The Bible says that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All means you and me. David, attempting to avoid shame and perhaps retribution, tries to hide his sin from man and God, which results in terrible consequences for David and for others. Our sin can likewise impact those around us. The good thing is that God has made a way for us to return to Him,
by Dr. Henry Johnson
I have had the opportunity. to talk to many people who say the
Bible is difficult to read or they say it is boring. They think
the Bible doesn’t deal with real life issues. These same people
will watch Jerry Springer, Oprah, or Maury to watch the drama
unfold in someone’s life. This morning we have fallout from a
Jerry Springer event in the Bible. We have a sex scandal at the
highest levels of government. There are several attempts at
deception. Then we have a murder and an attempt to cover
everything up. The story of David and Bathsheba is well known.
Often we focus on the outcome of what happened. We look at how
David responded to the sin. Our text today presents to us
David’s prayer of confession and repentance. We find the record
of this sex sandal in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. David’s armies were
out fighting the Ammonites. For some reason he had stayed in
Jerusalem. Perhaps he was tired, or perhaps he was waiting to go
to the field when the victory was won or perhaps he was
considered too important to risk in battle. We really don’t know
why he didn’t go out with his troops to the battle. We only know
that he stayed in Jerusalem. One evening when he couldn’t sleep,
he decided to take a walk on his roof. He looked over the city
and saw a woman taking a bath. David sent one of his servants to
gather information about the woman. The servant returned with
the information. David should have recognized several warning
signs after the woman was identified. The woman was identified
as Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the
Hittite. The first warning sign was that the woman was married.
Then when that happened, he lied about it. He was deceptive.
Then it finally led to the point where Uriah lost his life
because David sinned. The child that was ultimately born as a
result of this sin died. Two lives were lost because David
sinned. David’s family as a result became a mess after this.
David did so much to cover up his initial sin of adultery. He
worked out a plan and actually thought his plan worked but not
so because God knew what he had done. God prepared and sent
Nathan the Prophet to David. Nathan told David a parable of a
ewe lamb. When he came to David, he said, “There were two men in
a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a
very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had
nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it,
and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food,
drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a
daughter to him. “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the
rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to
prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he
took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it
for the one who had come to him.” David burned with anger
against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD
lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for
that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had
no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “Thou art the man!”
David’s sin caught up with him.
They caused two deaths - Uriah and the baby that was conceived.
He also brought in destruction to his family as a result of his
sin. David turned to God in our text and confessed his sins and
cried out to God for restoration. Listen to the words of this
sinner as he cries out to God. He says, Have mercy upon me, O
God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the
multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
David now realized the effects of his sin and how it damaged his
relationship with God. He feels dirty from his sin so he cries
out “Wash me thoroughly 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. David realizes that he
can’t hide sin from God but then he realizes that sin has been a
problem from birth. He says, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
David moves on in his confession he says Behold, thou desirest
truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom. David has already cried out to be
cleaned but now he wants to be cleaned again. He says, Purge me
with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow. Hyssop is a purple-blue flower that gives off
a strong aroma. It was used for an antiseptic and body lotion
during David's time. David actually wants to be healed from the
wounds of his sin. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the
bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. David realized that
sin has stolen the joy he once had. He wants to be restored,
renewed, and forgiven. He asks God to “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.”
David realizes that if God will clean him up that he has a
testimony and an opportunity to help others. So he promises God
that he would teach transgressors God’s ways. David feels if
people will know God’s ways that they will be converted and
serve God. David discovered that confession is good for the
soul. God renewed, restored, cleaned him up, forgave him and
blessed him. Through this process a relationship was formed
between God and David. There was a change that came over David.
He didn’t stop sinning but he did stop hiding sin and confessed
his sin. The result is that God said David was a man after his
own heart.
The Bible says that we all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. All means you and me. The good thing is that God
has made a way for us to return to Him. If we will confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us for all of our
unrighteousness. Let me share a story with you as I close. There
was a potter who made some of the most beautiful pottery you
could every find. He spent a great deal of time making and
molding the pottery into the shapes and designs he wanted.
Sometimes, he would find some of his products with cracks in
them. Most potters would throw away items with cracks in them.
This potter loved the things he made so much that when he found
an item that was cracked he would fill in the cracks with gold
filling. The more cracks he found the more gold filling he would
use. When people came to buy pottery they would always purchase
the pottery with the gold filling because it was so unique. When
we go before God in the brokenness of sin and confess our sins,
God in his love for us fills us with something more beautiful
than gold. He fills us with Jesus. The more cracks we have
because of sin the more of Jesus God puts in us. If you are
struggling with sin, God wants you to know that confession is
good for the soul!
Reverend Dr. Henry Johnson
27 June 2004
doctorj@praisenet.org
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