“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,’” 2 Samuel 12:3.
In this one verse, we have a confession and an absolution. David confessed his sin, and Nathan, the prophet, absolved him, or pronounced the Lord’s forgiveness.
King David had fallen deeply into sin. It was a hot and humid evening, and he could not sleep. He did what was customary. In the cool of the evening, he went on the flat roof of the house, where the cool breezes made it more comfortable. From the roof, he could overlook the wall of his neighbor’s house, and he watched his neighbor’s wife, Bathsheba, bathing herself. He fell in love with her and had a sexual affair. Not long thereafter, Bathsheba informed David that she was pregnant. David had played the role of a “peeping Tom” and he became guilty of the sin of adultery. Bathsheba had a husband by the name of Uriah. Now, how could David save face?
At the time, the children of Israel were at war with the Syrians. David arranged to have Uriah at the front line of battle. He sent a letter with instructions to Joab that the army should retreat when the Syrians attacked. Of course, the instruction to retreat was unknown to Uriah. There he stood in the front line and was killed. Uriah’s death meant that Bathsheba was a widow and that she was free to marry. In David’s mind, he felt secure. He felt that he had covered up his sin of adultery and his sin of murder! He felt that he had gotten away with both adultery and murder!
David, evidently, had forgotten the Word of the Lord spoken through Moses, “You have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out,” Numbers 32:23. He did not think of the all-seeing eye of the Lord!
Likewise, today there are many people who think that they can get away with lying, stealing, committing adultery, murder, and other sins. Yes, we can often keep others from seeing and knowing what we are trying to cover up. We can “get by” people, as we say. But the person who can “get by” God has not been born! God sees and God knows everything! Scripture reports, “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord,” 2 Samuel 11:27. God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David with what he had done. When David was confronted with his sin, he confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord!” Then the prophet Nathan comforted him with the message of the Gospel, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die!”
Each and every one of us must come humbly and penitently to the Lord and confess our sins – our big sins and our little sins, our known sins and our hidden sins, our sins against God and our sins against our fellowmen, our sins in thought, desire, word, and deed! Yes, we come before God confessing our many sins – those that we remember and those that we do not remember. With the psalmist, we say, “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults,” Psalm 19:12.
When we come confessing our sins, what message do we need to hear? “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from ALL sin!” 1 John 1:7. This is the thought that makes the Christmas season so joyful: “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!” John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” John 1:29. When you kneel in spirit at the manger, lift your eyes heavenward and from your heart pray, “Thank You, God, for loving me, a sinner!” Amen.
“Thou Christian heart, who-e’er thou art,
Be of good cheer, and let no sorrow move thee!
For God’s own Child, in mercy mild,
Joins thee to Him; how greatly God must love thee!” Amen.