Before reading the text, let's
go to the Lord, please, in a word of prayer. Our Father, we come
about ready to read a portion of Your Word, a somber portion
of Your Word wherein we find one of Thy choice servants having
fallen into sin, confronted by the true and faithful prophet
of God to honestly clearly deliver the message of the Lord. We ask
that this passage might bless us. We pray that there are lessons
and points here that might be good and practical to us in the
living of our life. We pray, Lord, that we might
take warning from the case of David, that we might ever be
careful and keep the heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
Father, we pray that prayer Thou hast taught us to pray, lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We pray that this
passage might serve a good purpose in our heart, that we might be
edified, warned, exhorted, and taught by it, for we ask it in
the name above every name we pray. Amen. Or that is 2 Samuel
12, 1-7. It is Nathan's visit to David. And the Lord sent Nathan unto
David, and he came unto him, and he said unto him, There were
two men in one city, the one rich, the other poor. The rich had exceeding many flocks
and herds. The poor had nothing, save one
little ewe lamb, which he had brought up and nourished it,
and it grew up together with him and with his children. It
did eat of his meat, drank of his own cup, lay in his bosom,
and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler unto
the rich man, and he spared to take his own flock and of his
own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but
took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that was
come to him." David, hearing that, his anger was greatly kindled
against the man, and he said to Nathan, "'As the Lord liveth,
the man that hath done this thing shall surely die, and he shall
restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and because
he had no pity. And Nathan said unto David, Thou
art the man. We'll end our reading there.
Thou art the man. And that's our text and our subject
of the evening. Now, in looking at this, I think
that one can hardly understand the parable of the prophet Nathan
Wright except that they are somewhat acquainted with a recent history
and events that had transpired in the life of David. And that
would be his recent sin with Bathsheba and his callous disposing
of her husband Uriah as he sent him to his death in battle. On
a certain day, David had seen Bathsheba bathing herself, and
had sent for her that she might come under his boudoir. And they
lay in adultery, and Bathsheba became with child from their
illicit affair, and then followed the record of David's scheme
to cover their sin, and we know that it absolutely failed. And when it failed, he sent her
husband Uriah to his death in battle, and later to Bathsheba,
and she became the wife of David. Now, it would seem that David
had navigated these treacherous waters, and that he and Bathsheba,
after the passing of time, had settled in as man and wife And
the child conceived in their sin has already been born and
is how old we are not told. And that whatever scandal there
may have been about the affair, seemed like it had blown over
in the passing months after that. It had faded out of the time
and off of the news for that year or so. and a certain legitimacy
had been put upon, perhaps, the marriage of David and Bathsheba. She is now settled in as his
wife, and elevated from being the wife of an ordinary soldier,
subject to the command of the king, she has gone now to becoming
the wife of the king. Now the scenario has played out
countless times over the course of human history. An adulterous
affair destroys the married. It divides the home and splits
it asunder. It splits the children hither,
thither, and yon. Friends and family take this
side or that, and then the guilty cheaters move on, and in time
it seems that all is smoothed over, And they marry in the years
past, and each passing year seems to give more validity and heal
more of the old wounds that were back there in the former times. So, with David and Bathsheba,
in the last two verses of chapter 11, Uriah is dead, not directly,
but indirectly by David's command, so as Nathan, could lay the death
of Uriah at the feet of David as in 2 Samuel 12 and verse 9. You have killed Uriah with a
sword and slain him with a sword of the children of Ammon. Bathsheba has finished her hypocritical
mourning of the death of her husband. In her case, no doubt,
a mere formality is dead. as a result of her and the sin
of David, and yet could she pass herself off now as a widow after
a period of mourning. And then they came together as
husband and wife, and soon she gives birth to the child conceived
in their illegitimacy. Their love child is born at last,
And they do plan to live happily ever after. In time, people will
forget all about that. It will be smooth sailing. And
yet, if people are willing to forgive and forget what David
and Bathsheba have done, let bygones be bygones, as we sometimes
hear. Or as people in our day say,
it's time to move on and forget the past. What is done is done
and over and such like. Then consider, if you would,
the last words of chapter 11. The thing that David had done
displeased the Lord. Or, as you have it in the margin,
it was evil in the sight of the Lord, regardless of how David
or how his friends might spin it, and regardless of society
becoming more accepting of such things as that, regardless that
social standards might change in the meantime, does not alter
the view of the one that counts the most, and that is the Almighty
and the all-seeing God of heaven. Standards never change. They remain the same forever
and ever. Then another thing for us to
ponder is the chief of the blame is reckoned to David in this
passage of the scripture, as in 11 and 27, and the thing that
David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord. This is not
to say that Bathsheba was innocent in the matter, but it is not
said the thing that they had done or that she had done was
evil in the sight of the Lord because it is told and our story
flows from the standpoint of the king. And he, being the king,
had grossly abused his authority and his power and violated the
right of some of his faithful citizens. Thus, the prophet confronts
David, not Bathsheba, but David. Again, we can only wonder that
God stayed His hand so long in judgment against this sin. that
as long as this sin is a displeasure unto him, and yet had God withheld
his hand? Or, do we wonder that God waited
so long to send Nathan after the fact that he might confront
David for the sin that he was guilty of? And why did judgment
and chastisement not come sooner upon this man after God's own
heart? Had Nathan come? As soon as David
had sinned, had it spared the life of Uriah, greatly altered
the matters of the course of this thing, we cannot say. But
God giveth no account of his matter. Job 33 and verse 12. He acts as he would without our
consent. None can say unto him, what are
you doing? Or stay his hand." Isaiah 4 and
verse 35. It is not for men to know the
times or the seasons which God has put in his hand. Acts chapter
1 and verse 7. He moves at his own time, and
in his all-wise providence, he brings things to pass as he would. Now coming to the confronting
of Nathan, for his sin by the prophet Nathan, he is sent by
God and he speaks under a divine leadership. His coming has to
do not with a social visit, but with David's sin. But he shows
David's fault slowly, moving to it gently, couching his sin
in a parable that he opens up unto David. This brings David,
when he heard the parable, to perceive an injustice had been
done, and to pronounce judgment and sentence unbeknownst to him
against his very own self, condemning himself unawares. David did,
thinking the prophet means two actual citizens in the kingdom. We know that Nathan and David
were not strangers. They were not enemies. On other
occasions, Nathan had been a spiritual advisor unto King David, as in
chapter 7, when David's heart burned within him, for he wanted
to build a house for the Lord. He wanted to build a house for
the Ark of the Covenant. He fell on the conviction that
he lived in a house of cedar, and the Ark of God was dwelling
between curtains. Nathan gives David his blessing
to do whatsoever was in his heart, which the Puritan Thomas Manton
added, and I quote, Nathan's innocent and pious mistake, unquote,
is how he refers to it. For the Lord, by a special revelation,
directs the matter another way. that God would indeed have a
house to his honor that he might be worshiped, but not by David's
hand, who was a warring and a bloody man. But by David's son Solomon
would he have a house of worship built, who was not yet even born. No doubt Nathan is pleased, the
king is minded, to honor God with a house for his name and
his worship. But in chapter 12, our text,
it is not David's zeal, but David's sin that brings the prophet around
to see him on this occasion. Rather than confronting David
with the great evils of his action, the prophet wisely weaves a parable
that is so clearly understood and discernible to the mind.
And in this parable, he lays out the evil of a certain man
and his action. He said there were two men, the
one exceeding rich, the other exceeding poor. The rich man
had flocks and herds in great abundance. The poor man had one
little ewe or female lamb that he had raised up He loved it. He tended it. He fed it. It ate
at his table. It was as if it were a part of
his family. On the other hand, that poor
man with that one little old sheep had managed from its youth
to keep it and to make it to be about the place. Growing up
about his children and around his family and in his house. In verse 3, he nourished it up. It did eat and drink with the
family. It even lay in his bosom and
was like a daughter unto him. Now from these two men, the picture
is very clear. The rich man had no favorites
and took them far granted. He had at his hand a multiple
of choice. The poor man, having the one
little ewe or sheep or female lamb, did give it his loving
care. He was deeply and fondly attached
to his one little ewe lamb. Now here the parable takes a
very tragic turn and brings out a travesty of justice. For it came to pass, verse 4,
a traveler a wayfaring man, a man upon a journey, a man on the
go, a passer-through, maybe not even a friend or an acquaintance
of the rich man, but nonetheless, providence guided him to that
house. But in verse 4, had come the
rich man, who determined to set before him a rack of lamb, that
they might feast upon it that evening, a young lamb dressed
tender, prepared for the table, succulent to set before the guest
in his house." Here the parable takes an incredible turn for
the rich man. Rather than go to his flocks
and kill one of his own and serve one of his own to the wayfaring
man, he steals the poor man's one little lamb and he kills
it and he serves it to his temporary guest up on the table. Now, anyone
can see the injustice in such a thing as this. David saw it
immediately. In his mind's eye, it painted
such a clear picture that his anger and blood were boiling
even as they came to the climax of the parable. However, as yet,
David does not take it as a parable. Nor does he take it as concerning
his sin, but he took it as a real event, an actual happening, some
act of violence done by one citizen against another. And in verse
5 and in verse 6, it kindles his anger against, quote, the
man, unquote. Twice in verse 5, the man. And he vows in the name of the
Lord. David does. The man guilty of
this, quote, shall surely die, unquote. And note the alternate
rendering in the margin. Is worthy of death, is a son
of death. The man that has done this thing
is deserving to be put to death. And in verse 6, he calls for
restitution. To restore the Lamb fourfold. In Exodus 22 and 1, you see that
this was the law of Moses, the law of God. That one who took
another's was to restore it fourfold. Why, David would quadruple the
restoration unto this man. But he goes even beyond the law. For the law did not require the
death of the man who stole another's sheep, but it required a fourfold
restoration. for what he had taken. You can see this also in Luke
19, verse 8. David speaks of this man, this
thing, in that passage. David has taken the bait. He
has sprung the trap. And at this point, Nathan plunges,
as it were, a dagger into the very conscience of old King David. how his words wound the king,
how they must have wounded the king inwardly. The words are,
you are the man. And you are the man that has
done this thing. For the parable is this, David
had multiple wives, Uriah had one, and yet when David would
feed his lust He did so by taking Uriah's only wife. Now if you note, David's wives
are spoken of in the plural. He had several. In verse 11,
thy wife. In verse 8, I gave you your master's
wives, in the plural, into thy bosom. See 2 Samuel 5 and 13,
which says that David took him more concubines and wives out
of Jerusalem. Some say that he had six before
this particular time. So the parable exactly fits and
speaks of the wives of David, plural, and the one wife of Uriah,
singular. You are the man. But Nathan is not nearly finished. These words stick like a dagger,
but Nathan has more to say, for he has three points more that
he wishes to bring before David in this particular place in his
message. The first one is in verse 7 and
in verse 8. He reminds the king how God had
so richly blessed him. Blessed him in making him to
be the king over the nation of Israel. Verse 7, I anointed you
king over Israel, delivered you from your archenemy Saul. I gave you his house, I gave
you his wives, and would yet have given so-and-so or more
on top of that. I have richly blessed you in
making you the king over this people. The second point is in
verse 9. And in this I would say that
he literally rubs salt in the wounds of David here by declaring
his sins to his faith. As Matthew Henry put it, quote,
a high contempt of divine authority and he sums them up as a despising
of the commandment of the Lord. Henry is certainly right. And
he names David's sins before him. You have despised the commandment
of God. You have lightly esteemed it. You have disesteemed God's law
with these things which you have done. In coveting another's wife,
he had transgressed the tenth commandment. He had broken the
sixth when he took, and transgressed the seventh in murder. In sending
Uriah to his death, at the hands of the uncircumcised Ammonites
to whom it was a disgrace to fall in death." Another fruit
of his sins in verse 14, he had given occasion to the enemies
of the Lord to blaspheme. Yes, by what you've done, David,
when people hear about it, they blaspheme the name of the Lord. David's sin had been made a reflection
upon his God and his religion. To speak ill of the God David
professed, so much as to say today, people say this, if that's
religion, then I don't want any part of it. They see a certain
person who is a professing Christian and church member doing certain
things. They avoid that altogether and
say, it is good for me that I am not religious if this is what
religion is all about. Even there is hypocrisy today. For do they avoid politics for
the corruption of politicians? No. Do they avoid sports for
all the corruption and the greed that is there? No. Do they avoid
television and movies which are done by some of the most corrupt
and adulterous people in the world. No, but they will lay
it out and blaspheme religion. This suggests that David's sin
became known. This suggests that David's sin
had not been smothered out, but in some way had leaked out and
was knowledge among the people. But, Nathan has a third point
that he would drive home to David, and that is in verse 10 through
verse 14. He pronounces woes upon the house
and the family of David. And this as a punishment for
his behavior in the ordeal with Bathsheba. And they are severe
chastisement that God brings upon him. Look at verse 10. The
sword shall never depart from thine house. Oh, poor David. And it was so. One trouble after
another. His son assaulting his daughter. One brother killing another.
The sword shall never depart from thy house. Look at verse
11. I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And did he not? With Absalom,
who sought to steal away the hearts of the people. And he
said, I'll desecrate your wives in the sight of all Israel and
before the Son. Verse 14, the child conceived
in your sin will surely die. And as we know, all of these
came to pass in the life of David. Nor were they bad luck. They
weren't fate. They were not things that just
happened. Rather, they are the bitter fruits
of the sin of David. In verse 10, Because you have
despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife. Look at verse 12. You acted in
secret. Look at verse 14. Because by
this deed, for that reason, the words of the prophet were like
a sword that pierced the soul, the heart, and the conscience
of the king. You are the man. You are the
one. You are the one that took the
one poor man's little ewe lamb. You are the one that has despised
the commandment of the Lord. You are the one who has taken
away another man's wife. You are the one that has sent
a faithful servant to his death. You are the one who secretly
committed and tried to cover such a sin. You are the one who
will forever be famous for this sin. Your sin will live in infamy. You, David, are the man." Might
we make another application that David is the man who sinned against
knowledge. that David's sin was directly
against knowledge and light. He sinned against knowledge,
for he had much. He sinned against light, for
he had much. He was not an ignorant pagan,
not acquainted with the ways of the Lord. He was not ignorant
of the law of God and God's commandment. He sinned, as it were, with his
eyes wide open. He knew the law. He knew the
moral standard of God. He could not plead ignorance
in the matter of his sin. He could not say that he lacked
a wife, for he had many, nor that the thing seized him all
of a sudden before he knew what was happening, for it took some
time for it to play out. Nor could he say that he was
seduced, for the woman may have been unaware. that the king had
his eye upon her. It comes back to this. He sinned
against light and against knowledge. For there were special sacrifices
for sins of ignorance in the land of Israel and the economy
of Israel. Numbers chapter 15, you find
that. If a man has sinned ignorantly,
he doesn't know, didn't realize, then there were sacrifices for
that. David knew the things of God
as well as any man in his generation, and still he grievously sinned
against the Lord and His law. Now, let's make some applications
to draw ourselves unto a close. Number one, what had been David's
response? How had David reacted if God
had not humbled him and granted him and immediate repentance. What would have been the course
of action had that not been? He had already killed one man
to hide his sin and keep it secret. Would he murder the prophet of
God now? Will he kill the messenger? Not
if God crush him in the vice of the prophet's words and melt
his heart. Not if God makes him contrite. Not if God breaks his bones,
as he says in Psalm 51 and verse 8. Not if God's arrows stick
fast in him, Psalm 38 and verse 2, which he said they did. Yea,
he would likely kiss the staff of the prophet, for God had granted
him repentance and had humbled him. Secondly, consider the Lord
has many arrows in His quiver. with which to wound the erring
one and correct them, each one able to fly straight to its mark. He knows which arrow to shoot. He knows how deep it need be
the wound. There is much at his disposal
by which he may correct his erring sons and daughters. His chastising
throats are also correcting strokes, for they are intended as correction. And he is able in his great wisdom
to suit the strokes to the person and the situation. David was
severe as his sin was great, and he was a king and a powerful
man and had influence over the people in the kingdom. Yes, God
has many errors in his quiver. Then thirdly, consider the sovereignty
of God in this matter with David and his sin. David convicts himself
of a capital offense, and yet the prophet said, you will not
die. Your life is to be spared. He would die under the law. And yet the prophet said, his
life he would retain. His sin would be put away, while
David and Bathsheba or the adulterers in this case, the child is the
only one that is smitten with sickness and with death. And
though David's sin is forgiven and put away, yet it bears its
bitter fruit in that house for years to come. So let us consider
the sovereignty of God. God here dispensed with the law
in the case of David. It would call for him to be put
to death. Fourthly, consider another man
to whom it could be said, you are the man. Adam, the first
man who ate the forbidden fruit, hid himself among the trees when
not a prophet but the Lord God Himself in person came to confront
him. You are the man by whom sin entered
into the world. You are the man that has caused
death, and has caused that death to pass upon all men. You are the man whose sins have
brought the earth, as it were, under a curse. Now, from this
text we can declare it is stealing to take another person's wife
or husband. The Scripture teaches us clearly,
let each have their own wife or their own husband, Paul said. Let each have their own for the
proper use and service of marriage. Yes, the Lord sees all that we
do. He hears all that we do. David's sin might have seemed
that he got by with it, that a year passed and no stroke fell
upon him. But then, at God's time, the
prophet comes and says to him, Thou art a man. And here's some
evidence of grace in David, that rather than being like a wild
bull in a china shop, rather than like a wild bull tearing
a china shop up, he is humbled, and he is repentant, and he confesses
his sin. He says, I have sinned. against the Lord. That's our
duty when confronted with it. I have sinned. It don't do any
good to say, well, I didn't do any worse than he did, or I'm
not worse than they are. That's no good. The true and
honest thing is, I have sinned. And then David's prayer in Psalm
51, Restore to me the joy of thy salvation. Make the bones
that you've broken to rejoice again. Take not from me thy Holy
Spirit and such like. Be repentant when our sins are
pointed out unto us. That takes an humbling work of
the grace of God to do that. All right, thank you for your
kind attention, and let's bow together for a word of prayer,
please.