Introduction

Anybody into true crime drama? It’s one of the oldest forms of “reality” TV. From Dateline, 60 Minutes, 20/20, to now the gigantic genre of “true crime” podcasts, they’re some of the most popular forms of entertainment around.

Even if you’re not into that kind of thing, you’ve probably heard about the latest example of this, the former high-stakes lawyer Alex Murdaugh (MUR-dock). About a month ago, after only a three-hour deliberation, a jury of his peers convicted him of two counts of first degree murder of his wife and son.

One of the most interesting/disturbing parts of the whole thing was Murdaugh’s absolutely refusal to admit his guilt. At the sentencing, the Judge pleaded with him to admit to his crimes, in the face of overwhelming evidence,and he just wouldn’t. He wants to maintain the illusion of the polite, respectable, gentle Southern man.

It’s been like a case study of how difficult it is for some people to confess their sins. And sure, very few of us will ever have to confess to a string of crimes like Murdaugh’s (hopefully none of us!). But all of us have that moment when we’re confronted with our sin and we have to decide what to do. Do you minimize it, whitewash it, blame your actions on others…?

As we pick up the story of David in 2 Samuel 12 today, it’s been around a year since his sin with Bathsheba.

We know that because Bathsheba has just given birth to the baby, and back in those days, it took 9 months between conception and when a baby was born!

So let’s walk through this story together:

So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very large flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.

David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.”

2 Samuel 12:1-6

1. David’s Confrontation

Before we go too far into this story, just notice how verse 1 begins:

So the Lord sent Nathan to David.

2 Samuel 12:1

In C11, David’s the one doing all the sending. This time, God sends. And God sends because God loves.

Nathan’s Masterful Approach

The story wasn’t just a story; it was a mirror showing David his own reflection.

Nathan’s sword was within an inch of David’s conscience before David knew Nathan had a sword.

Alexander Whyte

“As the Lord lives” is a bit rich, considering that, for a year or more, David’s been living like there is no God who lives.

His own words condemned him to death.

Then Nathan delivers the devastating punchline—the shortest, most effective sermon application ever, verse 7:

Nathan replied to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul. I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. Why then have you despised the Lord’s command by doing what I consider evil? You struck down Uriah the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hethite to be your own wife.’

2 Samuel 12:7-10

1. David’s Confrontation

2. David’s Condition

How was David’s life during that year? In one word: miserable.

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat.

Psalm 32:3-4

The most miserable person in the world may be a Christian living in sin, relationship with God is broken.

• That’s God’s grace toward you—He loves you too much to let you walk away.

He made us feel the aching of the hungry belly, so that we might not again wander into the far country, and long to feed from the swine trough.

After our past experience there, our Father’s arms around our neck became all the more precious to us, and there was all the less likelihood that we should ever go back to that state of sin and sorrow from which we had escaped.

Charles Spurgeon

1. David’s Confrontation
2. David’s Condition

3. David’s Confession

David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

2 Samuel 12:13

Simple, direct, to the point.

Psalm 51, we get more insight into this confession,
what real confession/repentance sounds like.

A. My only hope is God’s grace.

Be gracious to me, God
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.

Psalm 51:1

• Not because I’m king, the Anointed One.

B. My sin is my fault.

For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.

Psalm 51:3

• The difference between King David & King Saul is their response when confronted with sin.

Real apologies avoid the words,
If, but, and maybe.

Brad Hambrick

• The difference between King David & King Saul
  is their response when confronted with their sin.

• Own it. Take responsibility.

C. My sin is against God first & foremost

Against you—you alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight.

Psalm 51:3

What? Imagine being Uriah’s mom and hearing that.

Every sin, even one’s committed against others, are primarily, most importantly, a sin against God.

David’s sin, on a human level, was bad. It was more than that, it was horrendous. And yet, David says that even those things pale in comparison to the wickedness he’s committed against God.

Think about that: sexual abuse and betrayal and murder and lying in office are sins of the highest order, and yet David says that the worst of it is what he did to God. How evil must our sin be in God’s eyes?

J.D. Greear

We often get emotional over what our sin did to someone else, regret for how we hurt them; or over what our sin says about us—feelings of frustration or guilt or self-loathing—but when was the last time you got emotional about what your sin did to God?

D. My sin goes way deeper than I think.

Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Psalm 51:5

Little Mabel is a sinner, because she’s the daughter of Luke… and Adam. If she spends eternity with God, it will be because of her grace.

Our natural inclination is to explain away our sin, but David goes in the complete opposite direction. “You think I’m bad? You don’t know the half of it?”

Original sin is the only part of Christian
theology which can be objectively proved.

G.K. Chesterton

E. I am not capable of cleansing myself.

Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins
and blot out all my guilt. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:7-10

1. David’s Confrontation
2. David’s Condition
3. David’s Confession

4. David’s Cleansing

Then Nathan replied to David, “And the Lord  has taken away your sin; you will not die.”

2 Samuel 12:13

1. David’s Confrontation
2. David’s Condition
3. David’s Confession
4. David’s Cleansing

5. David’s Commission

Restore the joy of your salvation to me,
and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.
Then I will teach the rebellious your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

Lord, open my lips, and my
mouth will declare your praise.

Psalm 51:12-13, 15