Learning The Hard Way: David
Sometimes, lessons have to be learned the hard way, and in the case of David, tragedy was the outcome of sin. Forgiveness is sometimes only obtained at great cost, and character is often forged in the fires of mental anguish. The story of David and Bathsheba is found in the book of 2 Samuel, as King David falls to temptation, and commits a great sin against the Lord, and ultimately pays a very heavy price for it.
David was beloved by the people from the time that he was just a young shepherd boy, because of his courage and great faith in the defeat of Goliath. He went on to become king, he commanded armies, and was very powerful, and sometimes, power breeds corruption. One evening, as he was on his rooftop, he saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, and he enquired about her. However, after he found out that she was the wife of one of his soldiers, he makes the decision to take her for himself anyway. She becomes pregnant, and when David finds out about it, he sends her husband, Uriah, to the frontline of the battle, and commands his forces to draw back, ensuring that Uriah would be killed. David then takes Bathsheba for his wife, but this thing was very displeasing in the eyes of the Lord. David realizes the grievous nature of his sin when God sends the prophet Nathan to speak to him and open his eyes to what he had done. We read in 2 Samuel 12:1-19..."And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; and it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of 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. And David's 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. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast 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. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead." A very hard lesson, indeed. Not only had David committed adultery with Uriah's wife, he had then committed murder in order to cover it up. Because of these terrible sins, and the fact that his actions brought reproach upon God's people, God did not spare the child that Bathsheba bore to David. Although David later went on to gain forgiveness, and return to right standing with God, it came at a very steep price.
David wrote the 51st Psalm soon after Nathan the prophet had spoken with him, as the weight of his sin came crashing down upon him..."Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." The acknowledgement of our sin is the beginning of repentance, and it is this godly sorrow that leads us to seek God's forgiveness.
David goes on to say in verses 10-12..."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." David realizes the fact that his sin has driven a wedge between himself and God, and that it is his responsibility to remove it. He prays for renewal, for cleansing, and for restoration. In the book of Acts, God calls David "a man after his own heart". Why would God speak so highly and identify so closely with a man who would do the things that David had done? First of all, we know that David had great faith. He had proven his faith from the time that he was young. Only great faith can overcome the fear of death that David faced when he defiantly slew Goliath. Secondly, David was humble, and he was reverent toward God. Also, he trusted in the Lord completely, and he was devoted to Him. He recognized that his blessings came from God, and he gave Him all the glory. However, David was human, and he was subject to the frailties and weaknesses of the flesh just as any of us are. Although there was a terrible price to pay for the sins that David had committed, God did forgive him. David was restored to right standing before God, but he had to seek it out with many tears. We see the anguish that David's sin had caused him in Psalm 51, as well as many other places where David eludes to the pain that his own sin had caused. David was truly repentant, and this is just one of the reasons why God loved David, just as He loves each of us. He is always willing to forgive us, and if we will humbly approach His throne of mercy, He will restore us. David's prayer of repentance is a recurring theme throughout all of scripture, and should be our heartfelt plea to God on a constant basis..."Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
David was beloved by the people from the time that he was just a young shepherd boy, because of his courage and great faith in the defeat of Goliath. He went on to become king, he commanded armies, and was very powerful, and sometimes, power breeds corruption. One evening, as he was on his rooftop, he saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, and he enquired about her. However, after he found out that she was the wife of one of his soldiers, he makes the decision to take her for himself anyway. She becomes pregnant, and when David finds out about it, he sends her husband, Uriah, to the frontline of the battle, and commands his forces to draw back, ensuring that Uriah would be killed. David then takes Bathsheba for his wife, but this thing was very displeasing in the eyes of the Lord. David realizes the grievous nature of his sin when God sends the prophet Nathan to speak to him and open his eyes to what he had done. We read in 2 Samuel 12:1-19..."And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; and it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of 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. And David's 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. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast 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. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead." A very hard lesson, indeed. Not only had David committed adultery with Uriah's wife, he had then committed murder in order to cover it up. Because of these terrible sins, and the fact that his actions brought reproach upon God's people, God did not spare the child that Bathsheba bore to David. Although David later went on to gain forgiveness, and return to right standing with God, it came at a very steep price.
David wrote the 51st Psalm soon after Nathan the prophet had spoken with him, as the weight of his sin came crashing down upon him..."Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." The acknowledgement of our sin is the beginning of repentance, and it is this godly sorrow that leads us to seek God's forgiveness.
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