Facing Your Sin

KEY VERSE: “David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” —II Samuel 12:13

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: II Samuel 12:1-10, 13

DAVID IS SPOKEN of by the Lord as a man after his own heart. (I Sam. 13:14) This does not mean that he had no faults, but it does mean that his heart was right before God. He committed a gross sin in arranging for the death of Uriah, and taking his wife to be his own wife. When this matter was called forcibly to his attention by the Prophet Nathan, he did not recognize himself in the picture the prophet had drawn, and expressed great indignation against the sinner portrayed. How stunned he must have been when Nathan said to him, “Thou art the man!”

As part of David’s punishment for this great sin, he was told that his reign as king of Israel would be characterized by war. This prophecy came tragically true. His first son by Bathsheba, formerly Uriah’s wife, sickened and died—a further punishment upon David for his great sin.

Under the Law David’s sin called for the death sentence, but he was not destroyed. This was due largely to the fact that David was quick to acknowledge his sin when it was pointed out to him, saying, “I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David. The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”—vs. 13

The first seven verses of Psalm 32 seem to be an expression of David’s feelings toward the Lord in connection with his sin and its forgiveness. He wrote: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. … I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.”

In this sixth verse, David suggests that his experience could be of benefit to others, and he advises all who have sinned before the Lord to be prompt in acknowledging their iniquity and asking for his forgiveness. This is a practical lesson to be learned from David’s experience.

In David’s life we are reminded that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. By heredity Adam’s transgression brought death to all his children, and all, by nature, are looked upon as sinners. Through the weakness of the fallen nature of man, control over human passions is made difficult. And like David, we sometimes fail. But God has provided a way of forgiveness for those who face their transgressions with repentant hearts.

God does appreciate those who at heart endeavor to keep his commandments. This is why he loved David, and showed mercy toward him when he was quick to repent and to acknowledge his sin. God does not deal with any of his people upon the basis of their actual accomplishments, but according to the desires of their hearts.

When David’s son, Solomon, was born, he was referred to as Jedidiah, meaning “beloved of the Lord.” (vss. 24,24, Margin) This additional name seems to have been suggested by Nathan, the Lord’s prophet, as an assurance to David that he had truly been forgiven, and that the Lord’s blessing would continue with him.

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