I Have Sinned Against The Lord

I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD

a prayer to open

My Lord, my God, show me your heart. Ground me in your presence.

Draw me near and hold me close.

The LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. . . . One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”

David was furious. “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. . . . I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite . . . and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me. . . .

“This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”

Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD . . . your child will die.”

After Nathan returned to his home, the LORD sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. . . .

Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. . . . “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?”

When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the LORD. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.

His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”

David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the LORD will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”

Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife. . . . She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The LORD loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the LORD”), as the LORD had commanded.

We never learn much about Nathan, but we see by his words and authority that he was a prophet who spoke on God’s behalf. Nathan’s use of a parable—especially one that would have struck a chord with a former shepherd and helped him see his own sinfulness—was obviously God-directed. It would have been dangerous for Nathan to call the king out on his extreme and violent conduct directly, so leading David to condemn himself was the only way. We can be so defensive and self-justifying that sometimes we simply cannot hear truth that comes head on. We need someone to tell us that truth in an indirect way that gets around our defenses.

• How did David respond when he realized he was the man in Nathan’s parable? What did Nathan say on God’s behalf in response?
• When has someone told you a truth that was hard to hear? How did you receive that truth? What was your response?
• When have you suffered the consequences of your own wrongdoing? What were those consequences? How did you handle them?

Father, thank you for truth tellers. Please bring them into my life and give me ears to hear what they have to say. When someone points out my wrongdoing, help me respond as David did: with a truly repentant heart that desires to be restored and transformed. Help me see your love and correction in the midst of the consequences of my sin, and give me the ability to continue to grow in my devotion to you. Amen.