As you recall, 1 Samuel provides the historical account of the transition from the time of the Judges to the period of the Kings, with three main characters being 1) Samuel (the last of the Judges and the first prophet after Moses); 2) Saul (the first king of Israel); and 3) David (the “king-elect” who was anointed by Samuel, but not yet publicly recognized as king). The account of David’s ascent to the throne is reserved for 2 Samuel.
As 1 Samuel covers the ninety-four year period from the birth of Samuel to the death of King Saul (1105 – 1011 B.C.), 2 Samuel covers the 40-year period of David’s reign over Judah and eventually, over all of Israel (1011 – 971 B.C.). The Book covers David’s political, military, and spiritual triumphs, followed by His disastrous transgressions against God, including his adulterous affair with Bathsheba; his failed attempts at a cover-up; secretly arranging for the death of Bathsheba’s husband on the battlefield; and finally lying about any involvement in the matter. These sins resulted in David’s troubles both in his own family and also in the kingdom as his son Absalom sought to overthrow his father’s throne.
What a mess David made of things! He was blessed with being King over all Israel, and then because of disobedience to God, he literally “threw it all away.” So why, then, is David considered to be “a man after God’s own heart?” In spite of his sinful actions, David had a repentant and responsive heart once he realized the gravity of what he had done. Furthermore, he never allowed idols from other nations to enter the kingdom, and was obedient in causing the people to honor and worship God. Although God did not allow him to build the Temple in Jerusalem, he did raise the funds for his son Solomon to do so.
The path to David’s recognition of his sin came from Nathan the Prophet who came to David and told him a parable of a little ewe lamb. I think that it would be good for us to look at this parable in its entirety:
“There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished. It grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own heard, to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Rather, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him” (2 Sam. 12:1-4).
Sadly, David didn’t immediately see himself as “the rich man” in this parable. In fact, David was angry against the rich man and told Nathan that the rich man deserved to die and must make restitution to the poor man fourfold. Then Nathan dropped the bombshell,
“David, you are the man” (2 Sam. 12:7).
David finally “got it.” Nathan then told David that he would not die, but that he would reap what he had sown in his family and in his kingdom. So, how did David respond? This is where we can see David’s genuine heart for God when he said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13).
It’s time for us look ahead a bit to the Book of Psalms, many of them written (and sung) by King David. There are two specific psalms where David wrote about his experience when he kept silent about his sin during the six months of the cover-up, and then his extensive confession that he made to God. Let’s look first at David’s mental, emotional, and spiritual state prior to his confession,
“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long; For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. But I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and He forgave the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 32:1-5).
I suppose we have all been there at one time or another. We know we have sinned (maybe it was just a seemingly innocent lie), and in trying to cover it up we are consumed with guilt. That’s what David felt, and he expressed it in such poetic language in this Psalm. Now let’s look at portion of his actual confession that is found in another psalm,
“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me…..Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me….Restore the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit; Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners will be converted to Thee” (Ps. 51:1-13).
There is a great deal of history recorded in the Book of 2 Samuel, history of the one who is considered to be the greatest and most beloved King in Israel. In spite of his many sins, David still exhibited a “heart for God” as seen in his heart-felt confession, a confession that has become a “model confession” for all who have sinned. Although his confession is found in Psalm 51, 2 Samuel simply records the fact that with a humble and contrite heart, David confessed his sin. And that simple statement of confession becomes our key verse for this book, a verse that was already noted above,
“I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13).
That’s the starting point of any relationship with God, because the Apostle Paul tells us that,
“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
Like David, only the Holy Spirit can convict a person of sin, and when He does, we must not resist Him. Conviction must be followed by confession, believing, as David did, that God would forgive his sin and cleanse him from all unrighteousness. If any of you need to do that today, just get it done! If you are not there quite yet, I pray that your heart will be receptive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It may come at any time, and I pray that you will receive it and confess your sin and enter into what Jesus calls “LIFE.”
Blessings to all of you. Peggy and I pray that you have a great week, filled with God’s richest blessings.
