23-0521p Transcript

(5:30) Thank you, Roger. (5:33) That was quite a long reading, I know. (5:37) Okay, well, this morning we went over chapter 11 of 2 Samuel. (5:46) And we examined how King David handled war.

(5:52) Better put, didn’t handle temptation. (5:55) This chapter demonstrated for us the four steps of the sin process (6:01) mentioned in the first chapter of James. (6:05) At any point, King David could have stopped what he was doing (6:09) by looking for the way of escape that God has told us would be there for us in times of temptation.

(6:18) Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10.13, (6:23) No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. (6:28) God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, (6:34) but will with the temptation make also a way of escape that you may be able to endure. (6:43) So according to God, this temptation that David was going through wasn’t too strong for him.

(6:51) He could have acted properly and got away from it. (6:56) But the desire in his heart for having this woman was so strong (7:02) that it blinded him from seeing the way out that God provides. (7:08) He couldn’t employ the method God shows us in his word to escape from temptation.

(7:15) We also examined various ways, as Scripture teaches us, (7:22) that tells us of those methods and how we can employ them to avoid falling into sin. (7:30) So this was the darkest hour in David’s life. (7:35) He committed adultery, and some think it may be bordering on rape what he did, (7:42) and he murdered to cover up his adultery.

(7:44) And remember, his orders were to make sure that Uriah died, (7:50) but Joab had put several of the mighty men at the fiercest point of fighting, (7:58) and they all died, those men. (8:01) So more than just Uriah’s blood was on David’s head, (8:06) because if he hadn’t done that, Joab wouldn’t have commanded those men to be there. (8:11) He’s a better field commander than that.

(8:15) So all of which can be traced to David’s saw. (8:20) That’s why I spent so much time on it this morning. (8:23) By the end of chapter 11, with the dirty deeds done, (8:28) he may have thought he got away with it.

(8:30) He was brazen enough to take Bathsheba, the text said. (8:36) And what the text means in the Hebraic idiom is, he collected her. (8:44) And that’s forcefully.

(8:46) So he sent his men, and they brought her to him. (8:50) And it was after her period of mourning for Uriah, (8:54) but he intended on making her his wife, (9:00) thinking he could hide the shame that they all were going to bear by her being pregnant. (9:07) So a whole year passes, and David has yet to repent before the Lord for his sins.

(9:16) And though he thinks he got away with it, he’ll soon learn that God sees everything. (9:24) Because the last words in chapter 11, God said that he was displeased with what he had done. (9:33) So I think God may have been giving him time to repent, to confess his sins.

(9:39) But David remained silent. (9:42) And we’re going to also see that God disciplines those he loves. (9:48) Chapter 12 is going to be a real reality check for the king.

(9:52) God sends Nathan the prophet to him. (9:56) And the first four verses in this chapter are a parable. (10:02) And Nathan recites this parable to David.

(10:08) And it is a figurative parable illustrating what David did. (10:15) So let’s look at those first four verses in 2 Samuel 12. (10:23) The Lord sent Nathan to David.

(10:26) When he came to him, he said, (10:28) There were two men in a certain town, one rich, the other poor. (10:33) The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, (10:37) but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. (10:43) He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children.

(10:48) It shared his food, drank from his cup, and even slept in his arms. (10:53) It was like a daughter to him. (10:56) Now a traveler came to the rich man, (10:58) but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle (11:03) to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him.

(11:07) Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man (11:12) and prepared it for the one who had come to him. (11:17) So in verse 1 of this parable, (11:19) Nathan introduces the main characters of the story. (11:24) The rich man, played by David, and the poor man, played by Uriah.

(11:30) In verse 2, he contrasts the rich man’s herd of sheep and cattle, (11:35) which are David’s at least eight wives and ten concubines, (11:41) to the poor man’s one little ewe lamb, who in this case is Bathsheba. (11:47) And by the way, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, (11:54) which shows you that if you can’t be satisfied by one wife, (11:59) you’re not going to be satisfied with a thousand. (12:03) The problem is uncontrolled lust of the heart.

(12:10) If you control the lust of your heart, you’ll be satisfied with your one wife. (12:19) Verse 3 shows the genuine tender relationship the poor man had with his ewe lamb, (12:26) who are Uriah and Bathsheba. (12:29) Verse 4 introduces a traveler.

He’s not named. (12:33) I’d imagine, this is totally my opinion, this guy is Satan, (12:40) who in the past has admitted to our Lord of his roamings on earth, (12:45) going to and fro, being a traveler, seeking whom he may devour. (12:52) The traveler didn’t ask the rich man for his neighbor’s ewe lamb to eat, (12:58) but the timing is rather suspicious, don’t you think? (13:02) Something made the rich man notice the ewe lamb and then take what was not his to take.

(13:09) Apparently, the rich man and the traveler had no qualms about eating stolen food. (13:17) It’s a 24-hour antihistamine. (13:21) This scenario brings to mind the proverb which warns about adulterous relationships, (13:29) and it fits this scenario.

(13:32) Proverbs 9, 17, and 18 say, (13:36) Stolen water and sweet, food eaten in secret is delicious, (13:41) but little do they know that the dead are there, (13:44) and their guests are in the depth of the grave. (13:50) So learning restraint, learning self-discipline, (13:54) learning to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions is so vital to our souls. (14:03) If we do not master our passions and our lusts, (14:07) we can become forever ruled by them and go down to the grave being kept from repentance.

(14:17) You’ll remember Paul’s words about repentance. (14:23) Sometimes you have to ask God to grant repentance in order for someone to turn. (14:37) By our passions ruling us, we in essence train ourselves to ignore our consciences when they’re pricked (14:45) and deliberately run right past the escape route God provides for those being tempted.

(14:52) There’s hope for David, though, because listen to his response to Nathan. (15:00) It tells us that he still has a strong sense of right and wrong. (15:05) In verse 12, 5, and 6, it says, (15:09) David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, (15:14) As Jehovah liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy to die, (15:19) and he shall restore the Lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

(15:28) This is David saying this after having stolen another man’s wife, impregnating her, (15:39) and then having the man murdered. (15:44) Even after committing such grievous sins, David was indignant with the protagonist in this story. (15:52) When he himself is Uriah’s protagonist, and Bathsheba’s, believe it or not, (15:59) David doesn’t realize that Nathan just told him a parable.

(16:03) He figured that Nathan was reporting to him a story of injustice. (16:08) And by David’s condemnation of the rich man, as his own condemnation, he condemns himself. (16:17) It is also a confession that he understood that what he did was wrong.

(16:23) And God, through Nathan, is going to nail him for it. (16:28) Look at verse 7-9. (16:31) Then Nathan said to David, You are the man.

(16:36) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. (16:38) I anointed you king over Israel. (16:41) I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

(16:43) I gave your master’s house to you, and that’s Saul. (16:48) And your master’s wives into your arms. (16:51) I gave you the house of Israel and Judah.

(16:55) And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. (16:59) Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? (17:07) You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. (17:14) You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

(17:19) So God reminded David of all the good that he had done for him, (17:23) and said that if that wasn’t enough for David, he would have given him even more. (17:28) The charges were laid against him by David breaking God’s word and behaving the way he did. (17:35) God equated to what he did as despising the word of God, which is actually David despising God.

(17:47) God laid the filthiness of David’s sins bare right before his eyes. (17:53) And notice though that God did not assign any wrongdoing by Bathsheba, (17:59) either here in the sentence or in the parable. (18:03) This tells us that she was an innocent in this.

(18:07) She wasn’t able to deny the king. (18:12) He took what was not his. (18:15) So God was even displeased by the fact that David orchestrated Uriah’s death (18:21) to be done by the Ammonites, their enemies.

(18:26) And remember who these people are. (18:28) They were the result of an incestuous relationship between a daughter getting her father drunk (18:36) in order to continue their family line. (18:40) And that was Lot and his youngest daughter.

(18:43) She was the one who was impregnated and became the mother of Ammi, (18:50) Ben-Ammi, who was the father of the Ammonites. (18:54) And that bloodline, by the way, is still alive to this day. (18:59) The capital of Jordan, where this land is, the name of the land changed.

(19:04) It’s Jordan. (19:06) But the capital city is Ammon. (19:11) Let’s look at verses 10 through 12.

(19:14) Now therefore the sword will never depart. (19:16) This is the sentence. (19:18) Now therefore the sword will never depart from your house, (19:22) because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.

(19:30) This is what the Lord says. (19:31) Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. (19:37) Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to the one who is close to you, (19:43) and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.

(19:48) You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel. (19:57) Ouch. (19:59) Nathan proclaimed God’s sentence on David.

(20:03) The first judgment is that the sword would never depart from his family. (20:09) So the peace and safety that David knew, he’d never know again. (20:16) Violence would plague his family because he saw, and he acted on what he saw.

(20:25) He failed to use the tools available to him to avoid falling into temptation. (20:32) He couldn’t control the lust of his heart. (20:36) When he saw, his lust overpowered his sensibilities, (20:41) and he missed the way of escape that God provides for all people when tempted.

(20:48) God was going to punish him by using his son Absalom (20:52) to bring violence, shame, humiliation, and calamity on the family, (20:58) which we see in the next chapters. (21:01) David will reap exactly what he had sown, and then some. (21:06) His daughter Tamar was raped by her half-brother, David’s son, (21:14) who in turn was murdered by Tamar’s full brother, Absalom.

(21:20) Here comes the violence, right? (21:23) David’s concubines were violated in public by Absalom in broad daylight (21:31) as David secretly violated Uriah’s wife, Absalom did it out in the open. (21:41) And then Absalom led a rebellion against his father (21:44) for not doing anything about his son raping his daughter. (21:52) Absalom was indignant with David and took matters into his own hands.

(21:58) He was going to make himself king, and David caught wind of that and went on the run. (22:09) So we have this struggle in the family, which became a national struggle. (22:14) Absalom managed to get half of the country behind him.

(22:20) And so it was almost a civil war, (22:24) because David saw Absalom was riding his mule and got stuck in a tree by his neck. (22:35) He didn’t duck over a fork-shaped branch. (22:40) And who saw him and ignored David’s command not to kill his son, (22:46) not to bring harm to Absalom, the one looking to kill him? (22:51) Joab.

(22:52) And Joab was a righteous man who also obeyed the commands of God. (22:59) But Joab took a javelin and ran him through. (23:06) So that ended that violence.

(23:08) More bloodshed because David saw. (23:19) What a lesson for us to learn. (23:20) Sin will be found out.

(23:24) And we will be punished by God if we do not repent. (23:28) We may be punished if we do repent. (23:32) But he’s not going to give us the punishment we deserve.

(23:40) Verse 13 and 14. (23:43) Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. (23:49) Nathan replied, the Lord has taken away your sin.

(23:51) You are not going to die. (23:55) But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt. (24:02) The son born to you will die.

(24:06) David was guilty of adultery and murder and who knows what else because of this. (24:12) And that was punishable by death. (24:15) Because David confessed that he sinned against God.

(24:18) God spared his life, but he will require the life of the child that he had through Bathsheba (24:28) because of his evil behavior. (24:32) Somebody had to pay the price. (24:36) David brought shame and disrepute on God’s good name.

(24:41) And God’s enemies showed utter contempt for the God of Israel. (24:47) Because they caught wind of what David had done. (24:53) Verse 15.

(24:54) After Nathan had gone, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had born to David. (25:01) And he became ill. (25:02) Well this illness lasted one week and the child died.

(25:06) And David hoped that he could change God’s mind through fasting and prayer. (25:15) But God wouldn’t relent. (25:17) So during the one year period when David thought he got away with his crimes, (25:22) David wasn’t himself.

(25:24) He was suffering. (25:28) Because David in his heart is a good man. (25:34) He just had a moment of great error.

(25:38) How the mighty have fallen. (25:39) And so David writes a couple of psalms about the hurt that he was feeling (25:50) during that year period of time where he kept silent before God (25:56) and thought that he was getting away with something. (26:00) Psalm 32.

(26:02) I’m going to read these. (26:05) Unless Roger wants to get up here and read these. (26:09) Okay.

(26:14) Roger gracefully declined. (26:17) Okay. (26:18) Psalm 32, verse 1. (26:21) Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

(26:28) Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, (26:32) and in whose spirit is no deceit. (26:35) When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. (26:44) For day and night your hand was heavy upon me.

(26:47) My strength was sapped as in the heated summer. (26:52) Selah. (26:53) Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

(26:58) I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, (27:02) and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (27:06) Selah. (27:08) Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found.

(27:14) Surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. (27:18) You are my hiding place. (27:20) You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

(27:26) Selah. (27:27) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. (27:30) I will counsel you.

(27:32) I will watch over you. (27:34) Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, (27:39) but must be controlled by bit and bridle, or they will not come to you. (27:45) Many who are are the woes of the wicked, (27:48) but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

(27:55) Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous. (27:57) Sing, all you who are upright in heart. (28:03) So you can see that David writes this psalm, (28:09) pretty much using it as a journal to express what he was going through (28:16) when all he could think about day and night, God’s hand on him was heavy, (28:22) was the sin that he had done.

(28:25) Taking Bathsheba, giving orders to have one of the mighty men fall in battle, murder. (28:39) And not only that, other mighty men fell with Uriah. (28:45) So God’s hand was heavy on him.

(28:49) And he finally found relief when he confessed his sins to God (28:55) and repented. (28:58) And then you’ll notice how peppy the psalm got. (29:02) He was happy again.

(29:04) He had a light heart. (29:06) He praised God. (29:08) He could sing to God again.

(29:10) And he encouraged others who were facing the same troubles (29:15) and encouraged them to go right away to God. (29:19) And God would help them. (29:22) So now he’s writing from personal experience.

(29:31) Let’s look at Psalm 51. (29:34) It’s a little longer, but it too speaks volumes. (29:40) And it does speak volumes of David’s character.

(29:51) Psalm 51, verse 1, (29:54) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, (29:58) according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. (30:06) Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, (30:10) for I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. (30:16) Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, (30:22) so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

(30:27) Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (30:34) Surely you desire truth in the inner parts. (30:36) You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

(30:40) Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean. (30:43) Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (30:46) Let me hear joy and gladness.

(30:48) Let the bones you have crushed rejoice. (30:53) Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. (30:58) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

(31:04) Do not cast me from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from me. (31:09) Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. (31:18) Then I will teach the transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

(31:24) Save me from blood guilt, O God, the God who saved me, (31:28) and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. (31:32) O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (31:37) You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it.

(31:40) You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. (31:43) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. (31:51) O God, you will not despise.

(31:54) In your good pleasure, make Zion prosper. (31:57) Build up the walls of Jerusalem. (31:59) Then there will be righteous sacrifice, whole burnt offerings to delight you.

(32:04) Then both will be offered on your altar. (32:08) These two psalms show us that sin had brought David down nearly to the point of death. (32:16) He suffered mental anguish.

(32:19) It robbed him of sleep. (32:21) It crushed his bones. (32:24) He was suffering physically because he was keeping these egregious sins inside.

(32:33) You can’t do that or you’re going to explode or become so corrupt and become callous and never repent. (32:43) And then you only have the hope of the second death waiting for you. (32:53) It wasn’t until he confessed his sins to God and repented before God that he finally found relief.

(33:02) And God is merciful. (33:04) He offers that forgiveness of sin. (33:07) He restored David.

(33:10) And David would be called once again the man after God’s own heart. (33:15) He wasn’t called that because he defeated Goliath. (33:19) Yeah, that helped contribute a bit, I would imagine, because he relied on God at that time in his life.

(33:26) He fought hundreds and killed thousands of Philistines. (33:30) He was mighty in battle, but that isn’t what made him a man after God’s own heart. (33:37) What was it that made David a man after God’s own heart? (33:43) It was his genuine repentance.

(33:48) He had a broken heart, a broken spirit. (33:53) He humbled himself before the Lord, and the Lord raised him up. (33:59) This is a good time to offer the invitation.

(34:02) If anything’s troubling you like it’s troubled David, now’s the time to get it off your chest. (34:08) So come as we stand and sing.