2 Samuel 11:1-12:25: Sin, Repentance, Consequences, Restoration

2 Samuel 11:1-12:25: Sin, Repentance, Consequences, Restoration

The young David that slew the giant grows up to eventually become king.  He loves the Lord and loves to praise Him.  However, David falls from his relationship with God when he sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing.  He lusts after her and has an affair with her that results in pregnancy. 

In order to try to cover up his sin, he repeatedly tries to get her husband Uriah to go home to be with Bathsheba so that two can be intimate and Uriah will think he is the baby-to-be's father.  However, Uriah is devoted to David's service and never goes home.  

David piles sin upon sin with his desperation to make sure no one knows Uriah was not with Bathsheba.  He plots to have Uriah murdered.  David sends Uriah to the frontlines of battle, hoping Uriah will be killed.  His evil plan succeeds, and Uriah does indeed die, and David then takes Bathsheba to be one of his wives.

After David sins, the prophet Nathan visits David and confronts the king with his sins.  In 2 Samuel 12:13 David acknowledges his sins.  Nathan does not say, "no big deal, just keep on being human because God understands."  No, he tells David that he must "put away" his sin. Just as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery in John 8:11 that she should "Go and sin no more," not saying it was okay to continue to live repeatedly in sin. A truly contrite heart means giving up the sins for which you are repenting.

Going back to verses 7-8, God reminds David of how much He had blessed David. Yet, in spite of God's goodness, David still backslides.  God says that David has done evil because he "despised the commandments of the Lord."  

Our sins are reflected in the same way.  Refusing to do what the Bible says is evidence that we also despise the rules.  It is throwing the goodness of God back in His face. 

David humbles himself and turns back to God, but because David had greatly failed as a moral leader, he still must suffer the consequences for his actions. God allows the child conceived from the affair to die seven days after his birth.  God also tells David that he will suffer further consequences and that evil will rise up against him from his own house.  Years later, his son Absalom does indeed go to war against his father.

With all that said, here is the good news! God forgives and restores! Because David has a true change of heart and rededicates his life back to God, God restores the loss of the baby through the birth of Solomon.  In later years, the Bible even says that David did right in the eyes of the Lord.  When you and through the Psalms you can see how much David loved the Lord and lived to honor the Lord for the majority of his life. 

Luke 7:47 says that one who has been forgiven much loves much.  I think because David was so graciously forgiven by God that it made his life after restoration much deeper than before. I truly believe he understood beyond the empty rituals of his time who God was.  He wrote 16 prophetic Psalms speaking about Jesus (Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 72, 89, 102, 110, and 118) and writes about the Holy Spirit in Psalm 51. 

God truly will use someone who has committed great sins, but ONLY if you have a sincere repentant change of heart, mind, and actions.  God will not use someone actively living in rebellion against the principles of Jesus Christ.

Sin. Repentance. Consequences. Restoration. Forgiveness. Changed Heart!

I am going to do something different here.  Rather than post the long portion of 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25, I recommend you read it on your on, and I am going to instead post the Psalm David wrote after he had rededicated His life back to God (please read also Psalm 32 and 139).  This is my favorite Psalm, and I pray you read it over carefully and let the beauty and power of David's words sink in and apply them to your life as well. 

God, I acknowledge my sin, make me clean, correct my wicked ways, and bring me joy through the blood of salvation in Jesus Christ! 

(Psalm 51:1-19) Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest...

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise...

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.