How God Deals with Sin — E.A. Johnston

David’s Adultery and the Misery of Backsliding

I believe one of the saddest chapters in the Old Testament is found in 2 Samuel 11, where King David commits adultery with Bathsheba. It's hard to conceive how a man of God like David would fall into such grievous sin against his God.

It should be a solemn warning to every one of us. I believe the saddest statement in 2 Samuel 11 is found in verse 27, which reads,. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. The heartbreak contained in that sentence is startling.

I want us to peer into the life of this great Jewish king who was one of God's favorites, a man after his own heart. The title of my message today, friends, is How God Deals With Sin, and my text can be found in 2 Samuel 12.

You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 1 -14 as we see how a holy God deals with sin. In the previous chapter, chapter 11, we have the biblical record of David and Bathsheba, and how David's downward spiral of moral failure occurred.

Nine months transpire between these two chapters of chapter 11 and chapter 12, just the amount of time for their baby to be born. I can tell you this, friends, and I speak from personal experience, I believe the most miserable year of David's life was not when he was being hunted by King Saul, although there was a time of trial and trouble in his life, for sure, no, I believe the most miserable year of this king's life was the nine months when he was in a backslidden condition and out of fellowship with his God.

His harp is hung on the willows, no psalms are penned during this spiritually dry time in David's life. He's a man convincing himself that he is happy because his flesh is gratified, but deep down he's a dead man walking, and that's the way it is for every backslider away from God.

The most miserable person on earth, I believe, is not the lost sinner, but a saved individual, backslidden, away from God. And this is how King David feels when he is confronted by the prophet Nathan in our passage here in chapter 12.

Nathan Confronts David with His Sin

Let me read us a striking passage of scripture to us at this time, friends. Here now is the word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word. And the Lord sent Nathan unto David, and he came into him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children. It did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

Let me pause here, friends. Nathan touches the soft-spot heart of the shepherd heart of David with this story, as he can relate personally to it, for many a time he had held a little ewe lamb, and rested it on his chest as well, as was common for eastern shepherds.

Nathan has David's full attention with this story. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come unto him.

And David's anger was greatly candled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Let me pause here, friends. The blood in David's face is drained, a dagger pierces his heart in conviction of sin, he's guilty as charged. Now let's hear what God has to say to David through his prophet Nathan.

Aggravated Sin Against God’s Favors and Word

Look at verse 7. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and I gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives unto thy bosom, and I gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah, and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

Let me pause here, friends, for what God is saying to David is that David sinned against all the favors and privileges God had given him, so David's sin is more grievous because it's an aggravated sin.

Aggravated sins are very heinous to God. Now let's see how God views David's sin and how he deals with it. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Let me pause here again, friends. God declares that David's sin was against his word and against him personally, that David despised them both.

How this must have solemnized David's heart to hear God say that David despised him. Now I want us to notice something very important here, friends. David had violated four of the Ten Commandments with his rash sin.

Number one, thou shalt not kill. Number two, thou shalt not steal. Number three, thou shalt not commit adultery. And fourth, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. Notice how God deals with sin because David had broken four of his commandments.

Four Judgments for Four Violated Commandments

God brings four judgments upon David as a consequence of his sin. God judges sin line upon line. We see the first of these four consequences, that because of David's sin, the son born from this adulterous relationship would die.

Secondly, the sword would never depart from his house. Thirdly, evil would come from his own family. And fourth, his wives would be publicly shamed. This was done when Absalom went into them atop the roof for all to see.

God deals with sin as seen from this passage, that God is no respecter of persons. David was his favorite, but that did not keep God from dealing with David's sin in stern and severe ways. David's sin was more grievous to God because it was aggravated sin.

Sin done after David had received so many blessings and privileges from God's hand. Therefore, God took David's sin personally as despising him and his word. And lastly, God judged David's sin line upon line.

Four commandments were violated, and four judgments fall upon David as consequences of his sin. What can we learn from this example in the life of King David? Well, let's look at the words of 1 Corinthians 10, 12.

The Warning to Take Heed and Avoid Presumptuous Sin

Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall. We must be always on guard, friends, against sin and against God. God is no respecter of persons. If you think he is because you were God's favorite, that he won't discipline you for sin, you are wrong.

King David was called a man after God's heart, and he was God's favorite. But because of his sin and disobedience, God brought severe consequences to David because of that sin. One consequence took place 30 years after David's sin.

When Absalom went into David's wives on the rooftop in view of the people. Now you chew on that for a while if you think God isn't serious about sin. We see from our passage that God takes sin personally.

All sin is despising his word and his nature. That God deals with sin line upon line is a fact, and we must be guarded against sinning, aggravated sins. Sins against favor and blessings given us is especially grievous to a holy God.

It's been said by scholars that David here was a man in his 50s or perhaps older when he had moral failure. This should speak volumes to us men, Pastor Prime, to be more on guard than ever. So we too don't fall and despise God through presumptuous sin.

Depending on God’s Grace to Flee Sin

Paul admonished Timothy to flee youthful lusts. Let this story of King David's fall into sin be a solemn warning to each of us to live more for God and to depend upon God more for grace and power over sin.

Let us pray.