Chapter 8 God Speaks To David Through Nathan
2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Saviour,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
How often have you read that Psalm and sensed the pain of David, the broken man? It is a profound Psalm at many levels because it reminds us of so much that is precious about the nature of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, while Saul, the present king, was still alive. The remarkable thing is that David was a humbly supportive and loyal subject to Saul. He showed incredible integrity and even when Saul tried on more than one occasion to kill David, he never allowed himself to want to take revenge. When opportunities were given to David to kill Saul, it never entered his head to take his revenge. David never thought something like this: “ I have been anointed the next king and this man Saul is clearly unbalanced. I am a popular figure in Israel and if I killed Saul no-one would blame me and I would be welcomed as the new king.” David sows godly integrity and never tries to formulate a way of justifying an immoral decision. One incident is outstanding for me in 1 Samuel 24:
1After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12 May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
14 “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 May the LORD be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”
16 When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. 17 “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. 18 You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the LORD delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the LORD reward you well for the way you treated me today. 20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”
22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.”
David ‘s men were telling him that the Lord was speaking clearly to them and placing Saul at their mercy – this was clearly God’s will to kill Saul, according to them! But God was speaking to David about loyalty, faithfulness, patience and love and mercy. David’s character is being formed in order to make him a worthy king. If we had read this story and all that preceded it, we might feel David was justified if he had killed Saul. David was learning that our ways are not God’s ways. Indeed, we see in chapter 22 of 1 Samuel that David spares Saul’s life a second time – truly he was showing love for his enemy! Saul saw David as an enemy, but David loved Saul and had great respect for him.
David proves himself to be a wise leader and a good military tactician – he grows in wisdom and stature gaining the respect of the people and proving that he is a man that can be trusted. The true heart of David is revealed when he hears of the death of Saul and his close friend Jonathan, Saul’s son:
17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
19 “A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel.
How the mighty have fallen!
20 “Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
21 “Mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
may no showers fall on your terraced fields.[b]
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and admired,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24 “Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
27 “How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!” 2 Samuel 1:17-27
David does not gloat over the death of Saul and he is not trying to be politically correct. Despite everything that Saul had done to try and harm David, he loved Saul and sincerely mourned his death. When David eventually becomes king of Israel one of Saul’s grandsons Mephibosheth was still alive – he was a vulnerable, crippled young man who rightly feared that David would want rid of him in case he was a threat to his kingship. David acts with compassion and this touching scene takes place:
1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honour.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 2 Samuel 9:1-7
On top of all this David establishes Jerusalem as his capital, brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, writes many of his Psalms and extends the borders of Israel, defeating many of Israel’s enemies. Indeed, confident of his own right relationship with God, David penned these words in Psalm 15:
“1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbour,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honours those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.”
David’s life is good and settled – everything is on the up! Then, one day, he looks out over the city and sees an unusually beautiful women, Bathsheba, a married woman. He sends for her – he must have her! Was she compliant just because he was the king or was she a willing participant? We do know that she was married and she could have said no, and David may at that moment have come to his senses. They are both guilty, but David more so, because he used his influence and power to get what he wanted. It is all very seedy and it seemed very like a one night stand because she then leaves David and goes home and does not see him again – until she realises she is pregnant! How fleeting sexual temptation is – it has nothing to do with love. People might say that they nowadays that “they made love”. What nonsense! Only people who love one another and are committed in life to each other “make love” when they have sex. It was just sex! It was adultery! It was betrayal – pure and simply that. There is nothing attractive or beautiful about what they did – is was seedy!
“Sin now, pay later!” It is very much like using a credit card to buy something you know you cannot afford. There comes a day when the debt is called in. Here is when this good man David shows how devious even the best of us are and how low it is possible for us to sink.
Just while I am writing this – and trembling a wee bit – I feel I must just step aside for a moment and reflect. When God called David to be his king he did so knowing the full package. There would be the righteous, loyal, kind and magnificent David and yet there would also be the seductive, sinful, lying and murderous David! God still chose him and it is a matter of grace for David and us to realise that God still chooses imperfect and incomplete people to know, love and serve him [yes, and fail and dishonour him as well!]
David and Bathseba conspire to try and cover up their sin. He sends for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband who is at fighting for his country with the expectation that he will sleep with his wife and the whole matter can be forgotten. It’s a good plan, except that David came face to face with a man of principle:
“6 So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.
10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”
11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”
12 Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.” 2 Samuel 11:6-13
David came face to face with himself. I quite believe that this is the same integrity that David would have shown earlier in his life, but is so lacking now. How did it all change? Was it when he saw Bathsheba? It happened long before that – our standards don’t fall overnight – little by little, we let our guard down and allow ourselves the unfortunate luxury of sin and little compromises where before we would not have tolerated it. It should have ended here and David should have been prepared to face the music. But David has it within his power to go further and the story starts to get really sinister. David hatches a plot that will make it all go away and sort the whole mess out:
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”
16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.
“ 18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”
22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”
25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.” 2 Samuel 11:14-27
Reading this is still torture for me. I feel so tarnished and ashamed of David. I want to cry out to him to stop. But David only did this because he could do this and thought he could get away with it. I wonder how different any of the rest of us might be if we were faced with a similarly difficult situation and it was within our power to take the easy way out to cover up our wrongdoing? Be honest!
A good man is dead. A good man is severely compromised – he is now an adulterer, a thief, a liar, a murderer and he has taken this innocent man’s wife to be his own wife – one of many. Most important of all, God is not pleased! I wonder how David felt? Did his conscience bother him? Did he go about his daily and religious duties as he had done before? One thing we can be sure of at this point is that David has shown no remorse for what he has done! He may still be speaking to God but God is not impressed and very displeased with David.
God has to communicate his displeasure with David. Here God is about to speak, but these are going to be hard and uncompromising words. Before we read the passage, it would be helpful simply to pause and think for a while about why God’s discipline is so necessary. First of all, the word discipline can paint a picture of harsh words or actions directed at another person in anger. Is that behind God’s words to David? I believe God is deeply disappointed with David and angry at what he has done. I also believe that underneath everything David is loved by God with the kind of love that wants to sort him out, forgive him and restore him. There are all of these things at work behind God’s disciple – disappointment, anger, a desire to see repentance and respond to it with forgiveness and all the time, to assure David that he is loved and that God still has a purpose for him in life.
God clearly has moral boundaries. Like any loving parent, he does not indulge his children in a harmful and permissive fashion – he loves us too much for this. God cannot ignore what David has done, especially since David has shown no sign of being sorry for his actions. God waits his time and gives David the time and opportunity to repent and when this does not happen…..
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 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.’
11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on 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. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” 2 Samuel 12:1-13
The Lord drew David into a trap and then sprung it on him! David is now forgiven but is going to have to live with the consequences of his actions. There are times when God speaks that he says some very uncomfortable things to us. For example: A Service on a Sunday is designed for God to speak to us – but what he has to say might not always be up-building and encouraging, making us feel good. He may have to demolish a stronghold of sin in our lives and we might feel very miserable indeed – but He has spoken to us! How do you feel about the way God ultimately dealt with David? Is this level of grace, shown to an adulterous murderer too uncomfortable?
There are times when we read parts of the Bible that we are convicted of a sin in our lives that needs to change – God is speaking to us. Perhaps a caring [and at times a not so caring] friend may point out something in our lives that needs to change – God is speaking to us and it is not comfortable. Like any good parent it is not always God’s role to make us feel good about ourselves all the time, if that is not appropriate – it is his responsibility to make us good, and at times that is quite a different thing.
So God speaks to David, but let us go back to where we started and see how David responds to God:
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Saviour,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
These are wonderfully reassuring words from Psalm 51. They are a reminder that everyone of us fall and are in need of forgiveness and it is well to remember this Psalm the next time, when with good reason, God brings us down to the place of rebuke and performs surgery on our soul.