From the Pulpit - "Thou Art the Man"

Recently, the Lord led me to preach a message about David and Bathsheba, which I entitled "Thou Art the Man."  I've included some highlights from the message below:

Thou Art the Man

Text: 2 Samuel 12:1-7a

Introduction: Examining this passage, we find that David heard Nathan's story, and it filled him with anger.  Very quickly, he passed judgment on the man who had taken the lamb, condemning him to death, and demanding that he make a four-fold restitution, as the law required.  At the peak of David's anger, Nathan drove the story home.  He said, "David, Thou art the man!  You are the one who is guilty, and deserving of judgment!" 

Message:  To see what David was guilty of, we have to turn over to 2 Samuel chapter 11. 

• First of All, Let's Look at the CRIME (2 Sam 11:1-5)
• David and Bathsheba Committed Adultery
• David and Bathsheba Were Both in the Wrong
• David WAS NOT Where He Was Supposed to Be
• During This Time, Kings Went Out to Battle, But David Stayed Home (2 Sam 11:1; 1 Chron 20:1)
• Bathsheba Was Where She WAS NOT Supposed to Be
• She Bathed Herself Openly, Where She Could Be Seen (2 Sam 12:2)
• David Was Wrong for Lusting After Bathsheba
• He SAW Her (2 Sam 11:2)
• He DESIRED Her (2 Sam 11:2)
• He ACTED on His DESIRES - Committing Adultery With Bathsheba
• He Enquired After Her (2 Sam 11:3)
• He Invited Her to His Palace (2 Sam 11:4)
• This is the Pattern of Sin!
• (Jas 1:13-15)  "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  (14)  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  (15)  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
• Bathsheba Was Wrong for Consenting to David
• She Came to David Willingly (2 Sam 11:4)
• She Didn't Resist
• She Wasn't Forced
• Perhaps She Was Flattered that the King Would Desire Her?
• Secondly, We See the CONSEQUENCES of the CRIME (2 Sam 11:5)
• David and Bathsheba Thought that they Had Gotten Away With Their Sin
• For Several Weeks, They Thought that No One Would Ever Know!
• But Soon they Found Out that a Child Was Conceived
• Note: It would have taken several weeks for Bathsheba to know that a child had been conceived.
• Soon, Everyone Would Know that Bathsheba Had Committed Adultery Because Uriah Was Not Home
• Soon, David Would Have Been Implicated
• The Fact Is, Sin Always Has Consequences!
• Thirdly, We See the COVER-UP (2 Sam 11:6-17)
• David Called for Uriah
• Uriah Had Been Out Fighting for Israel, While David Was At Home Seducing Uriah's Wife!
• David Counseled Uriah to Go Home
• David Thought that Uriah Would Go Home, and Spend the Night With His Wife
• In that Event, David Thought that No One Would Ever Know About His Adultery With Uriah's Wife
• But Uriah Would Not Consent
• Uriah Was a Man of Honour
• He Refused the Comforts of Home When His Comrades Were in the Field
• David Conspired to Kill Uriah (2 Sam 11:14-17)
• Though David Did Not Physically Kill Uriah, He Was Just as Guilty As if He Had Driven a Dagger Into Uriah's Heart! 

At this point, David thinks that he has covered his bases, and that the world will never know about his sin!  After Uriah's death, David took Bathsheba to be his wife.  When the baby was born, everyone would now assume that the baby was conceived after he and Bathsheba were married.  But, at the end of this chapter; after David and Bathsheba's crime; after they learned of the consequences of their crime; after David attempted to cover it up; the Bible says, "But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord!" (2 Sam 11:27)  Though their crime was hidden from all the world, it wasn't hidden from God!  No one else knew what had happened, but God knew!  And God was displeased. 

• Fourthly, We See the CONFRONTATION (2 Sam 12:1-7)
• Remember, David Already Heard Nathan's Story, and Had Passed Severe Judgment
• The Law Required Four-Fold Restoration When a Lamb Was Taken
• But David Prescribed Even Harsher Judgment, Calling for the Death of the Man Who Had Taken the Lamb
• Now, Nathan Drives the Point Home
• He Says, "David, Thou Art the Man!"
• David Was the Man Who Had Taken Another Man's Sheep (Uriah's Wife)
• But David Had Done Far Worse - He Had Killed a Man to Cover His Crime
• Nathan Reveals David's Sin (2 Sam 12:7-9)
• What David Thought Was Hidden, Nathan Revealed
• Nathan Reveals God's Judgment
• The Sword Would Never Depart from Israel During David's Reign (2 Sam 12:10-12)
• The Son that Was Born Would Die (2Sam 12:14,15)

All this makes me wonder just how much time had elapsed from the time of their crime, to the time that Nathan confronted David?  The child was already born (2 Sam 11:27; 12:14,15), so several months had already gone by (at least 9, if not more).  David and Bathsheba thought that they had escaped detection, but "be sure your sin will find you out!"  (Numbers 32:23)

• Finally, We See the CONFESSION (2 Sam 12:13)
• Finally David Has Acknowledged His Sin!
• The Remarkable Thing Is How Long It Took David to Get Right With God!

On one hand, their sin found them out.  They were not able to hide their sin, because God saw what they did, and it displeased Him.  But on the other hand, we have David, a man after God's own heart, that, by this point, has gone several months without confessing his sin, and getting his heart right with God!  For several months, he went through the motions of serving the Lord, not willing to have his relationship with God restored!  If this can happen to David, a man after God's own heart, it can happen to us as well!  How many weeks, and months, and years have we wasted because we refuse to confess our sin, and get our hearts right with God?

• Though It Took Some Time, David's Confession Was Sincere
• His Confession is Only Concisely Recorded in 2 Sam 12:13
• But In Psalm 51, We Find David's Full, Heartfelt Confession
• (Psa 51:1-4)  (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.) "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  (2)  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  (3)  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  (4)  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."
• We Also Find in Psalm 51 that David Desired to Be Cleansed of His Sin, and to Have His Relationship With God Restored
• (Psa 51:10-12)  "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  (11)  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  (12)  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

Conclusion:  The most amazing thing in this story is the mercy, and forgiveness that God extended!  (2 Sam 12:13)  The law dictated that David and Bathsheba should die.  David himself prescribed the death penalty.  But God extended His mercy, forgiving David's sin.  Praise the Lord, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!"  (I John 1:9)

If you're covering up your sin, you should know that your sin will find you out, and that there will be consequences.  What we ought to do is confess our sins, that God may forgive us, and our relationship with the Lord might be restored.  We all know the blessings and joy that come from a close relationship with the Lord.  What a shame it would be to let weeks, and months, and even years go by, without getting our hearts right with God.   

This message was preached by Missionary Don Clough at Mazon Baptist Church in Mazon, IL.  Look for other editions of the from the pulpit series at www.cloughfamilyupdate.blogspot.com.