A.David is one of the greatest characters of the Bible.
1.The Bible has more chapters devoted to David’s story and his psalms than for any other man.
2.In the New Testament, he is called a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).
3.God blessed David exceedingly, for He increased the territory of His kingdom approximately tenfold during his reign, and He promised to establish the throne of David forever (2Sam. 7:16).
B.Yet we read in 2Samuel 13-18 that David’s kingdom and his family fell apart.
1.David’s infant son died (2Sam. 12:19), his son Amnon violated his daughter Tamar (2Sam. 13:1-20), his beloved son Absalom murdered Amnon (2Sam. 13:21-39), and then Absalom rebelled against David and overtook the kingdom for a time (2Sam. 15:7-18:33).
2.The depth of David’s troubles was shown when he was forced to flee from his own son away from Jerusalem, weeping with his loyal servants as he went (2Sam. 15:30).
C.These were the consequences of David’s sin.
1.David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and then he arranged for Uriah’s death in an attempt to cover his evil deeds (2Sam. 11).
2.God sent Nathan the prophet to David to expose his sin and pronounce his punishment (2Sam. 12:1-12).The turmoil in David’s kingdom came from within his own household, just as Nathan said, “The sword shall never depart from your house” (2Sam. 12:10).
D.Through it all, David knew that God was his only hope.
1.David was a musician and songwriter, and we have many of his psalms recorded in the Bible.
2.Through those psalms, we see that David relied upon God to save him throughout his troubles.His words give guidance to all of us as we deal with our own sins.
II.NOWHERE TO HIDE – PSALM 139
A.David succeeded in covering his sin from the eyes of men.
1.The child that resulted from David’s sin would expose him, so he sought for a way to hide his sin.His first plan failed (2Sam. 11:6-13), but his second plan was a success (2Sam. 11:14-27).No man knew of the adultery of David.
2.Even God acknowledged, “Indeed you did it secretly” (2Sam. 11:12).
B.Yet he could not conceal it from the eyes of God.
1.Although men did not know of David’s sin, “the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2Sam. 11:27).
2.David learned that there is nowhere to hide from God, and he acknowledged this in Psalm 139,
a.Notice how every thought, word, and deed of man is known to God in verses 1-6.“Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, Thou dost know it all” (v. 4).
b.Verses 7-12 declare that there is no place man can go to escape the presence of God.“Where can I go from Thy Spirit?Or where can I flee from Thy presence?” (v. 7)
c.God knows us even better than we know ourselves (vv. 14-16).
d.Therefore, regarding our sins, there is no way we can cover them from the sight of God.“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:13)
III.THE BURDEN OF SIN – PSALM 38
A.David’s heart was crushed beneath the weight of his sin.
1.The guilt of David was clearly exposed by Nathan.Certainly, David had known that he was wrong before Nathan told him, but he had blinded himself to the truth.
2.After Nathan exposed David’s sin, not only was he burdened with guilt but also with the punishment, which included the death of his son (2Sam. 12:14).
B.He could offer no explanation or excuse for his sin, for he was guilty.
1.David could not answer the charges made by Nathan, for they were true.He knew that he stood condemned before God.
2.This desperate reality of the sinner’s helpless condition is expressed by David in Psalm 38.
a.The sinner who realizes that God’s anger burns against him is distressed in both mind and body (vv. 1-8).“I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.” (v. 8)
b.The sinner finds no help for his guilty condition from within himself, his family, or his friends (vv. 9-12).
c.In desperate need for help, the sinner’s only hope is God.He has no words of his own to justify himself, so he appeals to God for help (vv. 13-15).“Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me!Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (vv. 21-22)
IV.CONFESSION – PSALM 51
A.David acknowledged his transgressions before God.
1.When David heard the words of Nathan, he said, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2Sam. 12:13).
2.Although David had known that he was wrong, it was necessary for him to acknowledge that he was wrong and God was true.Until then, David had believed Satan’s old lie, “You surely will not die” (Gen. 3:4).
B.He threw himself on the mercy of God and asked for forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration.
1.David knew that he had sinned against God and that God was the only one who could save him.
2.David’s words in Psalm 51express the confession of sin and the appeal to God that every sinner must make in order to be saved.
a.David appealed to God for forgiveness and cleansing from his past sins (vv. 1-2, 5-9).
b.He also confessed his sin and stated his understanding of what sin really is – an offense against God (vv. 3-4).
i.This is the essence of confession.The sinner must declare that God is right and the sinner is wrong – “…so that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, and blameless when Thou dost judge” (v. 4).
ii.Although David had done wrong by Bathsheba, Uriah, his family, and his countrymen, his sin was truly against God, for sin is defined by God.“Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight.” (v. 4)
c.Finally, David asked for a new beginning (vv. 10-19).
i.Not only did David seek relief from punishment, but he also desired to be restored so that he could serve God again.
ii.He acknowledged that no sacrifice of his own would be sufficient to restore him to God’s service.Only a sinner’s broken heart and contrite spirit could find favor in God’s sight (vv. 16-17).
V.THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS – PSALM 32
A.After David confessed his sin against God, he was forgiven.
1.David’s deeds were worthy of a punishment of death, and David knew it (Gen. 9:6; Lev. 20:10).
2.However, God forgave David’s sin, and the punishment of death was not inflicted.“And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.’” (2Sam. 12:13).
B.Although the consequences of his sin remained with him for the rest of his life, David realized the blessed condition of the forgiven sinner.
1.All of the consequences that Nathan announced were suffered by David.God’s forgiveness did not take them away.
2.Nevertheless, David rejoiced that his sin was forgiven by God, and he expressed the joy of a forgiven sinner in Psalm 32.
a.The blessedness or happiness of the forgiven sinner is declared in verses 1-2.“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, who sin is covered!” (v. 1)
b.The relief of the forgiven sinner is in great contrast to the heavy burden of guilt he experienced under sin (vv. 3-4).
c.The point at which a sinner’s guilt is forgiven is when he confesses his sin to God and seeks His help (v. 5).
d.Therefore, David advises sinners to seek for their salvation from God in verses 6-11.“Many are the sorrows of the wicked; but he who trusts in the LORD, loving-kindness shall surround him.” (v. 10)
VI.CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR
A.Many of the psalms of David make references and prophecies of the Christ through whom David and we have the opportunity for forgiveness (Psa. 2:1-2; 16:8-11; 22:1-31; 31:5; 41:9; 69:8-9; 110:1).
B.By the words of David we may know that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 2:25-36).Therefore, let us obey His gospel and find relief from the burden of sin and forgiveness just as David did (Acts 2:37-40).
