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"The Lengths Of Grace"
• 12.20.15 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- Since our last session, scholars believe that
a year of time has elapsed. On the surface, nothing seems to be out of the
ordinary.
- But when Nathan asks God why he senses
otherwise, God revealed to him in detail what David had made an attempt to
hide. For a year, God has silently been working on David's heart.
- Conviction of sin is a gift from God, but
when it's quiet, private, gentle work is ignored, God in His love, will ramp up
the volume and send a messenger. Let's pick it up in verse 1.
Text
• II Samuel 12:1-7a : "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!'" : If you are going to be a Nathan, you had better be sure that
you know that you have been sent by the Lord!
- This was a dangerous moment for the prophet.
Kings were used to hearing judicial cases as a part of their regular duties,
but this case will expose the King's sin.
- David listens to this perfectly crafted story
of inequality and injustice, juxtaposing a rich man and a poor man.
- The rich man had a multitude of flocks. The
poor man had a single lamb which by the tender language employed, had become
the family pet.
- A traveler, perhaps with a business
opportunity, perhaps simply for entertainment, enters.
- The callous rich man not wanting to deplete
his stock, stole the lamb from the poor man and cooked it up without any
remorse.
- The poor man had no one to defend him. He was
simply overpowered and the rich man had a night of great enjoyment and lamb
chops with this stranger.
- As the story progressed, David became
increasingly agitated against this rich man. His anger was kindled to new
heights with every turn of the story.
- He remembered what it was like to be a poor
man when Saul took away his freedom and hunted him relentlessly. But his best
years had been among his Father's sheep.
- Finally at the end of the story, David is so
caught up in the fictitious narrative and in his anger that he blurts out an
irrational judgment that greatly outweighed the crime.
- Making decisions while furious, it turns out,
never makes for good decisions!
- Exodus
22:1 required a man to restore what he had stolen four to one. That part is
correct, but to die for the theft? That was well beyond the bounds of the law.
- David adds this to his sentence because the
man did this without pity. Can you see Nathan, staring at the outraged King,
with the knowledge that his judgment has been skewed by his own sin?
- With a mixture of pity and a godly mandate to
boldly speak the truth, he softly looks at David and says, "You are the
man!"
- In a single moment, David's eyes of rage,
turn to eyes that betray shock.
- Everything David had worked to hide is
exposed in this moment and absorbes the full weight of his exposure as Nathan
continues.
• II Samuel
12:7b-12 : "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. 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 this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all
Israel, before the sun.’" : God reminds David of their
history.
-
God says to him, "I annointed," "I delivered" and "I
gave." God did everything for him!
- He had empowered him to be the King and took
the Kingdom from Saul to make it so. He had given him his Master's house and his
wives, as well as the united Kingdom of Israel.
- The end of verse 8 has haunted me for years. God tells David if that had been too
little, He also would have given much more!
- Think about this: Why do people sin?
Certainly, there is a pleasure to be had. Sin is pleasurable for a season and
then brings death! But consider the reason beyond that.
- We sin because we believe that God will not
bring us the satisfaction we long for. We don't trust Him to provide something,
so we take it instead!
- Think of Eve's desire to be made wise. Could
God not have made her wise without the fruit she was willing to steal in the
original sin epic?
- This is not to say that God would fulfill the
sinful appetite, but what is the sinful appetite if not the perverting of the
natural appetite?
- David could have been satisfied by God had he
simply trusted the Lord and enjoyed what He had given to him. But he did not
and he despised God's command and did evil in his sight.
- In fact, in verse 9, God tells David that he had despised His command and in the very
next verse, He declares that David despised God Him!
- If you claim to love God, you must
necessarily love His commands! The two are inseparable! The Apostle John
explicitly says that loving God is directly proportionate to obeying His
commands!
- Think of David hearing this from the prophet.
What a moment of terror! God righteously lays out the case against David.
- Everything that he thought he had hidden from
view was plain to the Lord! God says that he was responsible for killing Uriah
by the sword of Ammon.
- Because he had done this, there would be
consequences that he would have to face. They would begin in his home, with his
own family.
- "The sword shall never depart from your
house because you have despised me." The direct result of David's sin
would be felt first in his very home.
- God would raise up an adversary for David
from among his own children who would shame David publically in the same way
that he had sinned privately, which we will see soon!
- What is David's response to this? Note verse 13.
• II Samuel
12:13a : "So David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.'" : Sometimes, it's instructive to see what didn't happen or what
wasn't said. David did not say, "Well, you don't understand the pressures
I am under." He did not excuse himself.
- Neither did David say, "It's because it
was a particularly difficult time in my relationship with my dozen wives! They've
been holding out on me!" He did not blame his action on another.
- David admitted, perhaps for the first time in
a year, that he had sinned, nothing more and nothing less. He had, by his
actions, offended the Holy God who had so greatly favored him.
- While David's sin affected countless others,
his and our sin is a direct offense against the Lord. God is the primary
audience who is ultimately offended by our actions.
- A year has passed between the offense and the
confession and it's been a terribly draining year mentally for David. We'll
learn a bit about his experience at another time from Psalm 51.
- Suffice it to say, this moment was the first
moment that David had to breathe, to let down, to begin to feel that things
were right before he and the Lord.
- It begs us to consider why we even believe it
best to attempt to hide what He plainly sees, when we could acknowledge our sin
and be done with it's hold on our relationship to God!
•
II Samuel 12:13b-15a : "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." : As soon as David confesses, Nathan confers God's verdict. The
Lord has also put away or passed over your sin.
-
David's sin, which deserved death had he been caught in the act, was not going
to issue in David's death. David's life was being spared by God, His sin was
being passed over by the Judge.
-
Just like that, at the moment of confession and true repentance, God puts away
David's sin. But he learns that forgiveness from God will not stop the
consequence of his action from flowing.
-
David's sin opened the door wide for God's enemies to insult God's character.
Our sin does the same! When we sin, it is God's reputation that takes the hit.
-
On that account, David's child would die. Understand that this will be judgment
that falls upon David, even though this unnamed, infant child suffers the
consequence.
-
When Nathan left, it seems that the judgment of God began.
•
II Samuel 12:15b-18 : "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!'" : There is no doubt that God was
responsible for David's child's illness. He struck the child and he became ill.
A few items require our attention if they will be clear.
-
First, God is not punishing the baby for David and Bathsheba's sin. He is
punishing David and Bathsheba. Their sinful actions cannot prosper and David
suffered more than the child did.
-
Whatever illness came upon the child, we can be sure that with it came with
God's mercy.
-
Second, please do not get the erroneous idea that a miscarriage or an untimely,
early death is a sign of God's displeasure. This was a unique historical event
in that respect.
-
On the other hand, God determines the length of our days and none of us is
guaranteed more than one!
-
Third, God's action is always related to redemption. When Adam and Eve sinned,
God allowed an innocent animal to die on their behalf. What a vivid lesson for
David to watch now.
-
This action that God takes will purge the sin from David's heart. He won't
struggle in this area again. We'll save our next consideration for the next
verse.
-
Ultimately, this is God's decree and for seven grueling days, David plead with
the Lord for the child, seeking His face or an audience with the Almighty.
-
He fasted and lay himself prostrate before the Lord all night. He would not be
deterred even though the elders of the house sought to interrupt him with food.
-
After seven days, the child was dead and the servants were afraid to tell him
for fear of his response. But the King will know immediately.
•
II Samuel 12:19-23 : "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 worshiped. Then he went to his
own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants 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.'" : It had become very quiet in the house. David knew that the
child was gone.
-
He got up, got clean, put on his royal clothing and went into the house of the
Lord to worship! God had made this decree and taken this action and David
worships Him.
-
When he came out from the house, he asked for food and ate and the servants
ask: "What's up with you?" You wouldn't take any food and you
mourned. Now you'll sit here and eat?"
-
In their mind and in that culture, a person ate when a crisis was ongoing and
then fasted and mourned after there was finality. David did things in reverse
and he explains his mindset.
-
When the child was alive, David petitioned the Lord, fasting and weeping. The
chance for God's grace was there. Prayer is always to be optimistic despite the
circumstance!
-
While there is breath in a body and a brain working within a soul, there is
hope for healing and restoration, physically and spiritually!
-
"But wait David? God was already being gracious to you by not exacting the
punishment you deserved!" He prayed expecting even more grace because this
was and is the God of grace!
-
David had sinned greatly, but in the pain that he experienced, he didn't run
from God, he ran to Him and plead for more grace than he had already received!
-
However, when God makes the decision to take a loved one home, what should be
our response? Notice that David did not accuse God of being a monster or being
unfair.
-
We need to be careful as we consider God's actions and reconcile what we can't
know with any certainty with what we know certainly!
-
David rightly reasons that his relationship to the Lord can no longer change
the outcome.
-
The baby would not return to exist here and this helps change our perspective.
David could not bring him back, an outcome that we as humans believe to be the
best possible.
-
"Wouldn't it be better to have a healed life here?" "Wouldn't it
be better to have years on this planet with the joys of this life?"
-
David's son and everyone that has ever died in the Lord will tell you that it's
better where they are! Paul says the same thing in Philippians 1:21-23. It's far better to be with Jesus!
-
David realized that when God took this child, He took him to Himself! The
moment the baby died, he awoke in the presence of God.
-
Some have made the argument that this does not refer to heaven, but the abode
of the righteous dead which Samuel and the rest of the Old Testament saints
lived in.
-
That may be true, but the baby was certainly in the place where David saw
himself eventually being, which was the place of the righteous dead! For us
today, it is the very presence of God!
-
And what a statement to make: He shall not return to David, but David would go
to him! In all of this mess, David remained confident that he would experience
the realm of God's glory!
•
II Samuel 12:24,25 : "Then
David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to 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." : For the first time in this passage, Bathsheba is both referred
to by name and by title. She is now David's wife.
-
Here's a clue for us. When David repented, David was restored and all of his
relationships were right before the Lord! God's anger is real, but it is
momentary. His favor lasts a lifetime!
-
David and Bathsheba returned to normal relations and out of their union came
this son Solomon. Because it is only a verse removed, you would believe it to
be the next occurrence.
-
I Chronicles 3:5 seems to indicate
that Solomon was Bathsheba's 4th son. God's loving Solomon does not indicate
that he didn't love the others.
-
It speaks of God's choice of Solomon, meaning "Peace" to reign in
David's place! Solomon's name represented the state of David's relationship
with the Lord, as well as what marked his reign!
-
When God sent Nathan however, He wanted to communicate a special message to the
King. God would call Solomon, Jedidiah, which means "Beloved Of the
Lord!"
Conclusion
- You and I must
see the corrolary, especially at this time of year. God took David's sin and
forgave it. Why? Was it because of David's son whose life was taken?
-
Not at all! It was because of God's Son who would be given! David's physical
son died as part of the consequence of David's action. David's physical
descendant Jesus died for the sins of all!
-
David's son was born and died. Jesus, the Christmas child was born to die!
-
The baby in this story lived seven days without sin. The Christ Child grew into
a 33 year old man, who never sinned, who God allowed to be seen as stricken,
smitten and afflicted.
-
The baby in this story died under the merciful, careful hand of God. The baby
of Christmas, meek and mild, would die under the fierce wrath of God, by the
hand of hateful men.
-
At this time of year, we talk about peace and being beloved of God. We can live
in that reality because Jesus Christ, the baby born in Bethlehem, would
surrender His precious life to make it so!
- Merry Christmas!
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