Everyone knows about King David. They know the story of how he slayed Goliath, and had absolutely no fear, while everyone else was trembling in their sandals. What most people don’t know about David is that he went from a hero that was blessed and crowned by God to a man who acted like he didn’t even know God, to an adulterating lying cheating disgrace. I absolutely love the Bible and how it still relates to us every day to each and every one of us and this is a story. This true story definitely touched me on a personal level.
A Man After His Own Heart
God called David “a man after his own heart”. How could that possibly be with the things that he did? It’s because God loves us unconditionally and he will use even our sin for good. I love the story in 2 Samuel 12. Nathan is a profit for the king David, and he comes to David one day and tells him a story. The story is how a rich man took the animal of a poor man. The poor man treated that lamb like a pet, Like one of their family. It ate with them, and slept in their house, and lived in harmony with them as a member of the family. When king David heard that the rich man had taken the poor man’s possession, he demanded to see this man so that he could either kill him or make him pay restitution(2 Samuel 12:5-6). Here’s where things get interesting. Nathan looks over at him and says God has commanded me to tell you that thief is you. You are the rich man that stole something that doesn’t belong to you(2 Samuel 12:7-8). He then goes on to deliver a message from God about king David being an adulterer, and that he stole another man’s wife, murdered him with a sword of their enemy, and that God is going to pass judgment upon David. King David is so distraught when he realizes that his sin was not only against people, but that he actually sinned against God himself (2 Samuel 12:13). In fact, this revelation was so traumatic in his life, but that is why we have the book of Psalms, one of the most read books in the entire Bible. In fact, Psalm 51 is David’s reaction after, Nathan calls him out on his sin. And verses 9 through 12 he says this:
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.
I relate to this true story so much and on such a personal level, especially that I can just hear the pain in his words as he writes this. I remember falling on my face and for months, being distraught with how my life was going, and things that I had done without regard for how it affected other people. And I definitely never Ever even assumed that I was sinning against God. But I was. The good part of the story that I can also relate to is his words at the end, where he says, “do not take away the Holy Spirit from me (he witnesses God remove the Holy Spirit From King Saul), take away my sin in my heart, so that I can help other people turn from their sin and turn back to God.” I’d say he was successful in that mission given after the fact the book of Psalms was written and has given so much help and comfort to people for generations. Even though God forgave David, purified him white as snow (Psalm 51:2-3), and restored him better than before to the most powerful king of Israel, there are always consequences for our actions. If you choose to sin, you choose to suffer.
Ramifications
God takes adultery very seriously as David found out. In fact its one of the 10 laws of Moses and is listed right there with murder. That I believe is because when you commit this sin, you destroy multiple people and multiple families at the same time much to the delight of Satan. If he can get you to divorce and destroy your nuclear family he can inflict this repetitive behavior in your family for generations. The next part of the message was the retribution and judgment of God and was handed down. That judgement was that David’s family was going to suffer calamity for generations (2 Samuel 12:11). He was going to take away David’s wives and allow other men to sleep with them in plain view of everyone so that David would have to endure the shame of it. He did this because David’s sin was done in secret (2Samuel 12:12). He also said that, “even though I’m sparing you your life, your son, who came from this adultery will die”(2Samuel 12:14). reading the story and God’s judgment also hit home with me on a major level. When you are living through consequences that you deserve, it’s impossible to not feel sympathy for how David felt in a situation. David had to watch his son waste away for seven days and die. He had to watch future calamity years later in his family. If you don’t believe me, read the book of Solomon where his son followed in his own footsteps, and his own calamity and adultery. When you are married and you do things that are not with your spouse, you are begging for calamity in your family. Trust me, it is not worth it. I believe this is why there is so much divorce and family disfunction in this world. Adultery is the number one reason for divorce. Their children see it. People get divorced and can’t wait until their divorce is even final or that their children are healed before their are head first into another relationship. Their children also see this. I am party to these as a kid and over the years, my own personal story, and trust me when I tell you it leaves scars. As with life, not all of this story is bad. My favorite part of this tragic story is how David responded to the obvious severe pain that he was feeling of losing his son and knowing it was his fault. He got up, bathed, ate, and had a celebration service of worship to God. During the service, he worshiped the Lord his God, and told him how grateful and thankful he was for everything that he still had in his life (2 Samuel 12 20:22). All sin has ramifications, but the good news is that it does not have to define us. How this man chose to change his life forever moving forward, and the fact that he chose to worship his God at the worst time of his life speaks volumes. I can also speak to this experience. When I was going through this rough year, I remember sitting there and God telling me to start recording all the good things that he had done for me and all the things that I was grateful and thankful for. That is not a coincidence given that David modeled the same thing led by God. God will bless you and change you if you allow Him, and if you worship Him in the good times, worship Him in the bad times, and sing his praises always no matter the circumstances. I choose to teach my children this trait of praise and worship!
Summary
What most of us will miss in this story is the huge warning label that God puts here. He is trying to show us that if we do not live in line with God and we do our own things out of lust or desire to cure loneliness etc, you just like God’s favorite, David was. I wrote a whole blog about how I believe God sends us subtle signs and wonders to try and get us to turn back and show us that what we are doing isn’t right. Pay attention to those! Eventually God stops with the signs and calamity ensues as he turns us over t the sin we want so much (Romans 1:18-32). I think the rest of the summary to this story is simple. I took from this that all sin has consequences. God hates sin. He hates it so much that He will cause traumatic consequences and allow generational issues in our families over that sin if all parties do not choose to repent and turn back to God. The story also shows me that God is a God of grace and mercy. He will allow us to turn back from our sin no matter how bad it is. God can forgive and will allow you to prosper if you fall in line with God’s law. Trust his provision. I will pray the rest of my life that us sinners will have a Nathan in our lives that will call us out on our sin in a Godly way so that we repent and turn back. Lastly, I am also convinced that God wants to use the pain and the sin that you have lived through and survived to go and tell the world that they can too with the help of God. I am grateful that I can use my sin and pain to help others. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!
Psalm 51:1-13
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.
