching at the Queen of England and, 
you know, indicting him for this grievous sin. Then Nathan said 
to David, you are the man. I mean, the weight of God's law 
just falls upon David. The amount or the enormity of 
his sin comes upon him in this very moment. It is truly an amazing 
episode in terms of the prophetic word. The effectiveness of this. One man, Alexander White, said 
that Nathan's sword was within an inch of David's conscience 
before David knew that Nathan had a sword. David didn't know 
that Nathan was gunning for him. David only wanted to listen to 
this particular story, or was presented with this particular 
story of the rich man and the poor man. David didn't realize 
that Nathan was brandishing this sword until verse 7. The sword 
is plunged in, Nathan confesses that you are the man, and now 
the indictment from God comes. And there's three things we ought 
to observe in verses 7 to 12. First, the grace given. Secondly, 
the accusation leveled, and then thirdly, the consequences described 
for his sin. Note, God begins here with His 
grace, I think in order to exacerbate David's sin. I think if you look 
at a couple, a situation wherein a married couple, let's say one 
of the partners is unfaithful and engages in adultery, that 
is a heinous and a wicked and a vile thing. It's even more 
heinous and wicked and vile if the innocent party was only ever 
good. I'm not justifying it if that 
innocent party was bad, but if that innocent party was a good 
husband or a good wife, and they were fulfilling their roles according 
to Ephesians 5, I think it exacerbates the wretchedness and the sinfulness 
of the one who departed from that covenant bond. And that's 
what God is doing. here specifically in verses 7 
to 8. He is rehearsing the grace that 
he has given to David in order to make this indictment all the 
more stinging and piercing in David's soul. Note God says, 
first he anointed David king over Israel. I took you from 
the shepherd, I took you from shepherding the sheep in the 
field. I brought you into this position. I brought you into 
this place. I exalted you over my people, 
my covenant people. He says the Lord, or the Lord 
then says that he delivered him from the hand of Saul. David, 
you saw my grace for that however many years you were running from 
Saul. You came into some close contact 
with death. You came into some very dangerous 
situations. You were in situations that there 
was no earthly way out of it. Twice God sends the Philistines 
to save David, or to save his skin from Saul. So God says, 
I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you from Saul. 
He then says that he gave David Saul's house and Saul's wives. Now we have no record of David 
taking Saul's wives, but this was an ancient Near Eastern practice 
of kings. The succeeding king would take 
the preceding king's wives and houses and property and all that 
sort of stuff. And then God says that He gave 
David both houses of Israel and Judah. We've seen that in 2 Samuel, 
right? David in 1 Samuel occupies the 
leadership or the kingship over the northern tribes. But then 
we come to 2 Samuel, there's the consolidation of the entire 
kingdom under David. And then this is just a clincher. 
Look at what God says in verse 8. I gave you your master's house 
and your master's wives into your keeping and gave you the 
house of Israel and Judah. Now this is our God, brothers 
and sisters, and if that had been too little, I also would 
have given you much more." In other words, David, the problem 
isn't with God. The problem isn't that I haven't 
provided for you. The problem isn't that you don't 
have the legitimate outlet to vent your sexuality. That's not 
the problem, David. The problem is in your soul. 
The problem is in your heart. The problem is your sin and your 
rebellion. The sin of David could not be 
blamed on the stinginess of God. The sin of David was exacerbated 
by the goodness of God. You see the wisdom here. God 
bringing this reproof upon his servant David. He could have 
just said, you violated my law, off with you. But that's not 
what he does. He wants David. He wants to win David. He wants 
to woo David. He wants to show David what's 
at stake when David sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. It is a 
rejection of the graciousness of God Himself. Davis says that 
Yahweh begins with grace. For sin to appear as lurid as 
it should, it must stand in the blaze of grace. If you doubt 
this, look at Jeremiah chapters 2 and 3. Jeremiah is dealing 
with a very idolatrous people, and Jeremiah 2 paints the picture 
of gross sin and wickedness and depravity. We get to Jeremiah 
3, and five times God says through the prophet to the people, yet 
return to me, says the Lord. I told the old people at Cascade 
today, if anybody ever tells you there's no grace, there's 
no kindness, there's no compassion, or there's no mercy in the Old 
Testament, you... I didn't say laugh in their face, 
but resist that because it's all full of grace and mercy and 
kindness and compassion. Jeremiah 2, the gross immorality 
of the people of God. Jeremiah 3, yet return to me, 
says the Lord. He says, return to me and I will 
heal your backslidings. He doesn't say, fix yourself 
and then come to me. He says, return to me and I will 
heal your backslidings. The same is true here. For sin 
to appear as lurid as it should, it must stand in the blaze of 
grace. He goes on to say, treachery may only appear hideous when 
viewed against the fidelity it has despised. So Yahweh itemizes 
His grace to David. In this way, Yahweh stresses 
the senselessness of David's sin. In other words, He is saying 
there is no reason for it, David. Think about this, and I think 
this is a good lesson and a good message to all of us. The Lord 
has been very gracious. He has been very kind. He has 
given us those things, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly 
places in Christ. He has justified us. He is sanctifying 
us. He is going to glorify us. There 
is no reason why we ought to stray or wander. There is no 
reason why we ought to pursue vain things. There is no reason 
we ought to seek other gods, because our God has given us 
everything. He stresses the senselessness 
of David's sin by highlighting his great grace to David. Now note the accusation leveled 
in verse 9. He highlights the lawlessness 
of David. He says, Why have you despised 
the commandment of the Lord? You see, this is what's at stake. 
God commands it. Why don't I commit murder and 
commit adultery? Because God commands us not to. Why don't I have other gods before 
God? Because God commands us not to. I realize that this is not something 
the modern church likes to hear, but the Bible everywhere is pro-law. The Bible everywhere is pro-namos. The Bible everywhere promotes 
to the people of God law-keeping. In fact, Jesus says, if you love 
me, you will what? You will keep my commandments. 
John the Apostle tells us the commandments of God are not burdensome. The burden is in our own wretched 
hearts when we look at the law and we don't want to do what 
it has to say. But God says, why have you despised 
the commandment of the Lord? Now this is very impressive in 
terms of who the audience is, because David did learn his lesson, 
didn't he? I mean, the man would go on to 
write Psalm 119. Certainly he learned not to despise 
the commandment of God, lest you think that this may not be 
the best approach to take in reproving a sinner. It was a 
most excellent approach in reproving a sinner, because this sinner 
was not only reproved, but he confessed, he forsook, he found 
mercy with God, and he celebrated the commandment instead of continually 
despising it. Notice the gravity of David's 
act. He says, to do evil in his sight. To despise the commandment of 
God is to do evil in God's sight. It is to violate his law. It is to engage in that which 
is evil. It is contrary to the will and 
to the word of God. And then notice the treachery 
of David's act. He spells it out in full detail. No, you have killed Uriah the 
Hittite with the sword. You say, but David wasn't even 
at the battlefield. David wasn't even at the battlefront. 
Isn't that how chapter 11 starts off when kings went out to battle 
and David stayed in Jerusalem? Conspiracy to murder means that 
the conspirator is a murderer, okay? Conspiracy to murder means 
that the conspirator is a murderer. And God charges David with being 
guilty of the murder of Uriah. He was however many miles away 
from the battlefront. He was however many miles away 
from Uriah when his blood was shed in battle. But it was him 
and upon him that the guilt was laid. You have killed Uriah the 
Hittite with the sword. Notice, you have taken his wife 
to be your wife. Just like that rich man took 
that poor man's ewe lamb. I wonder if David is ringing 
with the parable and David is saying, I see the wisdom of Nathan. 
I understand the power of the parable. I get what's happening 
here. I'm being laid low at this particular 
moment. God is rehearsing before me all 
of the wretchedness that I engaged in over this particular event. I've killed Uriah the Hittite, 
I have taken his wife to be my wife, and then notice, you have 
killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. This is 
disgraceful for Uriah. For a soldier to be killed by 
the sword of an enemy soldier, this was a disgrace and this 
was shameful. I think that's why God brings 
this up to him. Now note the consequences described 
in verses 10 to 12. And this, you know, we need to 
understand, God does forgive our sins, but there may be consequences 
associated with our sins. And if the lessons of 2 Samuel 
teach you anything, teach you this, God may indeed forgive 
you of your transgression and keep you from hell. But God will 
not allow things to go undealt with or unchastised. There may 
be temporal consequences should you decide to commit murder and 
to commit adultery. The Lord God is not mocked, the 
Lord God will not be despised, and the Lord God will maintain 
and uphold His holiness so that all may see and fear and tremble. Note the consequences described. First, the sword would not depart 
from David's house. Remember David's little quip 
to the messenger back in chapter 11 at verse 25? It's thrown back 
in his face. Remember what he says to the 
messenger. Then David said to the messenger, verse 25, Thus 
you shall say to Joab, Do not let this thing displease you 
or be evil in your sight, for the sword devours one as well 
as another. Strengthen your attack against 
the city and overthrow it. Little did David know that that 
would be thrown right back in his face, and God the Lord would 
say, the sword will not depart from your house. The irony is 
evident. The application is going to be 
spelled out in 2 Samuel. Amnon dies by the sword in chapter 
13, verses 28 and 29. Absalom dies by the sword in 
chapter 18 at verse 14. Adonijah dies at the hand of 
Benaiah in 1 Kings chapter 2 and verse 25. You see, God is not 
lying. When God says there are going 
to be consequences temporally for your sin, David saw it. David experienced it, and hopefully 
we will be smart enough and wise enough to learn from David and 
resist the temptation to commit adultery, or to commit murder, 
or to engage in idolatry. Things never go well with the 
unfaithful. That's what Solomon says in the 
book of Proverbs. The way of the unfaithful is 
hard. And David had expressed an unfaithfulness, 
and now his way would be hard. The sword shall never depart 
from your house. Now note specifically the reason. Because you have despised me. If you compare verse 9 and 10, 
what do you find? To despise the commandment of 
Yahweh is to despise Yahweh. You see, you can't say, well, 
I love God, but I don't really have a lot of time for his word, 
right? Really love God, but you know, those commandments, they're 
just, you know, soul testament. Well, to despise the one is to 
despise the other. To resist the law is to resist 
the law giver. To reject the Word of God is 
to reject the God of the Word. This is the juxtaposition in 
verses 9 and 10. To despise the commandment of 
Yahweh is to despise Me, God says. And have taken the wife 
of Uriah, the Hittite, to be your wife. Now note, there will 
be insurrection within his own household. Verse 11, thus says 
the Lord, Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from 
your own house. This happens with Absalom, doesn't 
it? That great usurpation where Absalom 
basically wins the hearts of Israel and turns the people against 
his own father. You see, everything that is specified 
here under the consequences described in verses 10 to 12, that's what 
takes up the rest of 2 Samuel. That's what occupies our attention. 
In fact, next week we'll finish chapter 12, but then we get into 
the rape of Tamar by Amnon. I mean, it is unsavory stuff 
that comes as a result of David's sin. And you see, when a king 
sins and when a father sins, there is ramification upon others 
as well. So there would be adversity against 
David from his own house. And then note the public defilement 
of his wives, 11b and verse 12. And I will take your wives before 
your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with 
your wives in the sight of the sun. For you did it secretly, 
but I will do this thing before all Israel before the sun. This is done by Absalom in chapter 
16, verses 21 and 22, in such a public way that all Israel, 
or at least anyone in Ishot, would be able to see what's going 
on. Now, it may rise up in someone's hearts, hopefully not anyone 
here, to say, well, that seems a little bit severe that the 
Lord God would deal thus with David. The Lord God is a holy 
and a righteous and a just God. So we move through the narrative, 
the fact that the son of Bathsheba and David dies. I can hear persons 
in the church saying, well, that doesn't seem right. That doesn't 
seem fair. Wait till we get to verse 31 
in chapter 12 and really see you flip out when we look at 
that text in a little bit more detail. But you know what, brethren? God always does what's right. God always does what's just. 
God always does what is holy. And so what he is executing here, 
in terms of consequences, in terms of chastisement upon David, 
is legit. This is the living and the true 
God. Now notice, finally, the implementation 
of God's grace in verses 13 and 14. Note David's confession. So David said to Nathan, I have 
sinned against the Lord. As I said, two words in Hebrew. 
Two words. I dealt with this a little bit 
when we looked at Proverbs 28, 13, but trusting that your memories 
don't go back quite that far, I'll repeat some of the things 
that were said then. We may think David got off easy. Two words of confession and that's 
it? It's all done? It's over? Two 
words of confession and he's off the hook? That doesn't seem 
right. Doesn't David have to suffer? 
Doesn't he have to squirm? Doesn't he have to wear a hair 
shirt? Doesn't he have to go live out in a cave? Doesn't he 
have to put ashes in his soup for the next six months? Doesn't 
he have to take a whip of cords and beat himself on the back? 
I mean, the Catholics teach that we have to go through this penance 
before we can actually appropriate the forgiveness and the mercy 
of God. Well, the Catholics are wrong. You see, David confessed 
his sin and God forgave him. Davis says, some may consider 
this confession too brief. After all, David only says two 
Hebrew words and Nathan gives him an assurance aparted. Does 
David get off too easily? Is he only expected to say the 
right formula? We would prefer him to wallow 
in his guilt and plead, beg, and agonize over the possibility 
of pardon. If only he would writhe in obvious 
misery. We should know better, but we 
still assume, listen, that intensity of repentance contributes to 
atonement. You see, David doesn't have to 
earn forgiveness because Christ has purchased forgiveness. That's 
the problem with potpourri. This idea that we can somehow 
gain or earn forgiveness through our penance is an utter rejection 
of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It is a rejection 
of the grace of God. David is a biblical Christian. David is a God-fearer. David 
is one who believes on the Lord Jesus. I have sinned against 
the Lord. If there was a 15-verse confession 
by David with flowery language, we may be tempted or inclined 
to think, well, God forgave him because of that prayer. God forgave 
him because he invoked his own goodness in the past. God forgave 
him because David was able to prove to God that his good outweighed 
the past. No, I have sinned against Yahweh. The Berlberg Bible on the simplicity 
of his confession. The words are very few. Just as in the case of the publican 
in the Gospel of Luke. What's the publican in the Gospel 
of Luke do? I mean, it's the Pharisee that 
has the long flowery prayer, who thanks God that he's not 
like other men. And he thanks God that he tithes, 
and that he fasts, and that he does all those things. The publican 
can't even look up to heaven, but he says, God be merciful 
to me, the sinner. Whom does Jesus, or who does 
Jesus say goes to his house justified? He says it's the publican. Do 
you know how offensive that was to Jesus' audience? We read that 
as Protestants and we've learned to accept it and we praise God 
for it. But in that original context, when those persons heard 
that it was the publican who would go home justified, that 
was scandalous and shocking. You mean the Pharisee, who prayed 
thus with himself and was able to present the reality that he 
was a great man? That man didn't go home justified? 
Exactly. Because it's not by works, it's 
by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone. The 
Berlberg goes on to say, I like that word, Berlberg, but that 
is a good sign of a thoroughly broken spirit. There is no excuse, 
there is no cloaking, there is no palliation of the sin. There 
is no searching for a loophole, no pretext put forward, no human 
weakness pleaded. He acknowledges guilt openly, 
candidly, and without prevarication, or to speak or act in an evasive 
way. And I've often heard or I've 
heard in the past where persons have said something like this, 
you know, so-and-so got caught and so he confessed. Well, David 
got caught and he confessed, right? Does it count? If you're 
in sin and somebody catches you and you repent, does it count? Well, evidently it counted for 
David. Saul got caught in his sin, but 
he didn't repent. The issue isn't whether or not 
we got caught or got away with it. The issue is repentance. Oh, well, he only confessed because 
he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Well, praise 
God, he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and he confessed 
it, he forsook it, and now he's right with his maker. You see, 
brethren, we need to be careful when persons get caught in sin. Hopefully, we don't get caught 
in sin. Hopefully, we repent far before 
that, or we don't even make a practice out of sin. But I have heard 
that, oh, he only came clean because he got caught. Well, 
maybe that was God's means for him to come clean. Do you ever 
read 2 Samuel 12? Because that's what the Lord 
does with David. He sends Nathan to tell him this 
parable, to bring this conviction, to lead him along by the hand, 
to bring him to that place where he says, I have sinned. You see, 
whether he's caught or not, the issue is repentance. Now notice, 
after David confesses, Nathan says to David, some of the most 
glorious words in our Bible, the Lord also has put away your 
sin. Isn't that amazing? That's what we have in the gospel. That's ours, brethren. Isn't 
that the emphasis in 1 John 1? If we confess our sins, He's 
faithful and just to make us feel miserable for six months 
and eat soup with ashes and wear hair shirts, and then maybe He'll 
forgive us of our... That's not what the text says. 
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive 
us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, the gospel 
logic is, because of that, I don't want to sin. It is a distortion 
and a perversion for persons to say, well, if that's the way 
it is, then everybody will just go out and sin because, you know, 
forgiveness is so easy to fetch. Now, Paul deals with this in 
Romans 6. What shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin? May it never be. We died. We've been raised with Christ. 
No longer present your members as instruments of unrighteousness. 
Gospel logic means this. Because I have this access to 
God through my Lord Jesus Christ, I don't want to sin. I don't 
want to commit adultery. I certainly don't want to murder 
people. I don't want to be an idolater. But if I do sin, I 
have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. 
I have one who always lives to make intercession for me. I have 
one who pleads those wounds on my behalf. I have one who stands 
between me and the Father and who pleads my case before God. That's the blessed beauty of 
the gospel itself. Nathan says to David, the Lord 
also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Gil says, 
though he should die a corporeal death. Yes, of course, David's 
going to die eventually. David is not going to live forever. 
Though he should die a corporeal death, yet not by the immediate 
hand of God, or by the sword of justice as a malefactor." 
You see, God doesn't execute the death penalty. I've heard 
this in debate before. You know, we argue for pro-death 
penalty, and people say, well, David wasn't put to death. Well, 
when the lawgiver suspends or commutes the sentence, he's free 
to do that. When the lawgiver himself says, 
I'm not going to inflict the death penalty, but when the people 
are supposed to obey the lawgiver, we meet out the death penalty 
as required. But that's an aside. He goes 
on to say, as a malefactor, a murderer, and adulterer. as he, according 
to the law, deserved to die. Nor should he die a spiritual 
death, though his grace had been so low, and his corruptions had 
risen so high." So God gives grace to David. God puts away 
David's sin. Now note the immediate consequence 
in view in verse 14. However, because by this deed 
you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to 
blaspheme." Some of the versions have it a little bit different. 
The ESV has, you have utterly scorned the Lord. And there's 
some warrant for that sort of a translation. The end game is 
the same. God has been dishonored, whether 
it is from the enemies of the Lord, or whether it is the direct 
affront to God himself. The problem, David, with what 
you have done, yes, it was a sin against Bathsheba, yes, it was 
a sin against Uriah, but ultimately it was a sin against the Most 
High God, and He has been brought to scorn. This is why David in 
Psalm 51 says against thee and thee only have I sinned and done 
this evil. He's not negating Bathsheba and 
Uriah. He's not saying they're unimportant 
if I had it to do... No! He sees himself dealing with 
a thrice holy God. That's the view in Psalm 51, 
that psalm that was composed after this particular event. 
Now note the immediate consequence. Because of this, the child also 
who is born to you shall surely die. The death of the son of 
David and Bathsheba. And God willing, we'll see that 
next week in the following portion in chapter 12. But there is an 
interesting note here. The child also who is born to 
you shall surely die. There is a death that takes place, 
isn't there? There's a death that takes place 
for David's sin. It sounds like something that 
might happen in the future from David's vantage point, right? 
There's a death that takes place because of sin. Davis says, So, thus ends our exposition. 
I want to just draw out a couple of lessons and then we go. In 
the first place, we need to consider that initiative of God. And brethren, 
I would even urge us to pray that God would show such initiative. 
We are prone to wander and we are prone to leave the God we 
love. We are prone to engage in those things that dishonor 
our Lord. And so we ought to consider praying, 
God, send us a Nathan if we start to get out of line. God, so work 
in my wife that she'll be man enough to stand up to me in my 
sin. God, use my husband to correct me when I'm wrong. or when I'm 
in sin. Not, you know, you didn't pick 
up the socks, honey, so I'm going to be your Nathan. I'm not talking 
about that. Use my brothers at the church. Use my sisters at 
the church. Use the preaching at the church 
to be the means in your hand to keep me from going to Davidic 
lengths in my sin and depravity. I don't want to live away from 
God. I don't want to spend nine months away from God. I don't 
want to engage in adultery and murder. Brethren, if we're going 
to deal with sin properly and righteously and biblically, we 
need to take radical aims to deal with it. And if that means 
asking God to send us a Nathan, perhaps on a Sunday morning you 
pray, may God bless the preaching in such a way that Nathan the 
prophet will come and show me that I am the man. Brethren, 
that's the best thing about preaching. Not, wow, there was great structure 
in that sermon, but, wow, that's a great God, and I need to repent, 
and I want to follow Him and serve Him. That's the mark of 
sermons that are blessed of God, when genuine change is wrought 
in the heart. So we ought to welcome the initiative 
of God. We ought not to want it to be 
the case that we get away with it. I told my children many times 
in the past in their upbringing, whenever they were caught in 
sin, or when they were caught in an infraction, or when they 
were caught in something, I would always remind them, this is a 
blessing from God. Because if you were not caught, 
guess what you would do? You would be hardened, and you 
would go further and further and further. There was one or 
two of them that, praise God, they got caught all the time. 
And I am so thankful to the Lord for that, because if they had 
not, they might have gone to Davidic lengths in sinning against 
the Lord Most High. As well, we ought to appreciate 
from this passage the wretchedness of sin. The act itself as seen 
in chapter 11. And then as explained in verse 
9 of our chapter. 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. You have killed him with the sword of the people 
of Ammon. Talk about applicatory preaching. Oh, pastor, you shouldn't 
say such things because it'll make people feel bad. God says, 
David, David, David, this is what you've done against me. 
It is a despising of the commandment of the Lord. And it is a despising 
of me. Don't do that. That is wrong. 
It is wicked. So we see the wretchedness of 
sin. And then when we place it in 
the context of God's grace in 12, 7 and 8, it becomes that 
much more heinous. I mean, how could anybody in 
their right mind sin against such a good God? Well, you all 
know the answer. We do it. Maybe not to the degree 
that David does in chapter 11. But brethren, consciously recall 
the grace of God in your life and let that be a motivator so 
that you might not sin against Him. What does Newton write in 
Amazing Grace? "'Twas grace that taught my heart 
to fear." Right? Not grace that gave me liberty, 
though it did that. Grace that gave me salvation, 
it does that. Grace that gives me an interest 
in Christ, it does that most certainly. It was grace that 
taught my heart to fear. What does that fear do? Hopefully 
it causes us to pursue God in a way that is pleasing to God. 
That's what we consciously need to recall, the grace of God, 
the context we find ourselves in and see how wretched it is 
to engage in sin. And then just to develop that 
point, the grace of God, we see the grace of God toward David 
prior to his fall into sin. I mean, verses 7 and 8 encapsulate 
everything we've studied in 1 and 2 Samuel up to this point, isn't 
it? I mean, if you want a great summary 
of everything that has come before 2 Samuel 12, just land on verses 
7 and 8. God anointed David. God set him 
as king over Israel. God delivered him from Saul. 
God gave him both Israel and Judah. I gave you Saul's houses. I gave you Saul's wives. And 
if this was not enough, I would have given you not just more, 
Look at the emphasis, but much more. Isn't this what Paul says 
with his great grace? I mean, grace in itself is great, 
isn't it? But for Paul, he's got a heap 
on great grace. Grace isn't enough when we're 
dealing with this God. We have to speak of great grace, 
super abounding grace, and that's what God alludes to here. I would 
have given you much more, David. As well, we see the grace of 
God toward David after his fall into sin. The Lord has also put 
away your sin. That's grace, that's mercy, that's 
kindness, that's justice, founded upon the cross of our Lord Jesus. The grace of God toward David 
as a result of the redemptive work of Christ. I pulled a Luther 
quote out of Galatians. Luther on Galatians 3.2. He says, 
ìBut we must learn by all means that forgiveness of sins, Christ 
and the Holy Spirit are granted, and granted freely only when 
we hear with faith.î I love this, ìEven our huge sins and demerits 
do not stand in the way.î Even our huge sins and demerits do 
not stand in the way. God's grace is super abounding. But we need to recognize the 
grace of God toward David did not remove the temporal consequences 
resulting from his sin. there would still be the sword, 
there would still be the insubordination on the part of Absalom, there 
would still be the public defilement of his wives. We need to get 
that in our heads, brethren. God does forgive us, He does 
cleanse us, He does wash us in the blood, but there may be temporal 
consequences associated with sins that we commit in this world. 
And then as well, we ought to see the character of David. Verse 
13 is beautiful. I have sinned against the Lord. 
Notice what David does not do. David didn't try to argue with 
God. I mean, some of them, I wasn't 
being God, I don't know, you must have had somebody else, 
I wasn't there. David doesn't try to blame others 
for his sin. Notice that verse 13, David doesn't 
say, well, you know, if Bathsheba hadn't have been on that roof 
bathing naked, then, you know, I wouldn't be in this mess. People 
do that, don't they? Adam did it. A woman whom you 
gave me, she gave me to eat. David doesn't do that. He's laid 
bare. You see, when you're laid bare 
by the sovereignty of God, by the penetrating word of God, 
through the prophet of God, there's no argument to offer. There's 
no, you know, lawyer to hire. There's no, you know, Bathsheba 
this or Uriah that. No, he didn't offer his good 
works as a bargaining chip either. He doesn't say, but God, I've 
done so much. I mean, can't you just allow 
me this one? God, I've accomplished so much 
in terms of my rule over Israel and over Judah, and we're dealing 
with the Ammonites as we speak. We've dealt with the Syrians, 
and we've broken the back of the Philistines, and we've got 
things quieted down, the kingdom is stable, people have money, 
there's economic prosperity. He doesn't do that. All he says 
is, I have sinned against the Lord. Now, we need to couple 
2 Samuel 11 and 12 with 1 Samuel 16. where God chooses the man after 
his own heart. Does David stop being a man after 
God's own heart in chapters 11 and 12? David's always the man 
after God's own heart. Well, how do we reconcile the 
two? I like what Davis says. He says, to be the man after 
God's own heart is not to be sinlessly perfect, but to be 
among other things, utterly submissive to the accusing word of God. In other words, David sides with 
God and says, you're right. That's what Psalm 51 is. David 
just saying everything God says is true about me. I'm a wretch. I'm horrible. I'm monstrous. 
Save for the grace of God, everything about me is just polluted and 
evil and wicked. So to be the man after God's 
own heart, at least with reference to the sons of men, not the Lord 
Jesus, He is the man after God's own heart perfectly. But with 
reference to us, it doesn't necessarily mean that we're sinlessly perfect, 
but by God's grace we are submissive even to His accusing word. We 
don't try to argue ourselves out of it. We don't try to redefine 
it and say, well, you know, I'm just doing what other kings would 
do. No, he doesn't do any of that. He says, I have sinned 
against the Lord. And then finally, with reference 
to this chapter, it would have reminded the faithful Israel 
to long in heartfelt anticipation for the promised heir of 2 Samuel 
7, 12 to 14. We saw that last week. When we 
saw David's sin, we reminded ourselves of 2 Samuel 7, the 
promise of the Davidic covenant, the promise that God would raise 
up a king that would rule forever and ever. We saw that death does 
not annul the promise, time does not exhaust the promise, and 
sin itself does not destroy the promise. And so the faithful 
Israelite would come out of 2 Samuel 11 and 12, say, you know, I love 
David, but I love his greater son even more. And I look forward 
to the day when he will come and he won't go into Bathsheba 
and murder Uriah and do all manner of wickedness. So it was a promotion 
of the Messiah for the people of God. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for your grace as 
we see it so clearly in 2 Samuel 12. May we not forget it in our 
own lives, in our own context, and in our own experience. Certainly 
you have been gracious to each of us that you have brought us 
here, that you brought us out of darkness into marvelous light, 
that you've given us life eternal in Christ Jesus. May these things 
all mount as arguments against a sinfulness and a and a pursuit 
of those things which are ungodly and unholy. Would you go with 
us now and watch over us in the remainder of this week and bring 
us together on Saturday to do some work here, bring us together 
on the Lord's Day to worship and to serve you. And we pray 
through Christ our Lord. Amen.