Of Consequences and Forgiveness
Rev. Richard A. Bolland

II Samuel 11:26 - 12:10
(June 27, 2004 Sermon Transcript)

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        Dear friends in Christ, all of us expect our friends to be loyal friends. A true friend, we believe, is someone who will stick by us even when we do something stupid, or perhaps even hurtful. However, it is a truer friend who has the courage to tell us what we need to hear, not only what we want to hear.

        As we read this Old Testament lesson for today, we find that Nathan is that kind of a friend to King David. For King David had fallen into grievous sin, and Nathan came to him, and, using a story about a sheep, he pointed out that David was the one who was guilty of stealing what hadn’t belonged to him. That is, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite.

        And indeed, even more grievous than that, for it turned out that David had not only had committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, but indeed, he had made several attempts to cover up that sin. And on top of all that, finally, in desperation, he insisted that Uriah be killed by the sword of the Ammonites in battle, having withdrawn the troops from him when he was in the front lines so that he would die.

        We all know about that failing. And indeed was David’s sin great. The adultery of the king was followed, as I indicated, by several attempts to cover it up. By blaming the fact that she had become pregnant by him on the fact that Uriah himself had indeed been the cause of that. But all of that attempt did not work.

        And so the great king of Israel, turns out to nothing but an adulterer and a liar. And finally even a murderer. And there he is, ruling in his castle. We learn from scriptures that the king was about 50 years old when all this took place. That he had been sitting on Israel’s throne for about 20 years at the time. And you would think that would be old enough to know better! And ruling long enough to be smarter than that! But David, like all us, is given to sin. Each and every one of us is a sinner.

        And throughout scripture, those in leadership, we learn, are always held to a high standard of godly living because of the influence that their behavior has on the nation as a whole. Leaders are simply held more accountable. But nobody is excused from living in an ungodly way.

        Israel’s first king, King Saul, had been brought down to insanity, and indeed disgrace, because of his rebellious and selfish life. David watched all this happen. He saw the demise of Saul. He saw his decline into madness. And finally, by Saul’s own hand, this man who abandons his faith in God, dies by his own hand. And you would think that lessons would have been learned, that were pretty fresh in memory.

        Some four hundred years later, the prophet Jeremiah is facing an interesting situation in which the leaders of the land of Judah, the religious leaders and kings of that southern kingdom, bear the primary blame of the nation’s fall into the hands of the Babylonian king, and their exile and captivity. We read in Jeremiah chapter 6 these words. "From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD.

        And so it was.

        Likewise David, king over Israel, will be held fully accountable for the ridicule his actions have brought on God Himself. Perhaps, did you notice that in the text? Nathan says, But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die." And he did.

        But that is not the end of it. Indeed the words of St. Paul ring true here, for Paul, in Galatians, writes, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

        God will not be fooled by good intention. He will not be put aside, and He will not have His will put aside without consequences.

        Speaking of consequences, listen to the litany of unnecessary tragedy that preceded throughout David’s life as the result of his sin with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Hear now what happened. The child born of this adulterous affair really did die. So the nation would know of God’s justice, and how obviously unyielding it is. Indeed, so that David would know that his sin was grievous indeed did this happen. Then David’s son, Absalom, did indeed humiliate his father David by taking his wife’s concubines on the very roof of the palace in the sight of all of Israel. And then, one of David’s other sons, Amnon, indeed raped his half-sister. And, as a result, David’s sons began to hate each other. And finally, David’s son Absalom kills his brother Amnon. And then Absalom rebels against his father, seeking to take his place his throne as though it were his own. And then Joab, son of David’s half-sister, ends up murdering his son Absalom.

        Yeah, sin has its consequences. Even for those who are the forgiven children of God.

        All of this stemmed from the initial act.

        Well, what can we learn here for ourselves? A great deal, I think. Why does God permit such consequences to come to the way of His children? After all, we’re forgiven, aren’t we? We’re God’s saints, aren’t we? And indeed, we are! Indeed, as we read in this text, as soon as David confesses his sin, not another word passes the prophet Nathan’s lips, except that his sins are forgiven and that he will not die.

        And yet, the consequences come. Such consequences, I would suggest, in the lives of believers, are not God’s way of getting even with us. But rather, it is His way of leading us to His grace, and His forgiveness. If all that God had wanted was for David to suffer, then Nathan would not have been sent. Indeed, the accusation would not have been made. He would have reaped the consequences. And so, out of love, Nathan is sent to accuse David of the truth, and of breaking the laws of God. Otherwise, He simply would have written him off! Would have been able, if you will, to not have even sought the repentance of the king, and perhaps his end would have been the same as that of Saul.

        In the very same way, dear friends, God’s law accuses us when we sin. In one sense, we might put it this way. That the law of God points out our daily sins as it holds us up to the measuring rod, not of comparative guilt in terms of how well we’re doing against one another, but rather against the holiness of God. We might say with clarity that the law of God is our Nathan! It is the finger that points at us and says, "You have sinned! And you are the man! And you are the woman! And you are the boy! And you are the girl!" And as painful as that is, it is indeed a manifestation of God’s love toward us. It is His tough love, if you will.

        In Romans 8 we read these words. St. Paul writes, the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. This is the nature of unbelief! But in the eyes of those who know God as the one who comes and the who forgives and the one who offers grace, and the one who brings forward the gifts of His grace, the forgiveness of sins and the grace to serve Him with a God-pleasing life, we know that God has in mind His divine purpose for the consequences of our sin.

        As it was for David, so it is also true for us that God even uses our sins to bring us back to Him. Instead of condemning us, instead of giving up on us, we who are baptized children of God are the recipients of forgiveness and grace. He uses the rightful consequences of our sin to indeed bring us to our knees, and bring us to the cross.

        Following this pronouncement of Nathan to David, David put on sackcloth and ashes. Indeed, he writhed on the floor, the scriptures tell us, for days on end, to such an extent that the assistants and the court were beginning to worry about his sanity, and they were especially worried that when the child finally did die, if indeed that occurred, that indeed he would lose it completely. He was doing something, this king of Israel. He was demonstrating sincerity in his repentance. He was showing God, in a heartfelt way, that indeed he was sorry for his sin. And how often do we forget to do that? How often do we think, "Oh well, I’m forgiven. God knows I’m sorry." But indeed, are we?

        Now I’m not saying we should all writhe on the floor as King David did. But repentance comes not merely from the head but also from the heart. Repentance brings about change. Change that God works in us by the power of His word to reform us and to remold us into the image of His son, as much as we sinful human beings can be.

        There is something here also. More than anything else, for David and for us. When consequences befall us, when, indeed, we have to live with the results of our sin, it leaves us but one option. For no matter how much we get on the floor, and no matter how much we are sorry, we must be driven to the cross. We must be driven to the only solution that God has provided for the curse of our sins. And that is to the grace of God that is given us through Jesus Christ’s suffering and death and resurrection. Here and here alone is there an adequate balm, not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also for the consequences of them.

        David was doing something else when he was on the floor. He was asking God to reconsider the death of his son. Nothing wrong with that. How often do we ask God to reconsider the consequences of our own sins? Indeed, we do it all the time! And God is willing to hear our prayer, and perhaps, He might even acquiesce to it. God, in His graciousness, desires to hear our prayers and promises to answer them in the best possible way. But God’s answer was not what David was hoping for. And his son did pass away into the keeping of the Father.

        It is the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin. It is the blood of Christ which soothes the wounds that sin makes. Hear the words of the writer of Hebrews, in chapter 12, when the writer says this. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

        No, the consequences of our sin are not pleasant at all. But they lead somewhere. They lead to the grace of God!

        Following the days of writhing on the floor, the word was received that that child died. And what’s more, the king’s court was concerned that they should tell the king about this, and were afraid if they did, that, as I indicated before, that King David would no longer be of sound mind. But they were surprised. Just from the looks on their faces, David knew. And so he asked straight out, and they told him straight out. And instead of descending lower than he was, the king arose, got up off the floor, cleaned himself up, put on his clothes, and went in and offered God worship and praise. He had accepted the judgment of God.

        For you see the judgment of God can’t be anything but just and right.

        And while he bore the wounds of the consequences of his sins for the rest of his days, he knew that God was not the one who caused his difficulties. He was. And rather, he understood that God would save him. And indeed, the scriptures tell us that despite everything, David the king of Israel was a man after God’s own heart. How could that be? For an adulterer, a liar, a murderer? How could it be? For sinners like you, and like me?

        David knew that his salvation would come. He had received a promise regarding that very specifically, that salvation would come from his bloodline, and he trusted in His promise that was not yet fulfilled. Here’s the promise. "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

        He trusted in a promise that was not yet fulfilled. But since the Lord had spoken it, he knew that it was as good as done.

        We trust in a promise that has been kept. That has been fulfilled. It is the same promise, about the same son. It is the son of David, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. It is not, therefore, a coincidence when the very first gospel of the New Testament begins with these words. From Matthew chapter 1 verse 1: A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

        God kept His promise, as David knew He would, and we have seen that promise for ourselves. Christ, you see, is the victor over our sins, and David’s sins. And He is the victor over the consequences of our sins. He turns the tale on our sins by using them, always, to bring us back to him in repentance and faith. God does that for us precisely because He loves us. Through His sacrifice, we are forgiven, and we are restored. And we are restored to eternal fellowship with God, despite the difficulties of this life. And through the resurrection of Christ we too conquer the grave and avoid hell.

        Christ did not avoid hell. Christ suffered hell for us, so that we would never know its terrors.

        Dear fellow Christians, dear fellow baptized children of God. We love to sing "What a Friend we Have in Jesus". And as we do, let us remember how great a friend He is. How great a redeemer and savior He is! Remember that we are made stronger in our God-given faith in His gracious use of the law to show us our sin, as He did with Nathan, the friend of David. And what’s more, His gracious use of the consequences of our sin, to bring us in to the realization of His unfathomable, immeasurable grace.

        Here is a true and loyal friend, who will never, ever disappoint us, and always bring us to Himself, thought every circumstance of life. Our friend dies on the cross for us. Our friend pays sin’s penalty for us. And our friend claims His victory for us forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.