The Green Pastures

“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, Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die. Then Nathan went to his house” 2 Samuel 12:13-15

I think the story of David and Bathsheba is one of the more well known stories of the Bible, for good reason. It’s a great story of how sin ruins lives. David was king and living an amazing life, but it all falls apart when he sees Bathsheba. I won’t be talking about the whole story, but we will be diving into the aftermath of it. Specifically, how sin affects the scenario after David responds. 

David’s Response

David said to Nathan “I have sinned against the Lord” 2 Samuel 12:13

After Nathan’s famous rebuke, David could have easily had Nathan put in prison, but no. David’s response shows off why he is a man after God’s own heart. He responds with taking responsibility. He doesn’t make any excuses, like “the devil made me do it” or “it was Bathsheba’s idea”. He is aware that he himself sinned against God. We see this elsewhere in the Bible too. Psalms 51 is a psalm written by David around the time when Nathan came to him. This psalm shows how David responds with words like “Have mercy on me”, “wash me thoroughly”, and “create in me a clean heart”. These show the abandonment of sin and the desire of new life. It also paints a great word picture of how sin only creates mess. With “wash” and “clean”, it shows how David is aware that he is filthy and needs God to come in and remove it all. 

God’s Response

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” 2 Samuel 12:13b

Nathan responds to David by giving him good news; the Lord has put away his sin and it will not cost him his life. God shows off His incredible forgiveness as He does with anyone who sins against Him and repents. David was guilty of adultery, attempted to cover it up, and when that failed he had Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle, which resulted in a couple of other people dying along side him. He should be punished for what he’s done. But because David was truly remorseful of all that he had done, God showed His immeasurable grace onto him. So God forgave him. End of the story? Surely because God forgives David, everything is settled. Wrong. 

Sin’s Response

“Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house” 2 Samuel 12:14-15

Although forgiven, sin will not go without cost. The chapter continues talking about the level of grief that David was experiencing. It seems so wrong to forgive someone and still let something bad happen. It only seems like that because we don’t have a right view of sin. It is hard to give a definition to sin that does it justice. The Bible defines sin as lawlessness, neglect of known right, and falling short of God’s glory. It is the exact opposite of God. It is imperfection. Since we are called to give glory to God, when we bring sin to the perfect God, it is the worst insult or disrespect we could bring. Therefore, when we sin, we deserve the full wrath of God, not just a slap on the wrist. So to withhold any of the wrath is an amazing show of grace. We should be grateful when we only get a small taste of the wrath of God. I heard it said one time that the only time a bad thing happened to a good person was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I have personally learned the lesson of consequences of sin in my life, but every step of the way I was surprised by how the grace of Christ kept me. I thought I would lose everything, but actually gained brothers and sisters in Christ and more wisdom over time. It just shows that God is sovereign over sin and will carry you through, even if you just hurt Him with your sin. If the sovereign God has that level of love and forgiveness, which He does, then you should run to Him when you sin and need Him the most.