Prayer: O Lord, merciful Father, we confess that we sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment; therefore forgive, we pray, our many transgressions and guard us against the deceit of the evil one. Through trust in Your saving Word, create in us clean hearts, hearts that are filled with holy thoughts and pure desires. Hear us for the sake of Him who bore our iniquities in death and rose triumphant. Amen.
“You are the Man!”
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
David was called a man after God’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14). He was the Lord’s chosen king of Israel. The Lord had blessed him with wealth, family, and power. But we learn that David, who was favored by God, fell into the deepest sin. Leading up to our lesson, we are told that David had remained in Jerusalem while Joab and his army fought against the Ammonites. It appears as if David grew lazy in his conquests and so the army went without him. But his idleness at home brought only sin and hardship. One evening while David surveyed his city from the rooftop of his palace, he noticed a young woman bathing on a roof.
The young woman, whose name was Bathsheba, was not being seductive or lewd—in fact, she was faithfully keeping the ceremonial law of cleansing. But David, instead of looking away from this innocent woman, watched her. David had already committed the sin of adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). But now he wanted her and so he sent messengers to find out who she was. Despite knowing that she was married to one of his faithful soldiers, David brought her to his palace and took advantage of Bathsheba while her husband was away at war. This great sin all began with a thought in his heart.
It wasn’t long until Bethsheba sent word that she was with child. It would have been obvious that her husband Uriah was not the father since he was away at war. And so, David, trying to avoid the humiliation of admitting this great sin, did all he could to cover it up. First, he gave Bethsheba’s husband a furlough in hopes that he would sleep with his wife and think that the child was his. Uriah, however, was honorable and made an oath that he would not enjoy the comforts of home while his comrades were on the battlefield. After realizing he would not be able to deceive Uriah, he sent Uriah back to the battlefield with a letter that would be his own death sentence—a letter instructing Joab to put Uriah in the worst part of the battle with the hope that he would be killed.
When David received word that Uriah had been killed, he took Bathsheba to be his wife. David’s sin of adultery led to the sin of murder. For months David lived in this unrepentant state. David’s conscience gave him no rest. David describes this in Psalm 32, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.” David was constantly troubled by a guilty conscience and his stomach turned within him. His whole body ached. But he still tried to deny it. He closed his heart to the words of his conscience. He did not repent. Therefore, God sent the prophet Nathan. We read (II Samuel 12:1–7):
1 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.2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 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. 4 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.” 5 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, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
“You are the man!” How these words must have stung David’s heart. When David heard about the rich man taking the poor man’s only ewe lamb which was loved and cherished by the family, he was outraged! David demanded justice, “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 not pity.” David clearly saw the man’s sin, but he was blind to his own. So, as a faithful man of God, Nathan declared, “You are the man!” You are the man who took this poor man’s only ewe lamb. You are king and not only have many wives already, but you could have any woman in your kingdom. But you took the wife of Uriah, whom he loved and cherished, to be your own. You deserve death. But you cannot pay back your debt.
David couldn’t see his own sin, but it was easy for him to see the sin in others. It’s also easy for us to see David’s sin and what he deserved. But is it as easy for you to see your own sin and what your sin deserves? Have you seen through the Law, that “You are the man”? Now you may say, “I haven’t committed adultery or committed murder like David! I’m not perfect, but I could be much worse.” We often try to excuse our sin. We try to cover it up. But if you have looked at someone with lust, you have already committed adultery in your heart. If you have gotten angry with your brother, you are a murderer. We all stand guilty before God.
Each and every one of us should consider ourselves as the greatest of sinners. When God proclaims his Law, he doesn’t want us to look out the window to find the guilty. He wants us to look in the mirror. You are the man. You are the man deserving of God’s wrath and punishment. If you try to ignore your sins, you will be lost just as David was.
The devil will always tempt us to hide, cover, and ignore our sin. He wants us to do this because then we stand helpless and hopeless. But God preaches his law, sending prophets and preachers, so that we might acknowledge and confess our sin.
David now knew his sin. There was no denying it. You cannot hide from the all-knowing God. But for the first time, instead of covering up or trying to excuse his sin, David simply confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And what does the prophet say? Does he say, “There is no hope for you”? Does he say, “Now you must do this and that to make up for your sin”? No. Immediately after David confessed his sin, the prophet said, “The Lord also has put away your sin.”
How these words must have relieved David’s conscience! “The Lord also has put away your sin.” What joy and comfort this must have brought David! His sins were forgiven. David didn’t deserve it. He didn’t earn it. But God freely gave it by sheer grace alone. This account should impress upon our hearts, that our forgiveness, hope, and salvation, are completely by God’s grace alone for Jesus’ sake. There is no other way. “The Lord also has put away your sin.”
Our world lacks forgiveness. It is hard for us to understand. We seek punishment and retribution. God forgives us because Christ has already paid the punishment for sin. There is no retribution against us, because the law was fulfilled by Jesus’ holy life and death on the cross for the sins of the world. Our sin deserved punishment—but Jesus was punished and died in our place. Because Jesus died for our sins, you don’t have to. Because he lives, so shall we. Your death will not lead to hell, but to eternal life with the Lord in Paradise!
We live in a world of hurt. In this world of sin, we sin, and we are sinned against. Men and women are mistreated and abused. Men and women break their marriage vows in thought or in deed. Young and old hurt others or sin against their own body. All of us have sinned. All of us have fallen short.
We come here today as people broken and burdened by our sin and the sins of others. We have sinned in thought, word, and deed. We don’t come here because we are holy and perfect. We come here because we are in need of forgiveness. We come here because we need mercy, strength, and help. We need what only God can give. Forgiveness.
This is why one of the first things we do in the church service is confession and absolution. We acknowledge and confess that we have sinned and that we are sorry for them. But when we confess our sins, we know that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. After we confessed our sins, you heard me say, “Lift up your hearts! By the authority of God and my holy office, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Your sins have been put away! It was as if the prophet Nathan himself has come to you to proclaim that your sins are forgiven! Better yet, it is as if Christ himself proclaimed unto you that your sins are forgiven. That means they are. They are gone. You have been washed clean. You have been given a new heart. And the angels are rejoicing in heaven!
David was ashamed of his sin. Bethsheba, though the victim, probably felt guilt from the whole situation. I have often thought how the words of Psalm 51, which the Holy Spirit led David to proclaim after being restored, would have brought comfort to both him and Bethsheba, as they bring comfort to us. David sang,
1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
We pray these same words. We pray that God keep our conscience sensitive so that we do not go headlong into sin and so drive the Holy Spirit from us. Instead, we pray that he would lead us to repent of our sin and trust in Jesus. For then we will never be cast away but remain with the Lord forever. Because in Jesus, we are made clean and are whiter than snow.
On our own, we are the one who is condemned. But in Jesus, you are the one forgiven by God. You are the one who God has given new life and new hope. We have God’s inspired Word which says, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This is most certainly true. Amen.