You Are the Man
Prayer for Illumination
O Living God, You speak to us through Your Word made flesh in Jesus.
Help us to listen when You challenge us and call us to change.
Help us to listen when You assure us of Your love despite our failings.
Help us to listen for Your living Word so that by Your Spirit, we may be transformed into Your faithful disciples. Amen
When I was a child around 10 or 11 years old, I committed a crime. My mother kept cash in her wallet stored in her vanity drawer. Because my father worked at a bank, he brought bills in mint condition – fresh and crisp. When I saw my mom counting the bills, I was curious how she skillfully counted those fresh bills.
I also wanted to try counting the crisp bills so I sneaked into her room, found where the money was, and tried counting. And then, I wanted to take one bill. The bill was worth around $8.00 then. It was not a small amount for an 11-year-old. I thought she wouldn’t be able to notice one bill missing.
I took one bill from the bundle of money and spent it to buy snacks for me and my friends. It seemed like my mom didn’t know about it. So a few days later I took another one.
The funny thing is that a picture of Jesus was hanging on the wall in the room. I didn’t want Jesus to see me stealing, so I turned away from Jesus to hide what I was doing. I said, “I’m sorry, Jesus” as I was stealing.
I did it a few more times. My mother knew what I was doing because the bills had serial numbers. But she wanted to see how far I would go. Since I didn’t stop, she burst into my room one evening, to search all my belongings. She couldn’t find anything because I spent all of it, but I had to confess my crime.
And the consequence? I got 5 strokes of the cane. I learned my lesson and have never touched anyone’s belongings since then.
Often we forget that God is everywhere, watches everything, and knows everything. We think we commit a perfect crime when no one sees us doing it. But there is God who sees us no matter when, where, what, and how we do, think, or say.
We’ve been studying David, one of the favorite characters in the Bible. Since he was the most respected and loved King of Israel, the writers of the Bible (or the Spirit of God who is the ultimate author) — could have omitted his mistakes or wrongdoings.
Instead, they honestly recorded his sins so readers could learn from them. Even 3,000 years later, we still discuss David’s sins.
Last week, we saw David’s greatest fall – his adultery, deception, and murder of his loyal friend. When the messenger from the battlefield reported the death of Uriah to the King, David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another.” David perhaps thought everything was done as he had planned. He assumed it was a perfect crime.
When Bathsheba heard her husband was dead, she mourned for him. She sincerely grieved for her husband. After the mourning period, David summoned now-pregnant Bathsheba to become his wife, and she gave birth to a son.
To others, David might have been seen as a generous king who took a widowed and pregnant friend’s wife to support, but, v 27 says, “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”
So, about a year passed. How do you think David was doing? If you’re in his shoes, do you think you’re happy, enjoying a prosperous life, OR living in guilt?
Sin creates a barrier between us and God. The feeling of guilt further alienates us from experiencing God’s love and grace. It’s a simple truth. After arguing with your spouse, you don’t feel like praying. When you’re drunk you don’t feel like listening to Praise 106.5.
Psalm 32 shows that David was under intense conviction during this time and that all of the joy in his life evaporated. He was trapped in the stress and guilt of living a double, false life.
But David didn’t confess his sin for almost a year and continued ignoring the prompt of the Spirit of God. So God finally sent Nathan to David. God initiated the conversation because He wanted to draw David to repentance and restoration.
With wisdom and courage, Nathan used a story to get the message through to David. The story was this: A rich man stole a poor man’s only lamb – the joy of the household- and slaughtered it to feed his guest.
David could relate to this story well because David himself was a shepherd. He probably had his favorite lamb and had compassion for the helpless lamb. Those who have a pet can understand how the poor man must have felt. My sisters have dogs, and for them, the dogs are like their daughters.
When David heard the story, he was enraged, saying, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Ex 22:1, the Moses Law says, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep”. He immediately knew what the Law (the Bible) said about those who steal sheep. The rich needed to pay four times.
Yet, because he was pressed with guilt, he became more judgmental. Certainly taking the man’s pet lamb was a crime, but it was nothing compared to David’s crime – adultery and murder which was punishable by death. Deep down in his heart, he saw his sin and sentenced himself.
Burned with anger, David said, “Who is this guy? He deserves punishment.” Nathan sternly said, “You are the man!” The sins that David was trying so hard to bury have been dug up and exposed by God.
How do you think David felt when he finally got the point of Nathan’s story? Embarrassed? Angry? Defensive? Shocked how Nathan could know all of this. (?)
To David in shock, Nathan continued delivering the message from God. “I anointed you…I delivered you…. I gave you…and gave you the house of Israel and Judah…. I also would have given you much more.
Through Nathan, God revealed to David that his sin was an expression of ingratitude. Despite all that God had given him, and all that God was willing to give, David was not satisfied. Instead of being grateful, he chose to steal from others.
We want what we don’t have. It’s the nature of the human condition. This is summed up in the old proverb, “The grass is always greener on the other side.”
And God told him the consequence of his sin. “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.’
Out of your 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 sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.”
God declared that David’s sinful act was an act of despising Him. Broken and devastated, David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” He could have blamed Bathsheba for bathing in a visible location, but instead, he admitted his responsibility and called it what it was — sin.
As long as we shrug off sin or see ourselves as victims of circumstances, we are not accepting responsibility for our actions.
Since Adam and Eve fell into sin, there has been an innate tendency in the human heart to attempt to cover our sins or blame someone else. Adam blamed Eve and the Lord who gave Eve to him; Eve blamed the serpent.
We rationalize, excuse, defend, minimize, and justify our sins. Like “I’m sorry that I hurt you but you also…” Or “It was my mistake, but it was because…” We’ve all been in the blame game.
Tullian Tchividjian was a minister of a Presbyterian church in America (PCA). Tchividjian resigned after allegations of an extramarital affair, the first of more than one to which he would admit.
The PCA ruled him “unfit for Christian ministry” and deposed him from his call as a teaching elder. When he was accused, he explained that he “developed an inappropriate relationship” with a “friend” after learning that his wife was having an affair.
Was he taking responsibility for his sin? He was making an excuse that he did it because his wife did it first. He is the grandson of the greatest preacher, Billy Graham. His cowardice action damaged his grandparents’ legacy.
In the next few chapters, you will see how God’s prophecy will unfold. David will have three sons who will be murdered and one daughter who will be raped. Amnon will rape his half-sister, Tamar. Absalom will then murder Amnon. Absalom will begin a rebellion against his father, David. And David’s army will kill Absalom. Later when Solomon becomes the king, another son, Adonijah, will be killed by Solomon.
Also, Absalom who will conspire against David will lay with his father’s concubines on the palace roof (where David gazed at bathing Bathsheba) in the sight of all Israel. So the prophecy here will be all fulfilled. On top of that, his baby son will die.
The fact is, even though God forgives our sins, He does not erase all the consequences. He wants us to take responsibility for our sins and learn the seriousness of what we did.
Like David, we all have something that we deeply regret; are ashamed of; don’t even want to think about; want to run away from; and are embarrassed about – something that has affected our relationship with God… the little secret.
If any incident keeps bothering you, then it means that God wants to straighten out the problem in your life. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you to bring the matter before God.
If we don’t confess our sins, we become slaves to our guilt. But there’s no need to do that. The only way we can be released from captivity is to bring it to the Cross.
The Lord is gracious, compassionate, and always ready to forgive our sins if we confess our sins. In His righteousness, He may deal with us firmly, but we can trust that He always has our ultimate good in mind.
We know what sin does to us. It blocks the relationship with God. It’s the most terrifying thing that can ever happen to us… banishing us from the presence of God; taking away the Holy Spirit from us…
David wanted to sense again what had not been there for a long time: the presence of God in his life. In Psalm 51 v 10-12, he prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.” He found no relief until he repented and got right with God again.
People don’t like the word, ‘sin’ or want to hear about sin. The word, ‘sin’ makes us uncomfortable. So, probably it has been uneasy for some of you to listen to the sermons last Sunday and today.
But the first step to be saved, to be reconciled with God is accepting that we are sinners and acknowledging that Jesus Christ took our sins and shed His blood on the cross instead of us.
Instead of pointing a finger at someone else, we need to confess our sins to God humbly and genuinely. And the Lord who is merciful and loving will forgive our sins.
Friends, we are going to partake in Holy Communion now. As we take the Bread and Wine – the Body and the Blood of Jesus, let us ask the Holy Spirit to renew our spirit. Let His steadfast love and abundant mercy heal you, free you from the chains of sin, and restore the joy of salvation in you.
Let us pray.
Gracious God, thank You for speaking to us through the life of David, both his triumphs and his failings. If there is any sin within us that drags us down or blocks us from You, help us to admit and confess it before You, who knows everything. Restore to us the joy of salvation and a longing for Your presence. In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.