Can you recall a time you read about a leader diving headfirst into sin? It can effect a gut-punch like reaction as you read with astonishment how far they strayed. How did David try to cover up his sin… was he considered repentant?
As in, watch a person’s response when their sin is called out; it will likely lead you to one of three thoughts:
- They were caught and are making excuses/blaming others;
- They are aware but aren’t actually repentant, their worldly sorrow is grandiose for the consequences they endure
- They are fully repentant.
Keep in mind, each of the above might also be a part of the process to bring them into right relationship with God. Mind you, only one shows a heart truly aligned with God.
David’s Response to Temptation
David had more than a mere lapse in judgment. He saw, watched, moved past thoughts and asked about her, found out she was married, summoned her anyway, lay with her, sent her home (as though nothing had happened), and takes no action to come clean.
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Relatively speaking, it was not long ago in the history of the Israelites that they received the Ten Commandments. In fact, the ark of the Lord housing the Ten Commandments was rather recently returned to Jerusalem, where David was residing. At this point he directly violated two of them.
- You shall not commit adultery. (#7)
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. (#10)
But wait, there’s more.
How did David Try to Cover up His Sin?
No longer could the sin be ignored… Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, was out of town, she had just purified herself from her uncleanness (was not already pregnant from him), and announces her pregnancy by sending word directly to David.
While the Bible has already specified numerous times that all lives are gifts and are within God’s purview, it can seem that Bathsheba’s pregnancy was not a gift, but a judgment. Consequently, the baby was a gift, was also part of David’s ultimate repentance, and whose life was sadly stripped away as a result of David’s choices.
Apparently this new life was not enough to incite confession. David acts deceitfully by requesting Uriah be sent home from battle, in hopes that he would sleep with his wife and think he got her pregnant. David’s devious plans came to ruin when Uriah acted honorably to his position as a soldier even after he was drunk by refusing to leave David’s doorstep while his comrades were still at war.
How did David try to cover up his sin? What else could he do to publicly appear innocent? He could have her as his wife legitimately. With that, he sends Uriah back to war with explicit instructions to his commander to ensure Uriah dies in the next battle. Uriah dies, Bathsheba mourns for him (it is assumed this lasted 7 days), and he takes her as his wife.
Interestingly, Bathsheba’s name is only used twice in chapters 11 and 12. First it is used to identify her, then after her son dies and she is being comforted by David. During the time of the pregnancy and the sin not being accounted for, she is referred to either casually or as Uriah’s wife.
A prophet’s role…
One of the hardest jobs in the world today equates to the hardest job back then: pastors and prophets. It is astonishing how bold the men of God need to be in order to scrupulously perform their duties. Nathan is no different, he is called to approach David to call him out on his sin. Now, not all of a prophet’s duties were burdensome, they could also be the bearer of good news, as he was back in chapter 7. However, keep in mind that more often than not, upholding the Word meant calling out behaviors that did not align.
Think about that for just a little bit though. Nathan had to approach the king, tell him he did wrong and sinned against God, and hope to live to see another day. This, coming on the heels of David having just abused his powers to essentially murder a man in order to hide his adultery… and Nathan was coming to address this. (Take a moment, if you will, to consider the similarities your pastor sometimes faces… he can face precarious positions where he needs to address sin in order to uphold God’s holiness and the Word. It is not an easy job. In fact, his life would be so much easier and smoother if he just let things slide; all the people would like him. But he knows there is deeper value to a softened heart and a life lived with repentance; he is called to more. He is choosing to honor God and the position God put him in when he admonishes sin.)
Nathan does exactly what the Lord requested of him. He confronts David aiming for his heart to be filled with repentance.
[Nathan said to David,] [“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,] ‘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. 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.'”
2 Samuel 12:9-10
David’s response…
If ever there was repentance, we see it modeled through David.
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
2 Samuel 12:13a
Do you see any excuses? Any blame being offered? What about anger? How about frustration for the consequences Nathan told him about?
You don’t see it because he was truly repentant. He knew in his heart that his sin was a sin against God, first and foremost. He blew the Ten Commandments out of the water with his choices, and it was wrong.
Because his heart was repentant, David’s response lacked any indication that he did not deserve a punishment. That is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.
That isn’t to say, of course, that he did not have sorrow over his punishment. He was about to lose his son after all. Regardless, the punishment came and his son died, even though he was truly repentant.
When David learned that his fasting and pleas to spare his son’s life were not effective, that God had moved forward with his punishment as planned, we see another model to replicate with David.
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.” 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.
2 Samuel 12:19-20a
He worshiped the Lord. His son died as a result of his sin, and he worshiped the Lord. He humbled himself acknowledging he sinned against God.
A verb meaning to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to crouch, to fall down, to humbly beseech, to do reverence, to worship. The primary meaning of the word is to bow down.
Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance [7812, shachah]
David’s Psalm…
David did more than just worship. His Psalm reflects his prayer for forgiveness and cleansing. He knows his error and requests for God to create in him a clean heart and to renew a right spirit. Here, the root word for ‘clean’ means “(by implication) to be pure (physically sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitical uncontaminated; moral innocent or holy)”.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Psalm 51:1-12
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
We can learn a lot from David in his response. We all will sin, but how we handle it and move forward evidences our heart. How you view God will determine your reaction to consequences. How did David Try to Cover up His Sin? More importantly, the question to ask should be, was he considered repentant?
Let us pray we will have a soft heart, that we will respond similarly, and with pleas to grant us a clean heart.
Last Week
2 Samuel 2 – 8
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