Uncovered Sin Confessed and Consequences

2 Samuel 12:1-25
    1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man 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 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
    7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 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.’ 11 Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from 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. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”
    13 So 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. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
    15 Then Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
    19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?”  And they said, “He is dead.”  20 So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”  22 And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
    24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him, 25 and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

After David the king abused his power to cover up his adultery and murder, God sent Nathan His spokesman to confront him.  In this passage we see sin uncovered and confessed, but also the inevitable consequences in the midst of mercy and grace.  This event is recorded for us in scripture as a strong warning to each one of us regarding sin’s results, that we may learn to say yes to Jesus’s words and no to sin’s temptations.  David was confronted by the prophet speaking for God to him by way of a parable that he might see the damage of his sin to others and the consequences earned as punishment of righteous judgment for the deed.  It was not, however, a stolen beloved pet lamb of a poor man by a rich man with no pity or care for the loving attachment of the poor man and his family to the only lamb they raised together.  No, this was shown as David’s anger of the injustice and callous self-serving greed in the story revealed he was just as lacking in pity and just as accountable for taking Uriah’s only love, Bathsheba, for himself because he was rich and powerful.  The consequences were far reaching and close at hand; David’s sons and descendants would be filled with violence and his wives taken by others in return for his sinful actions.  David did repent as we see him pour out his contrite and broken heart in Psalm 51, but that did not erase the consequences with cheap grace; his actions brought discredit to God’s people and himself as their leader.  The result was the child of the adulterous act, murderous coverup, and selfish marriage of the widow was taken by the LORD after seven days.  David accepted the judgment of God and the LORD then gave them another son who was loved by Him and chosen to continue the reign leading to the Messiah.  Good came out of the evil, not because of it, but by the grace and goodness of God and His chosen but faulty leader of His people.  We see that sin has consequences, but forgiveness and grace move us forward and restore our relationship with our Lord for His glory and good, as well as our own (1 John 1:9, Romans 8:28).  Let us therefore flee temptation and confess our sin to Him and each other, accepting the consequences and drawing ever more near to Christ our Lord.