• Theme: God does not look for ways to get out of his relationship with man, but for ways to get back into it.
  • Inward work
  • Contends with competing loves
  • Puts aways our sin
  • Draws us into himself

2 Samuel 12:1–31 (ESV) — 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.” 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 you 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. 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. 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 and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. 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 this 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 the 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.” 24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD. 26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 31 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

1 He prepares us inwardly.

• David was prepared by Nathan’s parable.
  • Characters: Rich man, many flocks, poor man, ewe (you) lamb, a traveler.
  • Perhaps at literal court.
  • Perhaps a private audience.
  • But highly preparatory.
    • David felt surprised and angered by the absolute injustice, unfairness, and inequity of it all.
    • He felt the man should restore fourfold, which is what the law required (Exodus 22:1), but also that he should die!
      • Jesus: Matthew 7:3 (ESV) — 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
• But he was also prepared privately by God.
  • Psalm 32:3–4 (The Message) — 3 When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. 4 The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.
    • Life is not the same when we are in darkness.
• Too often, however, we think of this inward preparation as something altogether different, rejection.
  • We think God’s inward preparation is his utter rejection.
  • No! He is drawing you to himself.
    • God drove Adam and Eve from the garden so he could bring them into forever friendship with himself through the blood of the Son (Genesis 3:24).
• Thank God for the way he prepares your heart for restoration.
  • Jeremiah 23:29 (ESV) — 29 Is not my word…like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
    • Stroke after stroke, and then the rock crumbles.
    • If one day you want a breakthrough, you must every day let the word break you.

2 He contends with our loves.

• David had despised God’s grace — instead loving what God had not given.
  • 7-8 Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you 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.
    • The rich man: discontent with what belonged to him.
  • Appreciate God’s grace.
    • For a believer, sin is an affront to the grace of God. It takes God’s goodness and responds with an undignified insult. It is an injurious and traitorous disrespect of the absolute and total kindness of God.
• David had despised God’s word — instead loving his own thoughts.
  • 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight?
    • David had come to hate the word of God. He looked down on it. He no longer saw its worth. He’d drifted from his original love for God’s precepts.
  • Appreciate God’s word.
    • Psalm 1:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
• David had despised God’s person — instead loving a life without God.
  • 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me.
  • Appreciate God.
    • Was not this the problem of the wilderness generation? They could not appreciate (1) all God had graced them with in their victory over Egypt and blessings in the wilderness, (2) the word God had handed to them on Sinai, or (3) the presence of God amongst them in the cloud and fire and tabernacle.

3 He puts away our sin.

• 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.
  • David recognized his sin was, ultimately, against the LORD.
  • Though David felt the rich man deserved death, which was an unwitting declaration of his own death sentence, but God would not take David’s life.
  • Instead, God put away his sin.
    • He would have to deal with consequences, which we read of and will think on in a moment, but God put away his sin!
    • Adultery and murder both were sufficient cause for execution, even of a king (Exodus 21:12, Leviticus 20:10).
    • But God accepted the genuineness of David’s contrition and repentance.
    • David’s sin was heinous, but God’s grace was more than sufficient.
• It cost God greatly to put away our sin.
  • The garments of skins God clothed Adam and Eve with foreshadowed the price (Genesis 3:21).
  • The entire sacrificial system was designed to forecast and foreshadow the price the true spotless lamb would have to pay to purchase forgiveness for the worshipper.
    • Hebrews 9:26 (ESV) — 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

4 He draws us into a new and deep friendship.

• David accepted God’s discipline with hope.
  • God instituted ramifications, consequences, for David’s sin.
    • 10 The sword would not depart from David’s household.
      • The baby died.
      • Absalom killed Amnon after he raped Tamar.
      • Joab killed Absalom.
      • Adonijah was slain by Benaiah.
    • 11 Evil against David would rise up from his own house.
      • The sin against Tamar by Amnon.
      • Absalom’s public rebellion, including his shameful treatment of David’s wives.
    • All for a few moments of lustful pleasure.
  • But David accepted the decree.
    • He did not chafe at the discipline, but took it like a man.
    • He did not become terrified of God, but instead ran to God.
    • He did not feel doomed, but instead expressed hope in God’s grace and favor, that the child might live.
  • And after the child’s death, he went in to worship.
    • 2 Samuel 12:20 (ESV) — 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
    • I may have he written Psalm 51 there.
      • Psalm 51:1 (ESV) — 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
      • Psalm 51:3 (ESV) — 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
      • Psalm 51:7 (ESV) — 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
      • Psalm 51:10 (ESV) — 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
      • Psalm 51:13 (ESV) — 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
      • Psalm 51:18 (ESV) — 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
    • This moment set the course for the rest of his life.
• The second half of David’s life was better.
  • It is tempting, and I have often made this mistake, to see the second half of David’s life as the miserable portion of life, while the first half was all glory. But perhaps we have seen it all wrong. Perhaps the second half, humbled by his sin and glad for his restoration, was sweeter, full of a depth that could not have come before.
  • John 21:15-17 — Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Feed my lambs. Simon, son of John, do you love me? Tend my sheep. Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep.
    • Do any of us think Peter’s life was diminished by his failure and subsequent restoration? No! It was made richer.
  • Job — Job 13:15 (ESV) — 15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him…

Close: Result — He extends a renewed grace upon us.

• 24 David comforted his wife, Bathsheba: Now one flesh.
• 24 And the LORD loved him: Solomon.
• 25 Jedidiah: meaning, beloved of the Lord.
• 30 He took the crown of their king: Victorious.
• As I prepared, I made a list of all David did in this chapter.
  • But then I made a list of what the LORD did.
    • Sent Nathan.
    • Spoke through Nathan.
    • Forgave David.
    • Brought consequences.
    • Loved Solomon.
      • All with the intention of bringing David back to himself.
  • We should not let God do this for us in vain. Let’s go in an enjoy him.