David Faces His Sin, Part 2

If you have your Bible, turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 12. 2 Samuel chapter 12, as we continue our study of the life of David, the king of Israel. As you're turning, I'm going to read to you a passage of Scripture in Romans chapter 15. Just one verse, Romans 15 verse number 4, which says, For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. What was written down for us in the Old Testament was written down to instruct us, to help us understand what it is God has for us.

It was written down to give us encouragement. It was written down that we might be able to persevere under difficulties. Because you read about people who were able to do that. They were able to be steadfast in their ministry in spite of adversity. You read about it in the Old Testament and you realize how God encourages us through the likes of David and Moses and Elijah, Elisha and Gideon and Samson. And all those great historical figures that brought to light the truth of God's holy word as they lived out the principles of God's word.

But Paul tells us that those things are put into print that you and I might be encouraged. And we read the life of David and we've studied his life now for many, many weeks. And we've been encouraged by what we've read, by what we've studied. We've seen a man of compassion. A man who reaches out to others and helps them. A man who was a great warrior for Christ. A man who stood strong on his convictions. A man who was committed to following his God. And yet he also was a man of great frailty. A man who because of the flesh would fall by the wayside.

A man because of temptation would fall and succumb to that temptation. And we see that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. That not even King David knew his own heart. But through all that we can learn much about our lives. And we can come to grips with what God's doing in each of our lives as we study the life of David. For David is that one character in scripture that portrays your life and my life more so than anybody else. There's something unique about this individual that we see ourselves in him.

We see what God does in him. And we trust that God does the same thing in us. But here's a man who was committed to his God. He was a man that God said was one that was certainly after his own heart. Yet we read 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Samuel chapter 12. And ask how can this man who was an adulterer, a murderer, a liar and a thief be one after God's own heart. But God was the one who made that testimony. I didn't make that testimony, God did. God told us about him. And it's simply because he was a man who when he sinned, repented of a sin.

And his repentance was a true repentance. And he was a man who never sought revenge. He was a man who truly reflected to us the character of Christ. And so in spite of his sin, aren't you glad that God doesn't record your sin for everybody in the church to read about it? I am. Poor David, man. His life was on the pages of scripture for all eternity for everybody to read and to know and to understand. And yet God used him in a great and mighty way. And on this day in 2 Samuel 12, David faces his sin.

David's whole life changed on the balcony of his palace. When he refused to flee immorality. When he refused to flee youthful lusts. Even though he was in his fifties, they were still youthful lusts. His whole life changed when he decided not to go to war but to stay home. But in all reality, his whole life changed when he decided not to obey certain parts of scripture. And that's when your life changes. That's when my life changes. We come to a point and we say, you know, I'll do everything. I'm not going to gather lots of gold, David said.

I'm going to give all that to my God. I'm not going to gather many horses because I don't need to do that. But when it comes to women, I'm going to take as many as I want. And God will understand. The kingdom will understand. The armies that oppose us, they'll understand. They get it. And that was the downfall, the beginning of the downfall of David. His whole life changed when he said, you know, if I disobey in one area, it's not that big a deal. But it is a big deal. And I wish the church could understand that.

When I talk about the church, I'm talking about true believers in Christ. People who have committed their life to Christ. That they would understand that when their whole life changes, when they say, you know what? I'm just not going to do that one. I'll do everything else, but I'm not going to obey that command. And God will understand. Well, his disobedience in that one area led him on a spiral. That took him to the depths of wickedness. The depths of sinfulness. And changed his life forever. David's life is never going to be like it was.

God will still use him, because God will restore him. God will forgive him, because our God's a forgiving God. That's what he does. But his life is never, ever the same. And yet, God does something rather unique. Because where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. And the grace of God, the sovereignty of God, the providence of God. Would override everything that David did in his sinfulness. And God would bring about his perfect purpose. And that's good news for you and me. Because we need to know that.

That in spite of our sin, in spite of all of our wrongdoings. In spite of our wickedness, and we can be rather wicked. God will override all that. To bring about his sovereign purpose. I'm going to read to you the 12th chapter. We'll just take a brief moment to look at the condemnation of David by Nathan.

And then we'll look at his contrition. Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And it came to him and said, There were two men in one city. The one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb. Which he bought and nourished. And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup. And lie in his bosom. And was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man. And he was unwilling to take from his own flock.

Or his own herd. To prepare for the wayfarer. Who had come to him. Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb. And prepared it for the man who had come to him. Then David's anger burned greatly against the man. And he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold. Because he did this thing and had no compassion. Nathan then said to David, You are the man. Thus says the Lord God of Israel. It is I who anointed you king over Israel.

And it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master's house. And your master's wives into your care. And I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little. I would have added to you many more things like these. Why have you despised the word of the Lord? By doing evil in the sight. You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. Have taken his wife to be your wife. And have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 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. Thus says the Lord behold. I will raise up evil against you from your own household. And I will even take your wives before your eyes. And give them to your companion. And he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly. But I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun. Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also has taken away your sin.

You shall not die. However because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born to you shall surely die. So Nathan went to his house. Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David. Said he was very sick. David therefore inquired of God for the child. And David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground. But he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.

Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. The servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said behold while the child was still alive we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead since he might do himself harm. But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead. So David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said he is dead. So David arose from the ground washed and ointed himself and changed his clothes.

And he came to the house of the Lord and worshipped. And he came to his own house. And when he requested they set food before him and he ate. Then a servant said to him, What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive you fasted and wept. But when the child died you arose and ate food. He said while the child was still alive I fasted and wept. For I said who knows the Lord may be gracious to me. The child may live. But now he has died. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?

I shall go to him but he will not return to me. Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba and went into her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son and he named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved him and sent word through Nathan the prophet. He named him Jedediah for the Lord's sake. Now Joab fought against Rabbah and the sons of Ammon and captured the royal city. And Joab sent messengers to David and said I have fought against Rabbah. And I have even captured the city of waters. Now therefore gather the rest of the people together and camp against the city.

And capture it lest I capture the city myself and it be named after me. So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah. Fought against it and captured it. Then he took the crown of the king from his head. Its weight was a talon of gold. And in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in great amounts. He also brought out the people who were in it. And set them under saws, sharp iron instruments and iron axes. And made them pass through the brickland.

And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. This chapter is a story about the condemnation of David. We looked at that last week. God sent Nathan the prophet. Nathan's name means gift of God. And it was God's gift to David. To have him be confronted on a sin by a prophet. And Nathan came and gave a parable. It talked about a rich man and a poor man. And it doesn't, you know, take a Phi Beta Kappa to figure out what the parable is about.

It's very simple. But there was this traveler that came. We told you that the traveler was temptation. And David welcomed temptation into his life. He didn't resist temptation. He didn't flee temptation. He welcomed it into his home. And because he welcomed it, it caused him to fall into great sin. And David became angry when he heard the parable. Said the man who did this must surely die. Before he dies he must pay back fourfold to the poor man. Nathan says, you're the guy. You're the man. You're the one who despised the word of the Lord.

You're the one who in spite of everything God gave you. He gave you Saul's house. He gave you Saul's kingdom. He made you king over all of Israel and all of Judah. He gave you the highest position in the land. And if that wasn't enough he would have given you a lot more than that. And you still despised the word of the Lord. Caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme his name. By sinning against Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite. You are the one David who killed him. Although David didn't take the sword and slay Uriah.

He ordered the death of Uriah. He had murder in his heart. And Nathan called him on it. You're that man. You're the one involved. And so Nathan says what's going to happen is that you will pay dearly for your sin. And he did. We will see that. See there's something about immorality and adultery that has a unique effect on an individual's life. Every other sin that a man commits is done outside the body. There's only one sin that a man commits that affects the inside of the body. And first Corinthians tells us that that's fornication and immorality.

And what David does is that he sins against another family. And because he sinned against another family, his family now will suffer. And it will suffer to the day he dies. Because he sinned against another man's home, his home now will suffer. And that's the way it always is with immorality. That's the effects of it. Because you go in and you covet your neighbor's wife and you steal your neighbor's wife. And David even murdered his neighbor's husband. All those things came back on to him in his home.

Because that's the effect of immorality. It always affects your home. Those are the consequences. And David is a man who tells us about those consequences. He lives them out. And Nathan explains what happens. David sowed immorality. He would reap immorality in his home. David sowed death. He would reap death in his home. God is not mocked. And God always passes the precise judgment that will give him the greatest glory. And that's why the child had to die. The child had to die. Because of what David did, it caused the enemies of God to blaspheme.

So therefore, in order for God to get the glory, the baby has to die. Has to. So everyone will know the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a holy, pure, just God. They need to know that. And through the death of the child, the enemies of Israel would begin to understand the God they served. So there's this condemnation upon David. That was point number one.

Point number two, we cover tonight, the contrition of David. David says, I have sinned against the Lord. That one sentence, that one phrase, sums up the repentant heart of David. Why? Number one, because he acknowledged his sin.

He acknowledged his sin. In Psalm 51, he says, against thee and thee only have I sinned. And Psalm 51 is the copy of his confession. It's the copy of how he views his life. How he goes through the blood guiltiness, the guile, the sin, the transgressions. He names them over and over and over again. Because he truly is a man of confession. A man of repentance. Against thee and thee only have I sinned. Listen, no one ever repents unless they acknowledge that they have sinned against God. Notice he didn't say, I have sinned against Bathsheba.

I have sinned against Uriah. Or I have sinned against Joab, because he did sin against Joab. Because he caused Joab to put in motion the plan. Joab knew that Uriah was an innocent man. But he sinned against him. But he never says in Psalm 51 or in 2 Samuel 12, I have sinned against Bathsheba. Because what makes David's sin so heinous was not that he slept with another man's wife. It's that he dishonored the character and glory of God. That's what makes his sin so heinous. He was the king of Israel.

He was to lead the nation in purity and holiness. And he didn't. He acknowledges his sin. And then, notice.

Because a true repentant heart not only acknowledges its sinfulness. But a true repentant heart is absent of any excuses. He could have said, you know Nathan, let me tell you something.

When I was on that roof, Bathsheba didn't have to be out there too. She should have been in her house. She should have been doing something different. It's not my fault that she was out there the same time I was out there. He could have offered an excuse. But in Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 12, David's repentance was absent of any excuses. Because if you're truly repentant, you have no excuse. Right? I've been doing pastoral ministry for over 30 years. And I've heard just about every excuse somebody can give.

And they give all kinds of excuses as to why they have an affair. Or why they commit immorality. Or why they do the things they do. Maybe it's their upbringing. Maybe it's their parents. Maybe it's society. Maybe it's the school they're in. Maybe it's this pressure or that pressure. Or this circumstance or that circumstance. We are so quick to offer an alibi. An excuse as to why I did what I did. And that's because that's how it all started. With Adam and Eve. Adam says, it's the woman you gave me, Lord.

Things were really good before she came along. It was just you and me. A few little animals. It was a great time. We were in the garden together. I was taking care of the animals. I was taking care of the garden. You had to bring me this woman. If you wouldn't have brought me this woman, I would have been okay. There would be no sin. And Eve says, wait a minute. It was Satan. It was the devil. He tempted me. If you wouldn't have created the devil, then he wouldn't have been here to tempt me. We wouldn't be where we're at today.

But that's the excuses we give. We're always looking for a way out. Listen, if somebody ever gives you an excuse when you've confronted them on their sin, you can be guaranteed of one thing. They do not have a repentant heart. Read Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son. No excuses. None. No agenda. None. It's just, I have sinned against heaven and your sight, he said to his father. David said, I have sinned against the Lord. Right there. That's it. It was absent of any excuses. Abraham. Father Abraham.

He had excuses as to why he would lie about Sarah, his wife, being his sister. Yes, she was his half-sister. But a half-truth is still a whole lie. And so he would lie about that. But he would give excuses as to why he did that. Thinking that somehow he could control the destiny of his own life. And the reason Abraham lied was because he didn't want to die. How does that go over in your family? Oh, sweetheart, I love you, but please lie for me because I want to live. You might, you know, your purity might be compromised, but that's okay.

I've got to live. That was Abraham's excuse. And then there's Aaron. When Moses was up on top of Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 32. And Moses came down and all the people were dancing and having a good time. And Moses, what is going on down here? And Aaron says, well, you know these people, Moses. You've been leading them now for quite a while. You know how rebellious they are. They came to me. They wanted to have some other god. They wanted to have a god that they could see. So he took the gold, he threw it in the fire, and boom!

Out came this calf. That was his excuse. There was Saul when confronted by Samuel. And he gave an excuse. It's the people. They wanted to do it this way. So I listened to the voice of the people. That was his excuse. Well, David knew that an excuse would not suffice. Because he had sinned. And so repentance is always absent of any excuses. If you offer an excuse. If you offer some way as to saying, you know what? I did this because. You're not repentant. You're trying to cover your tracks. You're trying to soften the blow.

A repentant spirit says, I have sinned against the Lord. I was wrong. It was me and me only. And his repentance was an acknowledgement of his sin. It was absent of any excuses. And it fully accepted the punishment. He could have said, that's a little over the top, don't you think, Nathan? I mean, I only committed immorality, murder, thievery, covetousness, idolatry. But it was only for a brief moment. It wasn't forever. Why does the sword never going to leave my house? Simply because Uriah died. Does it have to be that severe?

Are you kidding me? Does it have to be that harsh? Can't you go just a little easier on me, Nathan? Come on, man. That's a little over the top, don't you think? See, he accepted the punishment. And never came back and said, hey, wait a minute. This is just too much because the repentant spirit knows he deserves death. And by the grace of God, he lives. So whatever punishment you get, it's a lot better than death. He accepted it. And then his attitude, that's the fourth aspect of his repentance, his attitude.

His attitude was one that portrayed submission and contrition. His attitude wasn't like, you know, Nathan, who do you think you are? Coming in here and telling me the king about my sin. You're a sinner too, Nathan. You've got bad attitudes. You've committed sin. Why do you think you can come in here and tell me? Just because you're a prophet of God. I am the king of Israel. But his attitude was one of brokenness and contrition. That's how you know David was repentant. That's why he was a man after God's own heart.

He offered no excuses. He accepted the punishment. His attitude was right because everything else he did was wrong. He acknowledged, I have sinned against the Lord. Wow. That's the contrition of David. And you know, isn't it interesting that God's more ready to forgive us than we are to repent? Psalm 86, Psalm 86 says this, verse 5. For thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive and abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon thee. Wow. God's ready to forgive. And God did forgive him. Look what it says.

And Nathan said to David, the Lord has taken away your sin. You shall not die. Isn't that beautiful? Now, how can Nathan say that? Because David was truly repentant. Know what that tells me? That tells me you can know whether or not someone's truly repentant. People say, well, you don't know my heart. I'm really repentant. You know what? Yes, you can. Matthew 18 tells you that when you confront a sinning brother and he repents, you forgive him. And then the Lord God goes on to say in Matthew 18, whatsoever you bind in heaven shall be bound on earth.

Meaning to say that whatever you hold to somebody on earth, if you hold against them their sin, heaven does too. If you release them from their sin, heaven does too. Because you can know, based on the confrontation, whether or not their heart is truly repentant. That's why the Lord God says that where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.

Folks, that's all about confrontation. That has nothing to do with your prayer life. Has nothing to do with getting people together to pray. It's not about that. It's all about in the context of the church and confronting a sinning brother, that where two or three people gather together in my name. And they are all in agreement as to what's happening. They can say to you, you are set free from your sin. You have been loosed from your sin based on the attitude you portray in that confrontation. That's what Nathan did.

You're set free. You're forgiven. You will not die. Now David deserved to die because the punishment for adultery, what? Stoning. Bathsheba deserved to die. But they lived because of God's grace. You shall not die, but the child, it will die. It will die. You will live. You will be forgiven. And you are forgiven. But the child will die. And thus begins, thus begins the avalanche of consequences in David's life. Yes, the child will die. That moves us to point number three, the chastisement of David.

Because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child. Also that is born to you shall surely die. Wow. Your sin has been taken away. You will not die, but the child will die. God is in the process of chastising us for our sin. And God does it for His glory because that's the purpose in it. And to get you to realize you should never do it again. And for all those who see, that they might hear and see and listen.

That's what 1 Timothy 5.20 is about. Remember 1 Timothy 5.20? That you would rebuke an elder publicly if he commits sin? Why? So that great fear comes upon the entire church. That they would not sin. That's what happens in Acts chapter 5 with Ananias and Sapphira. Great fear came upon the whole church. And no one on the outside dared join them on the inside because of how serious God was about sin. God's serious about sin. And God chastises us to help us understand that we must not ever sin again.

Hebrews 12 verse number 5 says these words. Hebrews 12.5 My son, do not regard lightly or despise the discipline of the Lord. Nor despair or faint when you are reproved by Him. For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines and He scourges every son whom He receives. So that's a quotation from the book of Proverbs. Written by the way by Solomon, the son of David. The bottom line is that when chastening comes, number one, don't despise it.

Don't treat it lightly. Don't treat it as if it doesn't matter. Treat it as something very severe. And don't despair when it comes. Don't faint under it. Why? Because God is working through and in you a process that will bring you closer to Him. And that's what God was wanting to do in the life of David. And that's exactly what He did. So look what happens to David. David begins the process of chastisement and the consequences rolling upon him. With the death of the child. The son is very sick. So what does David do?

He prays. He prays. In fact, his prayer is so strong, his prayer is so committed that the men of his palace cannot get him off the floor. He is in prayer. Beseeching God. That God would do something unique. And so he sits there for days in prayer. Fasting. Never getting up off the floor. Because you see, that's a contrite heart. That's a broken heart. That's a heart that is totally dependent upon God. See, David for the last 12 months had not prayed. He certainly didn't pray in the balcony when he saw Bathsheba and give that to the Lord.

But now he's in prayer. He's on his face. And he's beginning to beseech the Lord God of Israel as to what should happen next. Listen, he did not despise the chastisement of the Lord. He did not even despair under the chastisement of the Lord. And Nathan said, the child is going to die. But he did not despair with that fact. He did not dispute that fact. But he would depend upon his God for that fact. And he would fall on his face and begin to pray and beseech the throne of God. And then notice this.

He was completely submissive when the child died. He didn't get up off and say, you know what Lord, I prayed. And I prayed for the safety of my child. And I prayed that you would spare me. And you didn't do it. He didn't do that. Instead, he heard the commotion. Realizing something had happened, he said, is the child dead? They said, yes, he's dead. Because they weren't going to tell him. They were afraid to tell the king. Because they couldn't get him off the ground when the child was alive. What's going to happen when he finds out the child is dead?

So he asked them, is the child dead? They said, he is. He is dead. And David did not despair. David did not dispute. And David did not disdain or despise the word of the Lord. He was submissive when the plan of God was fulfilled. He accepted it. And he got up. Listen.

He got up. He cleansed himself. He changed his clothes. Listen. And then what did he do? He worshiped. Now he hadn't eaten in days. But his spiritual food was more important to him than his physical food. He did not eat until after he worshiped. But he cleaned himself up. Because he was going to go into the presence of God. And because he was going to go into the presence of God. Because he had already submitted to the plan of God. He got up. He cleansed himself. He changed his clothes. He went in and he worshiped his God.

He praised his God. He thanked him, I'm sure, for the forgiveness that he was granted. He thanked him, of course, that he would one day see that child again. Because he knew that one day he would. The child is not going to come back to me. But I'm going to that child. And he worshiped his God. How many people do you know? When they go through a tragedy, stop going to church. They go through hardship. They turn their back on God. Not David. No, he was driven to God. Why? Because he was truly repentant for his sin.

It drove him to God. It didn't drive him away from God. And he accepted the plan of God. And he worshipped his God. And then notice this.

This is so beautiful. Verse 24. Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. Wow. He went into Bathsheba. Let me tell you something.

Bathsheba lost a husband. Bathsheba lost a family. Bathsheba lost a son. Bathsheba lost her dignity. Bathsheba lost everything. Everything. And David, listen.

Remember we told you just a couple of weeks ago in John 13? About Christ when he washed the disciples feet? If you're with us, remember we told you? There's a principle in John 13, verse number 17. Christ says that if you do these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Right? The point being that when adversity is present, then humility must be prominent. So that ministry is powerful. That was the whole theme of John 13. That's David. David is facing adverse circumstances. So is Bathsheba. And David could wallow in self-pity. Woe is me for being a sinful man. I have brought so much heartache upon my family. But no, he got up, and what he did? He was sympathetic towards his wife. He'd go into her and say, look what you did to us now.

Because he couldn't say that in good conscience. Because he was to blame. Because he was the one who sinned. Yes, Bathsheba sinned too. But David was the leader. He was the man. He was the aggressor. He was the one who sinned against God. But he went into Bathsheba, and he comforted her. And this is so beautiful. Because he went into her, and she conceived and bore a son. Solomon. In other words, Nathan named him Jedidiah, beloved of the Lord. Because God was demonstrating to David and Bathsheba that this son would be the evidence and expression of God's pardoning love for them.

God was so good. God was so good. But God went beyond that. Because she would have a second son. And his name was Nathan. They named the second son after the prophet that confronted David on a sin.

And if you read the Gospels, you'll realize that Joseph is in the line of David through Solomon. And Mary is in the line of David through Nathan. God had a plan. And that plan was to prove that both mother and father by adoption would be in the line of David to prove that Jesus Christ truly was the Messiah of Israel. God had a plan. God had a plan way back in 2 Samuel 7 when David asked, I want to build a temple. And Nathan said, go ahead. Then God said to Nathan, no, go back. Tell him he can't do it.

Because he's a man of bloodshed. So Nathan went back and told him. Instead, you're going to have a son. Not any of the ones you got now.

There's going to be another one down the road. Which one's that? I don't know. But Bathsheba wasn't even in the picture yet. Except in the foreknowledge and predetermined plan of an almighty God who would override the sin of David and Bathsheba to bring about the son, Solomon, that would build the temple and the son, Nathan, that would come and be a part of that family so we understand the arrival of the Messiah. God is just so good. Grace would abound above and beyond where sin was present. That's what God did.

God is so good. And that's why when you sin, you've got to realize God is not done with you. No matter how greedy is your sin, no matter how much pain your sin has caused, if you are truly repentant, God will use you in a mighty way. He'll restore you, and He will use you. It does never negate the consequences for your sin. You have to accept those. David did. Was it painful? Yes, it was. Extremely painful. But, but, verse number 26. Now Joab fought against Rabba as the sons of Ammon. The war is still going on over a year later.

The same war in 2 Samuel 11 where David decided to stay at home and not go to war as kings do during that time of year. Everything with Bathsheba has happened. He's had the adulterous affair. The baby was born. Nathan's confronted him. It's been over a year. And they're still at war. One sinner destroys much good. They're still at war. They didn't need to be at war. They shouldn't have been at war. But because of David's sin, they were still at war. They were unable to conquer the Ammonites. If David had gone to war in 2 Samuel 11, they'd have conquered the Ammonites then.

David would not have sinned with Bathsheba. And maybe things would be a lot better for him now. But, that's not what happened. But because of David's sin, the war is still going on. It's still happening. So, it tells us, Job sent messages to David. Verse 29, So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it. David went to war. David went back to doing what David was supposed to be doing all along. He went to war. And not only did he go to war, he won. And not only did he win, he actually slaughtered the Ammonites.

Let me read to you what it says in the corresponding verses of 1 Chronicles 20. Verse number 3, And he brought out the people who were in it and cut them with saws and with sharp instruments and with axes. He took axes and sharp instruments and cut them in half. You say, that is just so brutal. No, no, no. Let me tell you something.

This is the whole picture of something. The Ammonites were offered grace. They were offered mercy. In 2 Samuel chapter 10. And they refused it. They refused it. And the whole picture is this. When God offers grace and mercy to someone and they refuse it, you think getting cut in half is bad? Oh, no. Burning in hell for eternity, that's bad. That's bad. And David goes and cuts them up in little pieces and he wins the victory and he becomes the conquering warrior once again of Israel because he was a man of repentance.

Victory can only come when you've repented of your sin. No repentance, no victory. David had repented of his sin. He had faced the repercussions of his sin. He went to war and won because of his attitude toward God was right. He had got things right with God and now he was ready to be used by God and God used him in a mighty way to conquer the Ammonites. And that's how 2 Samuel chapter 12 ends. With David the conquering warrior once again upon his horse leading his troops into battle, doing what a king is supposed to do, doing what the warrior was supposed to do, doing what he should have been doing a year earlier, now he finally does it and now when he does it, as soon as he does it, victory is theirs.

Just that quick. To show you that when you're engaged in sin, there is no victory. But when you repent, all the victory is sweet, sublime and great. And David won. But he goes back to Jerusalem in the second way of the consequences of his sin he must face.

And that's chapter 13 of 2 Samuel. We'll talk about that next one. Let me pray with you. Father God, we thank you for today, the chance to be in your Word and to study it together. Truly, Lord, we are a blessed people to be able to learn from the King of Israel, David himself. Our prayer, Father, is that our hearts will be right before thee. That, Lord, you would be pleased with our heart attitude and that anybody that's here tonight engaged in sin that they have yet to repent of, that tonight would be that night, they would get right with you.

Or they would face those consequences and they would be willing to serve you with a willing heart. Help us to learn much from this man, David, that we might truly follow you with a heart that seeks only your face and your glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our soon coming King. Amen.