Thursday, February 11
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 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.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 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.

NATHAN CONFRONTS KING DAVID

Nathan approaches David with a heavy and crucial task: to confront and rebuke the king for his abominable sin. A sin such as David’s could have spelled ruin for more than just David himself; it could have cost the nation and people of Israel the very favor of the LORD.

Perhaps the only thing more severe and shocking than the sin itself was Nathan’s tender, gracious, and patient approach to his friend the king. Nathan helps David first see his sin by setting up David with a story, confronting David with a scenario that undeniably draws the disgust of the king. Then, confident that he has drawn David’s ire, the big reveal comes – you, David, are the thief, the murderer, despising the LORD and doing evil. The rebuke, though likely an emotional and fiery one, is still clothed in grace and kindness, as Nathan reminds David of God’s anointing on him, God’s delivery of him, and God’s trust in him. Nathan’s words help David see that he has ultimately “sinned against the Lord.” While David’s sin certainly has consequences on his family, Nathan provides for David a bold and audacious assurance, that the LORD has put away David’s sin, and that for his sin he shall not die.

Repentance is serious business. Knowing, seeing, feeling the weight of our sin, asking forgiveness, and turning from our flesh to life in God may seem a wearisome task, one that does not come naturally to us. But thanks be to God, that for us, much like Nathan to David, God approaches us in our sin wearing grace and kindness. Over and over God reminds us that He has given us his friendship (John 15:15), made us holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4), promised us eternal life (Romans 6:23) and has adopted us into his family. These promises should give us confidence, and invite us into regular, honest conversations with our Heavenly Father. It is not out of fear, guilt, or religious pretense that we should practice repentance. Rather, God’s kindness brings us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Most evidently through Jesus, our Father reminds us that, though our sin brings others and us pain, for our sin we will surely not die, since another has died in our place.

Shortly after repenting, David writes Psalm 51, imploring God, “have mercy on me … according to your steadfast love … create in me a clean heart.” Fortunately, this same life-giving act of repentance can be ours every day, because of the tenderness and grace God has shown us in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER
O God of Grace,

You have imputed my sin to my substitute, and have imputed His righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom's robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness. Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, and the exceeding wonder of grace. Amen.

- Puritan prayer excerpted from the Valley of Vision

Behzad Varamini, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences