Thou Art The Man

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The pivotal statement in this narrative includes that last sentence in chapter 11,

along with the first sentence in chapter 12.

The thing that David did was evil in the sight of the Lord.

And the Lord sent Nathan to David.

These verses reveal that God is not content to leave us in our sin.

Though it is painful to endure, it is out of God's grace that he confronts us.

He sends messengers to confront us in order that he might lead us to repentance

and supply us with his mercy.

That's the theme of these verses.

Did you notice that?

The Lord sent Nathan.

Thus says the Lord to David.

The Lord brings him to repentance.

And the Lord says, I have forgiven you.

This is the work of the Lord.

Without this divine confrontation in David's life and without the divine confrontation in our lives,

we would be spiritually hopeless.

Here we see not only God's hatred of sin, but we see his love of forgiveness.

And it is the confrontational dynamic, the sending of this messenger to David,

that shows us the reality of God's love.

This part of the story reveals exactly how God orchestrates his confrontational work.

Let's look first at God's messenger.

Right at the beginning at verse number one,

This very first line of the chapter asserts that God is not a mere passive onlooker

when it comes to his creation.

Nothing in the Bible teaches that God has set creation in motion

and then stepped away to let it develop as it pleases.

The scriptures actually attest to the fact that God is actively working in every part of creation

in order to bring about his purposes.

He didn't leave David to himself in hopes that David would ultimately figure it out

and come to the realization of what he had done.

That would have never happened.

We saw what happened in chapter 11.

When David was left to himself, he just continued on.

He continued in sin over and over and over.

It would take the divine confrontation of God to make a difference for him.

So God took the initiative and he sent a messenger to confront David in his sin.

And we learn an important truth here about God's character.

Not only does he see, as in verse 27 of chapter 11,

that it displeased the Lord he saw what David did,

but he also acts in his good time to bring about his demonstration and purposes of sovereign grace.

Dale Davis said this,

we need to dally on those opening words,

for they speak of the vigilance of grace.

They show us that grace pursues and exposes the sinner in his sin.

They teach us that God will not allow his servant to remain comfortable in sin,

but will ruthlessly expose his sin, lest he settle down in it.

You may succeed in unfaithfulness, he says, but God will come after you.

What immense and genuine comfort every servant of Christ should find in these first six words of the chapter.

Not that God's pursuing grace is enjoyable, Davis says,

but what if grace did not pursue?

What if God abandoned us when we succeed at sin?

Consider that for a moment.

What if God had decided not to pursue David in this moment?

What would have been the result?

Surely he would have only continued in.

His heart was very hard at this point.

The entire purpose of this narrative here is to show that God in his grace pursues us.

He pursues the sinner.

He pursues the Christian who is lost again in sin.

He pursues us.

He is not content for us to remain in sin.

The confrontation described was not Nathan's idea.

It's not as if the prophet had become aware of David's sin

and took it upon himself to confront the king.

No.

This is the work of the Almighty.

Nathan was merely the instrument of grace that God chose to use in this moment.

God in his word has established many messengers, actually.

Whether it be through the preaching of the gospel,

whether it be through the confrontation of sin and other believers

as we seek to disciple one another and help one another grow in our relationship with Christ,

each of us have been called as a messenger of God to confront the sin of this world and the sin of our lives.

Let me just consider for just a moment some of the ways that God has demonstrated this in his word.

Think about the dynamic of the family.

Parents, in particular, are commanded in the Bible to be the first and most prominent form of confrontation

when it comes to the sin of their children.

The scriptures teach us that it's actually our love for our children that lead us to act in this way,

in a disciplinary way.

And in doing that, we actually demonstrate the love of God for his people.

Think about Proverbs chapter 13, verse 24.

Proverbs 13:24

Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Ephesians 6, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,

but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Deuteronomy chapter 6, God says,

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

Not only are you to read and understand the commands that I give you,

but you are to put them on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children

and shall talk of them when you sit in your house

and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you arise.

There has been a call placed on the life of every parent

to discipline the kids, to confront sin in our children's lives.

There is a responsibility and a call for us in other elements within our families

to confront sin.

It's not just for parents.

The parents have been called to do this.

It's not that Nathan is the only one.

It's not just designated for the prophets of the Bible.

No, believers have a responsibility to this.

Confront sin.

Think about the church.

First, the church has the corporate body.

The Bible says it's the pillar and the ground of truth.

The church is to naturally confront sin as a part of its call

to proclaim the gospel.

You cannot proclaim the gospel of Jesus without confronting sin.

You can't do it.

But so many churches have softened their proclamation of the gospel

in order to appeal to the masses.

But the scripture says that you cannot understand the gospel

without first being confronted by the depravity of your own heart,

the worthlessness of your own sin,

the sinful condition that you lie on.

Without that understanding, there's no reason for you to want Christ.

Why would you?

Why would you even need him?

We have to confront sin.

That's a part of our corporate responsibility as the church.

But even within the communion of the church,

the responsibility of church discipline has been severely neglected.

Why?

Because it's hard.

It's difficult.

And it's not just a modern problem.

The early church in the New Testament struggled with it too.

Think about 1 Corinthians 5.

This is the responsibility of the congregation.

Paul says,

When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus,

deliver this man who was in sin, unrepentant sin,

deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

And here was the purpose.

So that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

There was not a condemning spirit.

It was a restorative spirit in what they did.

That was the responsibility of the congregation to do that.

We have that responsibility as the body of Christ.

1 Timothy 5.20,

we see the responsibility of leaders in the church.

As for those who persist in sin,

Paul tells Timothy,

Rebuke them in the presence of everyone

so that the rest may stand in fear.

We have to confront sin not only as the structure of the family

and the structure of the church.

What about the church as individuals, individual believers?

We have this responsibility as the collective body,

but also we have to help one another.

One of the ways that we help one another

and admonish one another and love one another

is by lovingly confronting sin in one another's lives.

Galatians 6.

Brothers.

Individuals.

If anyone is caught in a transgression,

you who are spiritual should restore him.

1 Thessalonians 5.

We urge you, brothers,

that is individuals,

admonish the idle,

encourage the faint-hearted,

help the weak,

be patient with them all,

see that no one repays evil for evil,

but always seek to do good to one another

and to everyone.

We are just as called to this as Nathan.

Nathan had a specific purpose in the life of David,

but you also as a believer

have a specific purpose in the life of another,

the purpose of the confrontation of sin.

It's only after we've established

that this was the work of God,

God sent this messenger,

this was his work

that we can rightly understand Nathan

and what Nathan did

and how he did it

and learn from him practically.

First, we see Nathan was obedient to his call.

He was obedient to his call.

Look back at verse number one.

The Lord sent Nathan unto David

and he came unto him.

Very simple.

He obeyed the call.

So should we obey the call.

Now we don't know much about Nathan.

The scripture doesn't say a lot about him,

but it does say enough for us to understand

that he was a faithful prophet of God

and that he was a friend

to the family of David and his throne.

But his closeness with King David

wouldn't have diminished the anxiety

that likely accompanied this call.

We might even argue

that it is easier

to confront a mere acquaintance

than it is someone that you know well.

But God wasn't calling Nathan

to go and confront his friend.

He was calling Nathan

to confront the most powerful man

in the nation

and the surrounding region.

Now imagine what could have been going on

in Nathan's mind.

He knew what had happened.

God had revealed it.

If not, the word had been getting out

at this point.

Surely others knew what David had done.

What was going through his mind?

If David was so intent on covering his sin

that he murdered Uriah,

what's going to keep him from murdering me

if I go and try to confront him

in that sin?

He had every reason in the world

to ignore this call.

But he didn't do that.

He was obedient to it.

He was faithful

to what the Lord wanted him to do.

And there are moments

when God directs a person

to act in a specific situation.

Certainly elders in the church

are called to assume

this responsibility as leaders.

But every believer

is called as a messenger

whether it be preaching the gospel

or exhorting the saved.

For the New Testament believer,

it's not a matter of calling.

It's a matter of obedience.

And so we first see

that Nathan was just simply obedient

to what the Lord

had asked him to do.

Second, he was gentle

in his manner.

He was gentle.

How is it that he approached him?

He didn't come in guns a-blazing,

so to speak.

He told him a story.

Let's look at the story.

There was a rich man

that had exceeding many flocks

and herds,

but the poor man

had nothing

except for one little ewe lamb.

He had bought it

and nourished it up,

and it grew up together with him

and with his children.

It ate of his own table.

It drank of his own cup,

and it lay in his bosom,

and it was unto him

like a daughter.

And there came a traveler

unto the rich man,

and he didn't want to spare

anything from his own flock

to feed the traveler.

And so he took

the poor man's lamb

and dressed it for the man

that was to come to him.

Now, the shocking nature

of David's sin

in chapter 11,

if you study it closely

before you get to this story,

it's infuriating.

How could David do this?

How could anybody do this?

Much less somebody

that's a believer,

somebody that is supposed

to be a man

after God's own heart,

and we desire

at this point

that God sends thunder

and lightning

on David's life, right?

But that's not how

Nathan approached him.

It's the opposite of that.

He was gentle

in his manner.

He told him a story first.

He didn't approach him rashly

or with a spirit

of condemnation.

And I think the reason

for this

is because Nathan's heart

was to help David,

not condemn him.

If all we have

in our mind

in confronting our children

or confronting another brother

or sister in Christ

in their sin,

if all we have

in our mind

is our hatred

for that sin

and how we just want

to condemn

that sin in their life,

but we ignore

the love

and the humility

and the gentleness

that God calls us to

in that moment,

we end up taking on

a posture of condemnation

and not actually

trying to help the person.

Nathan's approach

to David

wasn't to come in

guns a-blazing

and try to rain down

fire from heaven

on David.

He came in gently.

He came in

telling him a story.

He had a desire

to actually help David.

And then he was thoughtful

in how he did it.

The story that he told

was not only accurate

to David's sin,

it was contextual

to David's life

as a shepherd.

Nathan gave thought

to this.

He was careful.

He was gentle.

Why?

Because he wanted

to actually help David.

And in our confrontations,

we should be the same.

We should be thoughtful,

careful,

gentle

in order that we may actually

help our brothers

who are in sin.

The New Testament

actually commands this.

We mentioned Galatians 6.1

a minute ago.

The second half

of that verse

is you who are spiritual

restore him in the spirit

of gentleness.

It plainly says it.

We do this in a gentle spirit.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians

in chapter 4

what our relationship

to one another should be.

He says that it should be

with all humility

and gentleness,

with patience,

bearing with one another

in love,

eager to maintain

the unity of the spirit

in the bond of peace,

speaking the truth

in love.

What is our response

to one another?

Humility,

grace,

love,

help,

gentleness

is how we approach

each other.

So Nathan was obedient,

he was gentle

in his manner,

but then he was also

direct in his confrontation.

Look at verse number 5.

Nathan tells this story

and we see David's response.

David's anger

was greatly kindled

against the man.

We understand this

to be a parable

looking back.

David understood it

as if this was

a real situation

that he needed to judge

as the king

and so that's exactly

what he's doing here.

And he said to Nathan,

as the Lord lives,

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.

The injustice in the story

is infuriating

and that's exactly

the emotion

that David expressed.

And we can understand that.

Nathan had him

right where he wanted him.

Rather, God had him

right where he wanted him.

The translation here

of shall surely die,

the literal translation

of this is son of death.

This is not

an official sentencing.

In fact,

it's probably better

to read it

that this man

is worthy of death.

It is an indication

of David's disdain

for this rich man

and what he had done.

It's not an official sentencing.

The official sentencing

is in verse six.

He says,

he shall restore fourfold.

Exodus 22.1

as a part of the law

said that anyone

who stole a lamb

from someone else,

this was the full extent

of the law,

was to restore

that lamb fourfold.

This wasn't punishable

by death.

It was just despicable

that he would do this.

So we would look

at this man,

David would look

at this man and say,

he is worthy of death.

He's a despicable human being

for what he has done.

I will prosecute him,

David says,

to the full extent

of the law.

He will repay

this poor man

fourfold.

As much as the law

will let me pour on him,

that is what I will

pour on him

as the king

and as the judge.

And it was exactly

at this point

that Nathan finds

the perfect opportunity

to directly confront

the king.

And the piercing statement

comes at the beginning

of verse seven.

And Nathan said,

thou art the man.

Thou art the man.

Was he gentle?

Yeah.

There's no contradiction here.

A direct confrontation

doesn't preclude

a gentle manner.

It was actually

the gentle manner

that made the statement

most effective.

The truth is,

beating around the bush

is not going to do you

any good

when you confront others.

That's what a lot of churches

and Christians do.

They beat around the bush.

They just hope that people

will figure it out.

But you won't figure it out.

That's the thing.

Those living in hidden sin

are in the same predicament

as David.

Their heart is hardened

toward their own sin.

They see the sin

of everyone else,

but they don't see

their own sin.

And it takes a direct

confrontation,

albeit a gentle manner,

but a direct confrontation

to expose the sin

according to God's truth.

Picture this unfolding.

He tells this story.

David,

maybe you can picture

the blood beginning to boil

as someone who was

a poor shepherd

at one point.

And he explodes

in a fit of anger.

This man,

full extent of the law,

and then as soon as those words

come out of his mouth,

Nathan looks back,

maybe points a finger

and says,

David,

you are that man.

You are the man.

This is your sin.

We can't downplay

the reality

and seriousness of sin.

And Nathan wasn't

downplaying it here.

We need to be loving

and gentle,

but we also need

to be direct

and clear.

Otherwise,

we will never actually

confront the sin at all.

And then we move

to God's message.

Much more quickly,

we will move

to God's message.

That was the messenger.

Look at the second half

of verse seven.

Nathan said to David,

you're the man.

You are the one

that this story is about.

Thus saith the Lord God

of Israel

is what he says there.

Adding to

the piercing statement

that this story

was actually about David

comes the anguish

of hearing

the following statement.

Thus says the Lord.

David was aware

of Nathan's prophetic office.

He had been used

of God already

in David's life

in this way.

But the power

and weight

of Nathan's words

are found in the fact

that they weren't

actually Nathan's.

Nathan's purpose

in coming to the king

that day

was not his purpose.

It was God's purpose.

Therefore,

the message

that Nathan brought

was not his own message

and that's what actually

gives it power and weight.

He says,

not only you are the man,

but here's what the Lord

has to say about this.

Thus says the Lord.

It doesn't matter,

David,

what Joab thinks about this.

It doesn't matter

if Bathsheba

has gone along with this.

What matters

is what the Lord says.

It's the word of God

that is to be

the foundation

of everything

that we do,

including confronting

the sin of others.

The Bible

is the basis

on which we identify

and confront sin.

Confrontation

without the Bible

is legalism

and it serves

to condemn

rather than restore.

Listen,

it does not matter

what you think

and it does not matter

what I think.

All that matters

is what God says.

Thus says

the Lord,

Nathan says.

We do not confront people

on the basis

of our preference.

We confront them

on the basis

of the truth

of God's word

and if the scripture

is absent

from your dispute,

you are guilty

of what Jesus

called judging.

Judging

is when we confront

people on the basis

of our expectations

but what the Bible

calls us to do

is confront people

on the basis

of God's expectations

and it's the self-righteous

judgment

of professing Christians

that leads

to this legalism

that has infiltrated

the church

and we must learn

that thus says

the Lord God

is the only thing

that matters

in this life.

Your preference

does not matter.

What you wish

it was like

does not matter.

All that matters

is thus says

the Lord.

The piercing moment

in this confrontation

is when David

finally realized

this is God's message

to me,

not Nathan's.

And there's a work

that the word

of God does here.

first,

God's word reveals

the absurdity

of our sin.

It reveals

the absurdity

of our sin.

Look again

at verse 7.

Thus says

the Lord God

of Israel,

I anointed thee

king over Israel.

I delivered thee

out of the hand

of Saul.

I gave thee

thy master's house

and thy master's wives

into thy bosom.

There's no indication

in the scripture

that David ever married

one of Saul's wives.

That's not the point

of that statement.

He's saying,

I gave you everything

that belonged to Saul.

I put in your hands.

I delivered it all

to you.

And I gave thee

the house of Israel

and of Judah.

And if that had not,

if that had been

too little,

God said,

I would have done more.

I would have given you

such and such things.

Listen to what

C.S. Lewis said,

that great writer,

the Chronicles of Narnia

and so many other things.

He said in an essay

or maybe even a sermon

called The Weight of Glory,

he said this,

if we consider

the unblushing promises

of reward

and the staggering nature

of the rewards

promised in the gospel,

it would seem

that our Lord

finds our desires

not too strong

but too weak.

Now we would look

at David's sin

and we would say

that man,

his lust,

his desire for Bathsheba

was just too strong

and C.S. Lewis

would argue

that actually his desire

was too weak

and he goes on

to explain.

We are half-hearted creatures

fooling about

with drink

and sex

and ambition

when infinite joy

is offered to us.

Like an ignorant child

who wants to go on

making mud pies

in a slum

because he cannot imagine

what is meant

by the offer

of a holiday at sea,

we are far too

easily pleased,

Lewis said.

Rather than bask

in the height

of joy

and blessing

that comes from

walking purely

with God,

David settled

for something

that was far less.

The emphasis

in these verses

is not meant

to be on those

tangible things

that God had actually

blessed David with

but it's on

the fact that

our satisfaction,

all of it,

and the necessity

of our lives

is found ultimately

in God

and in his hand

of provision.

He is all

that we need

and in him

is the fullness

of life.

So the question

that God asked David

is completely legitimate.

Why would you do this?

Why would you need

this sin

when I have given you

me and my power

and my blessing?

He settled

for far less.

The scripture

backs this principle up.

Psalm 16

is one part of it.

You have shown me

the path of life.

In your presence,

God,

is fullness of joy.

At your right hand

there are pleasures

forevermore.

This is the work

of God's word.

When we come

to the scriptures

it reveals to us

just how awesome

God is.

As Paul said,

I have counted

all things but loss

in order that I may

achieve the surpassing

value that is

in Jesus Christ.

He is the pearl

of great price.

He is the treasure

hidden in a field.

When you see God

for who he is,

everything that this

world offers

is much too weak

of a desire.

Desire greater things.

Desire the work

of God.

Desire the power

of God.

Desire purity

with God.

So it reveals

the absurdity

of our sin.

God's word reveals

the nature

of our sin.

Look at verse 9.

You have killed

Uriah the Hittite

with the sword.

You've taken his

wife to be your wife.

You have slain him

with the sword

of the children

of Ammon.

Now therefore

the sword shall

never depart

from thine house

because thou

hast despised me

and hast taken

the wife of Uriah

the Hittite

to be thy wife.

Word of God

tells us

what sin is.

It exposes it

in our lives

and when we study

the Bible we will

quickly find our sin

being exposed.

Why?

Because the Bible

is the revelation

of God

and sin is anything

that goes against

God's truth.

Therefore one of the

works of the Holy Spirit

through the word

is to literally

expose

our sin.

Without the scripture

we can't even know

what sin exists

in us.

The writer of Hebrews

said it this way

that the word of God

is living and active.

It's sharper

than any two-edged sword.

It pierces

even to the dividing

of soul and spirit

of joints and marrow.

It discerns

the thoughts

and intentions

of the heart.

And no creature

is hidden

from his sight

but all are naked

and exposed

to the eyes

of him

to whom we must

give account.

The work of the word

exposes our sin.

That's what it did

for David.

But I want to note

one specific phrase

before we move on.

In verse 9

Nathan says

or God says

through Nathan

why have you

despised the commandment

of the Lord?

Despised is the word

used.

Why have you held

in contempt

or found contemptible

the commandment

of the Lord?

But look how he

phrases it in verse 10.

Because thou

hast

despised

me.

Because you

have found

contemptible

me

God says.

Davis is helpful

again here.

By his adultery

and murder

David had

despised

God's commandments

his word.

He treated them

as though

they didn't matter.

To despise

God's word

however

is to despise

the one

who has given

the word.

To trample

on his commandment

is to trample

on the commander.

Therefore

in verse 10

God cries

you have despised

me.

The true

nature

of sin

is contempt

of God.

The true

nature

of holiness

is love

for God.

Well then

we find

that God's

word reveals

the judgment

of our sin

as well.

The absurdity

it exposes

the true

nature of it

and then it

reveals the

judgment

and we're

not going

to dive

into the

consequences

of David's

sin because

we're going

to do that

in a couple

of weeks.

We're going

to focus

just on

the consequences

of forgiven

sin.

But the

significance

here

is that

there are

consequences

for every

sin.

Every sin.

For the

believer

and for

the

unbeliever.

God's

holy nature

demands

this

and the

Bible

reveals it

to us.

It doesn't

just say

what our

sin is

it says

what the

result

of that

sin

is.

But it

also says

that there's

not only

natural

consequences

to our

sin

that is

if you

put your

hand in

a fire

you will

be burned

right?

You live

in sin

you will

reap the

natural

consequences

of that

sin.

But not

only are

there natural

consequences

God judges

our sin

in a judicial

sense.

Romans

Romans 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

the wages

of sin

death

that's the

judgment

not just

that this

life will

be over

even believers

die bodily

it's

the

spiritual

death

the

separation

the

separation

from

God

but then

he says

but the

gift

of God

is eternal

life in

Jesus

Christ

God judges

all sin

the Bible

tells us

that

without the

Bible

we wouldn't

know what

our sin

is

and then

we wouldn't

know that

without

following

Christ

we are

destined

for

eternal

punishment

eternal

spiritual

death

in hell

the Bible

shows us

that

the Bible

begs for

us

to heed

that

warning

and if

you don't

follow

Christ

you will

be

responsible

for bearing

that

punishment

but the

good news

of Romans

6

that the

free gift

of God

is eternal

life in

Christ

Jesus

is that

God

became a

man in

the form

of Jesus

Christ

in order

to pay

that punishment

on behalf

of all

who believe

in him

it's the

Bible

not only

that reveals

the judgment

but it

reveals

that Jesus

has taken

that judgment

if you will

just believe

so trust

him

follow

him

and then

we see

finally

and most

gloriously

in this

passage

God's

mercy

look at

verse 13

David

said to

Nathan

after all

of this

he's heard

the message

of God

now

he says

I have

sinned

against

the

Lord

that's

quite a

difference

here

than the

David

that we

found

at the

end

of chapter

11

at the

end

of chapter

11

we see

David

sending

a message

back

to

Joab

that says

Joab

don't worry

about this

don't let

this seem

evil

in your

sight

no big

deal

but now

he's heard

the word

of God

and now

it's a

big deal

because his

sin wasn't

against Uriah

ultimately

it wasn't

against Bathsheba

even in his

own confession

in Psalm 51

that we'll study

intently in a

couple weeks

he says

against thee

and thee

only

have I

sinned

the true

goal of

confronting sin

should always

be to restore

the sinner

and I know

I've echoed

that a couple

of times

today

but it's

helpful

here

this is

God's

goal

in the

work of

the word

to confront

our sin

in order

that we

would repent

of that

sin

and that's

exactly

what was

accomplished

in David's

heart

he didn't

argue

with God

he didn't

argue

with God's

messenger

he stopped

rationalizing

why what

he did

wasn't that

big of a

deal

and he

humbly

confessed

his sin

and again

Davis helps

us here

to be the

man after

God's

own

heart

is not

to be

sinlessly

perfect

but to

be among

other things

utterly

submissive

to the

accusing

word of

God

the purpose

of this

statement

of confession

is simply

to acknowledge

that God's

work had

been accomplished

remember

all of this

in chapter

12

this is the

work of

God

not the

work of

Nathan

and that

work was

accomplished

God's

goal in

sending

Nathan

was to

bring

David

to

repentance

and that

relentless

pursuit

of grace

did not

fail

it never

does

fail

God's

purpose

was to

send him

in order

to preach

the truth

of his

message

in order

that he

could lead

David to

repentance

in that

moment

that is

our role

in confronting

sin

when we

preach the

gospel

it is so

that God

will take

his word

and he

will do

a work

in the

heart

of the

individual

to which

we preach

in order

that he

may draw

that person

to repentance

that's the

work of

the word

it's not

our work

commit

yourself

to

apologetics

that's

helpful

but there's

no power

in your

apologetic

commit

yourself

to knowing

the ins

and outs

of the

scripture

that's

great

but it's

the power

of the

word

not your

ability

to articulate

the word

that will

actually

benefit

those to

whom

we

confront

and the

idea

behind

every

confrontation

is that

we would

deliver

the word

so that

God

can do

his

work

which is

to lead

people

to

repentance

so we

see

David's

confession

and then

we see

David's

pardon

13

I have

sinned

against

the Lord

and immediately

Nathan

responds

the Lord

also

hath put

away

your

sin

you

shall

not

die

why

is

David's

simple

statement

of

confession

so

important

because

it

gives

rise

to

the

pouring

out

of

God's

mercy

David's

confession

was met

with the

assurance

that God

had forgiven

his sin

and he

would

spare

his

life

execution

was the

demand

of the

law

adultery

demanded

that both

David

and Bathsheba

die

be

executed

and David

had condemned

himself

when he

responded to

Nathan's

story

and said

we will

prosecute

this rich

man to

the fullest

extent

of the

law

he was

saying

I

deserve

to be

prosecuted

to the

fullest

extent

of the

law

but at

the moment

that he

humbly

!

and

contritely

confessed

his sin

to God

God

said

I

have

put

away

your

sin

it

is

God's

mercy

that is

so

brilliantly

shining

in this

passage

what did

David

do

to

deserve

this

pardon

nothing

nothing

at all

that's

the whole

point

the mercy

of God

is based

completely

on his

divine

grace

not our

merit

David

didn't deserve

forgiveness

and neither

do we

but God

delights

himself

in providing

mercy

mercy

this

is

the

entire

purpose

of

this

event

these

15

verses

is

all

about

God's

desire

for

mercy

think

about

it

who

sent

the

messenger

God

God

took

the

initiative

he

sent

Nathan

to

David

in order

that

Nathan

might

confront

David

not

with

his

own

displeasure

but

with

God's

displeasure

of his

sin

and

he

confronted

David

with

the

truth

of

God's

word

and

God

used

that

to

draw

David

lead

him

to

repentance

and

why

did

he

want

to

do

that

because

God

the

whole

time

just

wanted

to

give

mercy

he

just

wanted

to

give

mercy

that's

why

he

did

it

why

did

he

send

Nathan

because

he

loved

David

and

he

was

not

content

to

leave

him

in

sin

why

does

God

send

us

to

confront

our

children

why

does

he

send

us

to

confront

other

believers

why

does

he

send

us

to

preach

the

gospel

to

the

unsaved

because

of

his

love

because

his

desire

ultimately

is

to

pour

out

mercy

we

stand

forgiven

because

of

God's

relentless

pursuit

of

grace

and

it

is

his

work

from

the

beginning

and

what

a

glorious

work

it

is

Micah

told

us

in

his

prophecy

in

chapter

7

who

is

a

God

like

you

pardoning

iniquity

and

passing

over

transgression

for the

remnant

of

his

inheritance

he

does

not

retain

anger

forever

because

he

delights

in

mercy

loving

kindness

steadfast

love

he

will

again

have

compassion

on

us

he

will

tread

our

iniquities

under

his

feet

you

will

cast

all

our

sins

into

the

depths

of

the

sea

Micah

says

and

then

in

John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter

3

in

the

great

conversation

with

Nicodemus

Jesus

said

God

did

not

send