David and Contrition

2 Samuel Chapter 12

Today I want to talk about what grace is not. Grace is not a license to sin and expect no consequences whatsoever. We talked yesterday about how David walked in grace. He understood that God was firstly concerned about heart attitude and not ceremonial or legalistic observance. There was not necessarily a harsh punishment for every trangression merely against the written code. We are not constantly being measured against an exacting standard, even our own, with a threat of rejection and cursing. The person under grace has this perspective. It is God's favoured way of relating with us.

I should say straight away that if you got into serious sin before you became a Christian, then God will show you the fulness of His kindness and mercy over the consequences. I am talking here about the believer who makes light of serious sin, particulalry that which brings much pain to others.

David walked in grace and he was also a man of passion. By this I mean that he was not a cautious, timid personality. He was a 'people person'. Perhaps we see men of passion and action as inevitably being prone to obvious sins such as sexual immorality or substance abuse. This is not inevitable however, since Jesus was a man of passion and so was Paul. In other words, it is possible to exhibit a passionate nature which is also righteous and pure. God is not leading us into self-preoccupied introversion. Such behaviour generally has little real time for the needs of others. Personally I avoided much sin as a young man simply because of a lack of self-confidence, but that is not real virtue. But a person with the status and personality of David was going to be tempted more than most of us.

We might also consider that the behaviour he got into with Bathsheba and Uriah in 2 Samuel 11 was probably routine misdemeanour for rulers at the time. David could be tempted to excuse himself in this way. This is self-justification by social norm. Of course it doesn't really wash with God.

There are three key issues here.

In 2 Samuel 12 Nathan confronts David, indirectly and then directly, with his sins of adultery and murder. But also Nathan reveals his duplicity (double standards) and attempts at concealment. He gets the full force of God's hot displeasure. First his own duplicity regarding ruthless selfishness is revealed by his response to Nathan's parable. David's wrath is triggered towards a hypothetical individual who has behaved in a less atrocious way than he. Then 2 Samuel 12v9 clearly shows us that God sees the heart intent behind an act of sin, not just the physical act. Here, through Nathan, God addresses David as if he were the one who yielded the sword against Uriah. God sees through our contrivances and blame-shifting immediately. He sees our manipulative plotting.

First key issue. Grace does NOT mean God will negate the consequences of our sin indefinitely and totally, and particularly when the sin affects others seriously. 

There were natural and spiritual forces unleashed by the sin of David. It is interesting that in that dispensation, God was not expecting David to be monogamous. However, the behaviour of David with Bathsheba and Uriah triggered the anger of God towards David. Now God is not the author of evil, but he has set in motion a system where evil spiritual forces will bring vengeance on us when we get into sin. David was destined to live in the spiritual and relational consequences of his sin. God made this clear to him. There would be turmoil and violence in his household. In addition, because of his attempts to conceal his unrighteousness, God would make his punishment visible to all.

Then comes a very illuminating verse, verse 13.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. (2 Sam 12:13 KJV)

David confesses his sin, and sees that it is against the Lord primarily. This is sufficient to release forgiveness into our lives, see 1 John 1 verses 9-10. (However, as we shall see at key issue three, confession and contrition are seperate things).

To understand this verse, we must see the results of our sin at the level of our relationship with God and also at the level of other natural and spiritual consequences. God had just spelt out clearly the consequences for David and his family of his actions. There was obviously a spiritual link involved bringing a curse on his life. Now this was not the curse of the Law discussed in Galatians chapter 3 verse 13. David did not live as one under the letter of the Law of Moses (1 Samuel ch 21v6). Instead it was a curse brought about by moving very seriously out of the Law of Love. This has something important to say to believers today. Nathan made it clear that this action had shown scorn for God himself, and not a contempt born of ignorance.

Second key issue. Crucially, God Himself had put away the sin of David. This means He would not hold it against him or bring it to remembrance as an accusation or hindrance to their intimate fellowship in future.

Since David was a friend, God would not punish David for the sake of mere retribution.

So why did God sometimes allow harsh consequences to result from David's sin? And why does He allow them following ours too?

Here we touch on another attitude of heart displayed by David which sheds light on why Jesus endorsed him and honoured him and why he is pivotal in the prophetic revelation of the Messiah.

I am going to look at Psalm 51. It is definitely worth reading in it's entirely. It was written at some point after these events.

We can react to the discipline of God in one of two ways. We can despise it, or we can submit to it, welcoming it as one would a very effective but unpleasant medicine. Philosophically and robustly would be my recommendation! See Hebrews 12 verse 5. Now God's discipline may or may not follow our outward acts of sin. Here it obviously did.

David submitted to God's discipline, seeing it as an outworking of His love.

But what I really want to draw your attention to is verse 17. Perhaps the main thing the discipline of God brought into David's life is contrition. This is closely related to the fear of the Lord.

Third Issue. God desires and prizes a truly contrite heart.

This is a heart that has stopped defending and justifying itself and sees a desperate and ongoing need for God in all things. It is true meekness of spirit, and it qualifies you before God to inherit both heaven and earth! A contrite heart sees God's ways and perspectives as the final legitimate realities, and soberly judges that God's ways are the only ways things can be.

A truly contrite heart is unlikely to sin again in the same way. A truly contrite heart has much love, see Luke 7 verse 47. David was still not perfect, but by the time this Psalm was written he was in a better place than ever with God.

A contrite heart has been melted by love, but has been conditioned by the right fear of the Lord.

Pray with me that God would form in us a truly contrite heart.