2 SAMUEL 11.26-12.10, 13-14
AN EXPOSITION FOR
the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
2010
Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from Almighty God, the Father, ≅ the Son and
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The reading that we shall look at more closely is the First reading we heard
this morning in which we heard that, 'When Uriah's wife heard that her husband
was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had
her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the
thing David had done displeased the LORD. The LORD sent Nathan to David'.
When it happens that a popular figure, especially a sports figure and role
model gets caught in some misbehaviour, it is a very serious thing – if the
media attention given to it is anything to go by.
In today’s Old Testament reading the misconduct of King David is set before us
as a serious matter, and not just because it made for a sensational news story.
The Bible is not that sort of document.
Still, three thousand years later, we are still perplexed, if not stunned that
someone described as a “man after God’s own heart” could be so blind to the
darkness of what he was doing?
We may also be disturbed by the possibility that we see within ourselves, like
an enemy within, the tendency toward deeds of darkness too?
Before we dismiss such a troubling possibility, we should remember that wise
saying I heard a few years ago: 'The first step we must take in holiness is we
must come to terms with the enemy within'.
But how does such a necessary confrontation happen? In the family of God, how
can we pull up short of ruining our lives, too, just as so many people do
outside of God's family, and sadly, often within God’s family, as in the case
of King David?
The answer in today's 1st reading is that God himself confronts us. And God's
way of confronting David was to send him His word – through a prophet - Nathan.
'When (Nathan) ...came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town,
one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and
cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had
raised. It grew up with him and his children. It share his food, drank from
his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from
taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveller.
Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for
the one who had come to him.
When David heard this story and exploded with rage against the insensitive
criminal who would do such a thing, Nathan told David: "You are that man".
Then, speaking for God, Nathan went on to say:
"this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'I anointed you king over
Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house
to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel
and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even
more. Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in His
eyes? ...I am going to bring calamity upon you'."
Nathan's mission of confrontation was a success in David's case. No sooner had
he told David off for what he had done that 'David said, "I have sinned against
the LORD". The Nathans of this world, whom God may send into our lives – like
the Holy Scriptures themselves - do not always get such a swift or successful
outcome for their efforts, but in David's case contrition and repentance
followed immediately.
And what was Nathan's reply to David's confession? 'Nathan replied, "The LORD
has taken away your sin. You are not going to die"'. In other words,
Absolution was pronounced. God's forgiveness was immediately introduced into
action.
We know that David was very grateful. Just read Psalm 51 and you will see
how, even years later, David deeply appreciated that God loved him enough to
confront his guilt and give him an opportunity to repent before his life was
wasted and more damage was done to other people. Psalm 51 contains these
familiar words: 'Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all
my iniquity and cleans me from my sin. For I know my transgression, and my sin
is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is
evil in your sight' (v 13b; Ps 51.1-4)..
Over the course of a lifetime, quite a few people within the household of faith
may be used by God to pull us up short when we are blind to the consequences of
our own damaging deeds. We should thank God for such people, even as we heed
their advice and appreciate the love and courage that is behind it.
It would do us all some good to think of those who are the 'Nathans' in our
life. Certainly a pastor is one specifically called by the Lord through His
Church to proclaim God's displeasure at sin and His absolution of the sins of
those who are penitent. For ultimately, the Nathans that God sends to us are
the voices that God Himself uses to convey His word.
Equally as important as the obligation to confront sin, was Nathan's divine
obligation to forgive sins. Absolution was pronounced immediately.
Forgiveness is our salvation and we cannot live without it. In another one of
his Psalms, David spoke of the vital importance of forgiveness, describing it
as restoration and renewal without which his conscience troubled him
relentlessly. 'When I kept silent', he prayed, 'my bones wasted away through
my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me, my
strength was sapped as in the heat of summer' 'Restore to me the joy of your
salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me."' (v 13b; Ps 32.3-5, Ps
51.12)
'Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said,
"I will confess my transgression to the LORD" and you forgave the guilt of my
sin"'. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me
a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me
from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me' (v 13b, Ps 51.9-13).
When they are doing their job on God's behalf, the Nathans in our lives point
us to our sins and their forgiveness. At first we may try to hide our sin.
The Law hurts – convincing, crushing and convicting,. We are slow to admit our
sins because we think of Jesus more as a Lawgiver than as a deliverer from the
Law.
Hopefully, at last, we, like David, confess our sins and are able to be
forgiven. The consequences of what we have done will have to be faced. King
David had to face some severe consequences and great sorrow that could not be
escaped, but however painful the consequences of our mistakes, bad choices and
sins may be, those consequences do not remove the benefits of being forgiven
and restored when pardon through Christ is bestowed and we are assured of
having absolution and a renewed relationship with God.
I am told that in ancient times when a king's messengers brought them bad news
kings sometimes had that messenger put to death. Such kings could not
distinguish between the bad news and the bearer of the bad news. It’s from
this practice that we get the expression “don’t shoot the messenger”.
One of the reasons why the Jews wanted Jesus Christ to be crucified was that
they didn't like what He had to say to them as He confronted them with their
sins of pride and hypocrisy.
As people of a Heavenly King we are able to distinguish between the news and
the bearer of the news. We know the pain of the bad news, but we also know
the healing touch of the Good News we call the Gospel.
We know that our Saviour volunteered to undergo the death penalty although He
was innocent, so that we might be eligible for the forgiveness of our sins for
the sake of the penalty that Jesus Christ paid on our behalf.
The death and resurrection of Christ now bring both pardon and eternal life to
those who receive a living connection with Him and live with Christ in faith
and trust.
Our misconduct may not become a sensational news story, but that does not mean
it does not need to be confronted, so that we can get the message, repent, be
forgiven and face the consequences to fix whatever damage we may have done to
ourselves and to other people.
As members of the body of Christ, we know the love behind both the message of
Law and of Gospel. Hopefully we also appreciate all that is behind being
confronted with the bad news of our sin and guilt and not “shoot the
messenger”. To be a human mouthpiece for God in such a way is not easy. It
takes love and it takes courage.
May we take a moment to thank God for the Nathans in our life? We owe them our
gratitude for putting us in the picture from God's point of view. It took love
and courage for them to do that. And when the message those Nathans bring us
leads us to confession and absolution, may we thank our gracious God without
Whom none of this would be possible. Thank God for His help and His love even
when it hurts. Amen.
God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that you – having all that you
need – will abound in every good work. Amen.
The Revd Dr Jonathan Naumann,
Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church & School
1261 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Oakmont, PA 15139-1195
Internet site:
redeemer-oakmont.org
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel. (412) 828-9323 Ext. 10
Cell. (412) 983-9922
Home: (412) 826-8833
The Manse
782 15th Street,
Oakmont, PA 15139
Informal blog:
engelein.blogspot.com
