David and Nathan David A Man after Gods

David and Nathan David: A Man after God’s Own Heart Series [25] 2 Samuel 12: 1 -23 © September 24, 2017 Pastor Paul K. Kim

RECAP [2 SAM. 11]: THE STORY THAT PRECEDED THE STORY OF DAVID AND NATHAN [2 SAM. 12] • It was David’s spiritual complacency and unguarded heart that led him to this tragic failure in sin. • It started with one sin but it snowballed into subsequent heinous sins— i. e. , lustful look: coveting adultery cover-up #1: lie cover up #2: murder stealing the wife of Uriah (5 of the 10 commandments). • It provides us with crucial lessons on our own propensity to sin and frailty before deceitfulness and sinfulness of sin. • It seemed like a “perfect crime” that had blinded David from the truth that “the thing that David had done displeased the LORD” (2 Sam. 11: 27).

DAVID & NATHAN: LOVING CONFRONTATION & HUMBLE RESPONSE • You Are the Man: A Wise Way of Confronting a Person in Denial (12: 1 -9) 1 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. ” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. ”

DAVID & NATHAN: LOVING CONFRONTATION & HUMBLE RESPONSE • You Are the Man: A Wise Way of Confronting a Person in Denial (12: 1 -9) 7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. (12: 1 -9) Ø Nathan was a prophet of God but also a close friend of David. He was to break the bad news to David in order to get him out of denial of sin. Ø But notice HOW he confronted David’s sin with both love and courage. Ø It’s so easy to lose the love/courage balance—i. e. , either to blast the bad news without tactfulness or to minimize the bad news (or avoid telling it).

DAVID & NATHAN: LOVING CONFRONTATION & HUMBLE RESPONSE • I Have Sinned against the LORD: Forgiveness and Discipline (12: 10 -23) 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. ’ 11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. ’” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD. ” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die. ” 15 Then Nathan went to his house. And the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick.

DAVID & NATHAN: LOVING CONFRONTATION & HUMBLE RESPONSE • I Have Sinned against the LORD: Forgiveness and Discipline (12: 10 -23) 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm. ” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead? ” They said, “He is dead. ” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.

DAVID & NATHAN: LOVING CONFRONTATION & HUMBLE RESPONSE • I Have Sinned against the LORD: Forgiveness and Discipline (12: 10 -23) He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food. ” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether he LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? ’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. ” (12: 10 -23) Ø Notice two extraordinary displays of character: (1) Nathan’s boldness, and (2) David’s humility in responding to God’s conviction through Nathan. Ø David’s simple confession of his sins was met by God’s hesed forgiveness. Ø Nevertheless, forgiveness in true grace also often means God’s loving discipline on a sinner through the consequences of his/her sins (Heb. 12: 6).

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND NATHAN • Lesson #1: Like Nathan, we are to apply the art of loving confrontation for our close friends—avoiding two extremes: (1) talking harshly for self -satisfaction and (2) avoiding/minimizing for self-preservation. 5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27: 5 -6 Ø We all need a Nathan in our lives for our blind spots and denial in deceitfulness and sinfulness of sin. Ø We all also need to be a Nathan to our close friend in denial or blind spot. Ø The twofold key is (1) to confront boldly for the person’s best interest and to confront tactfully for the person’s best reception of the hard truth.

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND NATHAN • Lesson #2: The only pathway to freedom and restoration from sin is to humbly confess our sins to God in repentance. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah Psalm 32: 3 -4

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND NATHAN • Lesson #2: The only pathway to freedom and restoration from sin is to humbly confess our sins to God in repentance. 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, ” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Psalm 32: 5 Ø There is no other way to freedom and restoration from sin—not regrets, self-evaluations, improvement plans, or mere remorse. Ø We must personally and specifically confess our sins to God. Ø Confession of our sins is the beginning part of true repentance, agreeing what God says about the sins that we have committed.

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND NATHAN • Lesson #3: A wisdom in fighting sins is to realize that God forgives our sins with tender mercy, but God often uses the consequences of our sins to discipline our character. . But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9: 17 b

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND NATHAN • Lesson #3: A wisdom in fighting sins is to realize that God forgives our sins with tender mercy, but God often uses the consequences of our sins to discipline our character. 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? . . . 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12: 7, 11 Ø God is ready to forgive our sins now and will begin the restoration process today—so, we must have urgency to confess our sins. Ø But, forgiveness doesn’t mean that there are no consequences of our sins. Ø God often uses the consequences of our sins to discipline us with a Fatherly love—so, we must have patience in persevering His discipline.

Gospel’s Personal Focus Then Nathan pounces: “You are the man” (2 Sam. 12: 7). This is the gospel focus: you are the man; you are the woman. The gospel is never about somebody else; it’s always about you, about me. The gospel is never a truth in general; it’s always a truth in specific. The gospel is never a commentary on ideas or culture or conditions; it’s always about actual persons, actual pain, actual trouble, actual sin: you, me; who you are and what you’ve done; who I am and what I’ve done. It’s both easy and common to lose this focus, to let the gospel blur into generalized pronouncements, boozy cosmic opinions, religious indignation. . . David is now in gospel focus. Addressed personally, he answers personally: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12: 13). He abandons the generalities of religion. He quits giving out opinions on other people’s lives, good or bad, realizes his position before God—a sinner! A Person in trouble, a person who needs help, a human being who needs God. ― Eugene H. Peterson

THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 1. In what ways will you seek true spiritual friendships in your men’s/ women’s group—by the marks of “faithful wounds” in loving confrontation to one another? 2. What would it mean for you to humbly submit to the Spirit’s prompting for repentance? What sins do you need to confess to God today? 3. What is your first step toward becoming wiser in fighting sins in your life? To have more urgency in confessing your sins and to have more patience in persevering God’s discipline on your character?