Open up your copy of God's Word.
The Sacred Scripture, the Holy Writ.
! Open it up to 2 Samuel chapter 11.
!
This has been a seven-part series.
But last week we looked at David the King
and how he became king over a united Israel.
And so far, David has come across like this great, invincible hero.
But as we know, he is a fallen man, he is a sinful man,
and he cannot be our Messiah.
And it's painted very, very clearly for us in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12,
which today we are looking at David and Bathsheba.
And so it's found in these two chapters.
But at this point, if you can remember,
David is at the apex of his military, political, and economical power.
He has been anointed king over a united Israel,
of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Asher, Gad, Issachar, Zebulun,
Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
He's united all these 12 tribes into one single nation.
He's made Jerusalem the capital of the nation,
the center of the political and religious life of the nation.
And he successfully brought the ark of God into the capital.
And he has defeated all the pagan enemies that were around him.
He has conquered all the pagan, demonic deities that were worshipped by these nations
that had surrounded them for so long.
He won victories and consolidated his kingdom.
But most importantly, as we looked at last week,
God made an unconditional covenant with David to establish his house,
his dynasty, eternally, promising him an eternal throne.
We looked at the Davidic covenant,
how one day God would raise up one from David's line
who would have an eternal kingdom and would build the Lord's house.
And ultimately, we know, as we looked at last week,
that that promise was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, but also the son of God and the Lord of David.
We looked at Psalm 110 a little bit last week.
And he built God's true spiritual temple.
Jesus did.
First Peter 2.5.
And Jesus will rule on the throne forever, and his rule will have no end.
So, as we looked at all this, like truly, God has given David some amazing blessings.
He's lavished so much love upon one man.
And at this point, he is probably roughly around 50 years old.
He's at the height of his power and prosperity.
It's his time of jubilee.
He's accomplished all these things.
He has trusted God and obeyed God.
And, but, even though he's at the pinnacle of his power as the king,
however, it's times like this that Scripture teaches that we must be on guard,
lest we be lulled to sleep.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10.12,
Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed, lest he fall.
Alright?
We must never grow comfortable as believers thinking that we're in such a place of maturity,
such an advance in our walk with the Lord,
that we transform from a place of humility and dependence,
to a place of pride and independence from God.
We do this often when we are doing well,
when the life seems to be going well.
David never ran from a fight while he was being chased by all his adversaries.
As long as he was being hunted like a deer in the mountains,
he was always close to God.
Right?
But, now, a stealthier foe kind of lurks in the darkness.
And, while this happens, while he's in a place of security.
Right?
So, look at 2 Samuel chapter 11.
Just look at the first verse.
First verse.
We read in 2 Samuel 11.
In the spring of the year, the time when the kings go out to battle,
David sent Joab and his servants with him in all Israel.
And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.
But David remained at Jerusalem.
So, pause.
This one verse should make us tremble.
David was the king.
He was the commander-in-chief.
Yet, he chooses not to be with his army or his men.
And he delegates his power to Joab.
And he seeks ease.
Often,
now this is true in my own life,
and I'm sure it is in yours,
often the first step towards temptation,
and then eventually sin is not being where we are supposed to be.
It happens.
So, think on it.
David is no longer a humble shepherd sleeping out in the rain in the fields with smelly sheep.
He's no longer the chieftain of an outlaw clan like Judah.
But, to the contrary, now he's had opulence.
He's had every opportunity to indulge himself in the luxuries of life as the king.
He has had all the fat of the land brought to him on a platter.
All the delicacies were brought to him from all over the land that he had conquered.
He lived a...
Now he could have a pampered lifestyle if he choose.
Clothes and fine scarlet and linen.
The choices so fair to eat.
And as one man said,
his soul grew lean while his flesh was pampered.
Riches of the earth are ours freely,
and God gives them to us.
Blessings of providence and his generosity.
Yet, when we grow at such ease,
we can often choose to refuse to do the Lord's work.
And like David, not go out to battle, but fall into slothfulness.
He pridefully begins to feel entitled and comfort.
And not remaining humble before God.
As we're warned in Proverbs 16, 18,
pride goes before destruction.
And a haughty spirit before the fall.
So true.
Spurgeon wrote of this case,
There is a devil.
He will take care to sing your lullaby
and rock your cradle if you want to sleep.
For he loves not to see God's warriors alert.
While they are asleep,
he knows the war will not go on very briskly.
An army that is dosed with chloroform
would be quite as useless
as if they had chained themselves to the wall.
While swords sleep in their scabbards,
no foe needs dreaded them.
But, O fellow soldiers,
this is a great artifice of Satan.
And one of his craftiest devices
is to lull us into a deep sleep.
The dog of hell is barking in our hearts
to keep us awake.
But, when he ceases his howling,
our eyelids grow heavy
unless divine grace prevents it.
So we see very carefully
that David has already put himself
in a very vulnerable position.
He's being lulled to sleep spiritually
while his flesh is being pampered.
And so here we see a story
of temptation, adultery, cover-up, and murder.
Yeah, David.
This great guy we've been reading about.
He is not the Messiah.
So, just very quickly,
if we look at these few verses,
and like temptation,
at its core,
is an enticement to sin.
Whether arising from desires within
or circumstances without.
It's important to know
that just being tempted
is not sin.
But it is the enticement to sin.
If you're a fish,
it's the bait that's coming in front of you,
the lure that's saying,
you know, bite this.
Then before you know it,
you're being hooked in,
reeled in,
and gutted on a plate.
So, it is an enticement to sin.
It's to take the things
that God has given us as His gifts
beyond their God-given limits.
Sin is the product,
and temptation is the selling of it to you.
David was not out to war as he should be.
Is it the palace?
I'm just going to summarize
a lot of this chapter,
and then we're going to spend
a lot of the time today
in Psalm 51,
which is David's response to his sin.
But he doesn't go out to war.
Instead, he's at the palace.
It says he gets off his couch.
So, he's already chilling on the couch.
He goes out into his roof
or his balcony, right?
And he sees a beautiful woman bathing,
probably on a lower rooftop.
And he lusts after her in his heart.
And he longs to lay with her.
David inquires as to who she is.
So, who is this woman?
He's informed that it was Bathsheba,
the daughter of Elam,
the wife of Uriah, the Hittite.
So, at this point,
he could have pulled back.
The Lord always says
that He gives us a way of escape.
But He kept pushing forward.
He could have fled
in the face of this temptation.
Remember Joseph in Genesis
when he was confronted
with Potiphar's wife?
He fled.
And he actually said
in Genesis 39, 9,
How can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God?
That's what Joseph said.
But he doesn't do that.
What's interesting is
Joseph didn't have
the Mosaic Law.
He didn't have it.
It was written on his heart, though.
David did.
David knew the commandment,
the seventh commandment,
to not commit adultery.
And the tenth commandment,
that you shall not cover
your neighbor's wife.
But still,
he drew closer
like a lamb
to the slaughter.
One Puritan wrote,
If you don't want to enter
the house of sin,
don't sit
at the doorway
of temptation.
Very interesting.
Bathsheba,
the name means
daughter of an oath.
So,
something that's
kind of honorable,
pure.
And shockingly,
listen to this,
Uriah.
So,
Uriah was a Hittite.
If you don't know that,
that's a Gentile people.
They were very strong
warriors in the Iron
and Bronze Age.
And,
Uriah means
Yahweh is my light.
Isn't that interesting?
Anybody ever looked up
his name before?
So,
obviously,
he was a convert.
He was a Gentile
who had become a convert
of the true God.
Uriah.
So,
very clearly,
this guy says,
look,
yeah,
she's got a father,
this is his name,
and she's married
to a noble warrior,
Uriah the Hittite.
But that would have been
like enough,
you'd think,
to kind of like,
okay,
never mind.
But he doesn't.
He moves forward.
In verse 4
of this chapter,
chapter 11,
that information
didn't stop him,
so he knew
this was evil
and he did it anyway.
He abused his position
of authority
and took advantage
of this young woman.
He had her brought
to his chamber.
He slept with her,
took his pleasure,
and then sent her home.
But then,
in verse 5
through 13,
we see that his sin
is revealed.
She later came back
to him,
and it says,
and the woman conceived,
and she sent
and told David,
I am pregnant,
or I am with child.
So,
obviously,
he panics.
He's found out.
This act of adultery
with Bathsheba,
she becomes pregnant,
and this threatens
David's reputation
as the king of Israel
and all that God
had done.
So,
he attempts
to cover it up.
Instead of coming clean
and repenting,
he attempts
a cover-up.
You ever seen
your kids do something
they shouldn't be doing
and they,
you know,
they know that you're
watching them,
but they try to kind of
cover it up anyway.
You're like,
I see you.
I know what you're doing.
It's as if David
just cuts that off
and in panic,
he focuses here
and not here.
And so,
at first,
he calls Uriah
back from the battlefield.
Uriah,
come back.
And so,
Uriah comes back
and he attempts to,
he says,
look,
man,
you've been working
hard out there.
You've been doing
the job.
You've been fighting.
So,
why don't you
just have a night off?
Go and lay
with your wife tonight.
But it doesn't work
because Uriah
is such a noble warrior.
He has this honor
where he's like,
I can't do that.
Like,
how can I do that
when all the other soldiers
are still out there fighting?
It's just,
I can't,
my conscience
won't allow me.
So then David goes
to plan B
and he says,
all right,
well,
maybe if I get him hammered,
he'll sleep with his wife.
Like,
and maybe,
and then after that,
they'll be able to say,
look,
you know,
congratulations,
you had a baby.
But Uriah also refuses
to go back
even as he's drunk.
So that fails.
So then,
in verses 14
through 27,
in growing frustration
and fear
of being found out,
David results
to the great evil
of having Uriah
sent back to war
with orders to Joab
to have him
kind of put out
in the front line
and then to have
the other men
pull back
where he's almost
just to face
certain death.
And,
and he does.
He's killed,
but really,
murdered.
So now,
with Uriah
out of the way,
David then takes
Bathsheba
as his wife,
his temptation,
excuse me,
his reputation
he thinks is saved
and the ordeal
is survived
or so he thinks.
Proverbs 15,
3,
like,
remember this one.
The eyes of the Lord
are in every place
watching over the evil
and the good.
So,
the chapter ends,
the very last two verses
of this chapter,
listen to this.
Verse 26,
when the wife of Uriah
heard that Uriah,
her husband,
was dead,
listen to this,
she lamented
over her husband
or she mourned
greatly over her husband.
So,
clearly,
she loved Uriah.
Then,
when her mourning
was over,
David sent
and brought her
to his house
and she became
his wife
and bore him
a son.
But,
the thing
that David
had done
displeased
the Lord.
Scary.
So,
David's finally going,
God,
okay,
it worked out.
Like,
I'm good.
But,
God is not pleased
and he sees it.
So then,
in verse,
chapter 12,
1 through 12,
I'm trying to summarize
the best I can.
David is
clearly living
an ongoing,
unrepentant sin
and God
starts to deal
with him.
David would have
read from the
scripture,
Numbers 32,
23,
Behold,
you have sinned
against the Lord
and be sure
your sin
will find you out.
So,
it's important here
that those who
carry out evil
and sin,
they cannot
evade God
forever.
Like,
they will be brought
into the light.
So,
God sends later
Nathan,
the prophet,
to confront David
and he tells him
a parable
of a man
who had little
and a man
who had much.
And the man
who had much
abused his power
over the one
who had little
and took what he had
and killed it.
And then,
so he's telling
this parable
but David doesn't
know it's a parable.
He thinks it's
a real thing.
And then David
reacts to this
and declares
the man who
acted unjustly,
he deserves to die.
Surely,
he must die.
Little did he know
that he is pronouncing
judgment on himself.
And Nathan says,
you are that man.
So,
he melts.
Right?
So,
he's caught.
If you can remember
like Saul,
when Samuel
confronted Saul,
what does Saul do?
I meant well.
It's,
you know,
pray for me.
Just to,
just has to be
between us.
Don't let anybody
else know.
Walk with me
so that people
will know
that we're good.
That was Saul's
response
to being called
out on his sin.
To make excuses
and to cover it up.
But,
chapter 12,
verse 13,
check this out.
From David's mouth
comes true repentance.
sins.
David said to Nathan,
I have sinned
against the Lord.
And Nathan said
to David,
the Lord
also
has put away
your sin
and you shall
not die.
Wow.
Later on,
at some point
after this,
David
grabs a pen
and
papyrus.
I'd like to imagine
he just got alone
somewhere
and just poured out
his heart
to God.
And he wrote
Psalm 51.
And,
just briefly,
he repents.
The word repent
means to change,
in the most simple
way to say it,
it means to change
one's mind
for the better.
Sin is a turning
away from,
or excuse me,
repentance is a turning
away from sin,
hating it,
and resolving
by God's grace
to never go back
to it as we turn
to Him in faith.
It's a change
of mind
that leads
to a change
in direction.
So it's not just
behavior modification
on the outside,
it's thinking
differently
and seeing your sin
differently
where you hate it
and you want
to honor God
instead
as you turn
to faith
in Christ.
So,
we get to
Psalm 51.
This is David's
response
to the evil
that has been
committed,
that he has
committed.
Genuine repentance.
So if there's
sin in your life
and you're struggling
to know what to do,
like God has
given you
a road map
here in Psalm 51
to face
those things.
Alright?
So let's just
take it apart
a few verses
at a time.
Alright?
So we have
some questions
here.
Question number
one,
if you're
note-taking,
question number
one,
how does
David
approach God
for mercy
and forgiveness?
So how does
David actually
come to God?
What is the
manner in which
he does it?
You see this
in verses
one and two.
David
prays,
have mercy
on me,
O God,
according to
your steadfast
love,
according to
your abundant
mercy,
blot out
my transgressions.
Wash me
thoroughly
from my
iniquity
and cleanse
me of
my sin.
So,
so why?
He's trying
to plead a
case before
God,
right?
He pleads
with God
to show
him mercy
and forgiveness,
pardon for
the evil
that he's
done.
So mercy
is this
undeserved
thing.
You don't
merit
God's
mercy.
If you
merit it,
it's not
mercy.
David has
no hope
that God
will forgive
him and
pardon him
according to
his own
goodness,
according to
his righteousness
because he
doesn't have
any.
Look what he
just did.
The sin
itself proves
that David
has no
character to
argue here,
not in his
own worth
or merit,
but God's.
You see
that?
According to
your steadfast
love,
according to
your abundant
mercies,
it actually
means the
multitude of
your tender
mercies,
compassion.
So David
recognizes he
has no
entitlement to
God's favor.
He doesn't
deserve life.
He doesn't
deserve blessing
and forgiveness.
So also,
we must be
sensible that
God does not
owe us
forgiveness.
He doesn't
owe us
mercy.
He doesn't.
In fact,
David then
appeals,
therefore,
to God's
character.
He appears
to the very
nature of
God because
he knows
it's within
God's character,
within God's
nature to
be merciful.
So he just
knows that
about God.
So he appeals
to that.
I've got no
case to plea.
I'm guilty.
I'm terrible.
But I know
you are a
gracious and
forgiving member
in your Bible
reading,
in your daily
life.
He gives you
several different
terms to
describe the
sin or the
crime that he
had committed
versus
transgression.
See that?
Transgression,
as we know,
is a deliberate
premeditated
crossing of the
line.
You know that
you shouldn't
do it and
you do it
anyway.
No
trespassing.
I hate that
when you're deer
hunting.
You're like,
shoot,
can't go on
there.
So it is a
deliberate
crossing of
the line.
You know it.
Iniquity.
He also
mentions iniquity.
That is a
perverting or
a twisting of
what God has
said.
A corruption
of goodness.
And then
sin, as we
know, is
missing the
mark that God
has purpose
intended.
Like, this
is God's
purpose.
He has
intention for
you and
you've fallen
short of
that.
And then
he uses the
word unholy.
Mark,
terrible,
worse than
all,
great wrong,
unholy.
So he's not
holding back.
He's calling it
what it is.
So whenever
you sin,
please don't
do the,
well, I
just fell.
It just
got me.
Like a
victim mentality.
David owns
it completely.
I committed
transgression,
iniquity,
sin, and
evil.
He calls it
what it is.
But then,
notice how he
corresponds to
those things.
He uses the
words blot,
wash,
and cleanse.
Those are
all words of
deep spiritual
restoration
that only
God can
do.
Blot means
to wipe
out,
to
obliterate,
exterminate.
And remember,
I've said this
before,
but when they
used to
write on
papyrus,
papyri,
if I
pronounce it
rightly,
that they
would often
reuse it
by wiping
it,
wiping old
ink off of
it,
and then
writing
something else.
so he's
saying the
crime that
I committed,
blot it
out,
erase it.
Then he
used the
term wash,
to be
washed by
treading
out,
not just
being washed
physically,
but being
washed
inwardly.
To
cleanse means
to purify
and make
whole.
So all
according to
God's loving
kindness,
all according
to his
abundant
mercy.
Those are
all words
that our
souls long
to hear
when we
are confronted
with sin.
You want
to hear
that.
These are
words of
justification,
to be
cleaned,
to be
made
right.
So make
me right
in your
sight,
is really
what he's
praying.
So that's
question number
one,
how does
David approach
God for
mercy and
forgiveness?
This
verse is
one and
two.
Question
number
two,
how does
David offer
true
confession
to God?
How does
David offer
true confession
to God?
See this in
verses three
through five.
David says,
for I know
my transgressions
and my sin
is ever before
me.
Against you
and you
only have I
sinned and
done what
is evil
in your
sight,
so that
you may
be justified
in your
words and
blameless
in your
judgment.
Behold,
I was brought
forth in
iniquity and
sinned and
my mother
conceived
me.
One man
that I
respect a
lot said
about Psalm
51,
David's
sin made
him feel
dirty and
he desires
to be
clean.
David's
guilt made
him feel
sick and
he desires
to be
well.
His
disobedience
made him
feel lonely
and he
desires
relational
reconciliation.
His
rebellion
made him
fearful of
God,
but now
he desires
to be
pardoned.
It's a
summary of
a lot
of this.
But we
see that
he truly
confesses
his sin.
He says,
I know
my
transgressions
and my
sin is
ever before
me.
I
humbly
fully
acknowledge
what I've
done.
The evil
that I've
committed
is present
with me
wherever I
go.
You ever
notice that?
Like if
you've
committed
great sin
and evil
that you
can't just
sort of brush
it away,
that it
just kind
of is on
your mind
or your
conscience
constantly.
He's like,
it's always
in my
faith
staring at
me.
When we
sin against
the Lord,
our souls
are troubled
and in
turmoil
and it
stays with
us.
So not
just a
mere
acknowledgement
of the
offense
you've
committed,
like,
yeah,
I know
I've
sinned.
That's
what Saul
did,
right?
But he
owns it.
He takes
full
responsibility
bearing the
consequences
of that
sin.
It's not
anyone else's
fault.
He's
recognizing
that,
God,
it's not
your fault.
It's not
Bathsheba's
fault.
I alone
am guilty
for this
sin.
So he
doesn't play
the victim
mentality
of culture.
This just
happened to
me,
right?
It's
because,
not just
because of
my bad
upbringing,
right?
It's,
he's saying
like,
I'm guilty.
I own
it.
I own
all of
it.
And he
also mentions
here,
this is
very key,
against you
and you
alone,
have I
sinned
against,
and
don't
want
to
have
sinned
against,
God,
I've
sinned
against
Bathsheba.
I've
mistreated
her.
I dishonored
her house.
I dishonored
her husband.
He also
could have
said,
I sinned
against
Uriah.
I had a
loyal soldier
killed.
He also
could have
said,
I've sinned
against the
nation,
as the
king of
Israel.
all of
that would
have been
true.
But why
does he
say,
you and
you alone
have I
sinned
against?
It's
because,
supremely,
all sin
is an
affront
to God.
It opposes
God and
all he
stands for.
He intrinsically
!
He intrinsically
hates sin
and has
vowed to
destroy it.
So,
though sin
does do
harm to
ourselves,
right,
it does,
and others,
it's ultimately
against our
loving creator.
That's what
he said in
verse 13
of 2 Samuel.
I've sinned
against the
Lord.
That was his
first knee
jerk.
I've sinned
against the
Lord.
So,
sin involves
a turning
from God
and unbelief
and turning
to idolatry,
thinking that
we're going
to get
something
from an
idol that
we refuse
to think
that we
can get
from God,
to get
joy,
get comfort,
get security,
when only
God himself
can offer
it.
So,
when we
sin against
God,
we're saying,
I don't
trust you
in this
moment,
I do not
believe that
your way
is the
best,
and I do
not believe
that your
way is the
wisest.
When we
sin,
those moments
are turning
from God.
This is
important too.
Repentance
is not just
feeling bad
about what
you've done.
It's not just
feeling shame
and guilt.
Unbelievers
who don't know
Christ feel
shame and guilt.
You know that?
They feel bad
about what they
did.
But typically,
it's always
tied to the
consequences that
they're facing.
Not that they've
sinned against
God.
They hate that
they've been
caught.
They hate that
it's causing
their life
misery.
Paul writes
about this in
2 Corinthians 7,
9 and 10.
He talks about
a godly sorrow
and a worldly
sorrow.
Paul says,
as it is,
I rejoice,
not because
you were
grieved,
but because
you were
grieved into
repenting.
For you
felt a
godly sorrow
so that you
suffered no
loss through
us.
For godly
grief produces
a repentance
that leads to
salvation
without regret,
whereas a
worldly grief
produces
death.
And so you
have to examine
yourself.
When I sin,
when I do
something and
I'm caught,
am I mainly
upset because
of the
consequences?
Is it a
worldly grief
or is it a
godly sorrow,
a godly grief
that leads to
salvation because
you've sinned
against God?
Very important.
Not just to
acknowledge that
we've done it.
We've sinned
against the
Lord God
Almighty
Himself.
Alright,
so then we
see next this
spiritual condition
of sin.
David says in
verse 5,
I was brought
forth in
our iniquity
and sin
to my
mother conceived
me.
The reality
is that sin
is this dire
condition,
not just an
action.
We have to
teach our
kids this,
that sin
is not just
an action.
It's a
condition.
It's a
fallen
spiritual
problem.
And so
these are
symptoms of
the bigger
problem.
They come
from within
us.
Man is born
in a state
of sin.
We are
born
spiritually
dead.
Ephesians 2.
Our
understanding
is darkened
and our
hearts are
corrupted
by evil.
We are
enslaved
to sin
without
Christ.
So,
he's not
making an
excuse.
He's not
doing like,
well,
I was just
born this
way.
He's
saying this
as a
means to
implore
God's
pity on
him.
Like,
God,
I am
so weak.
I'm so
helpless.
There's
nothing I
can do to
save myself
or change
myself.
Please,
I beg
you,
forgive me,
have mercy.
I've always
been this
way,
always sinful.
This goes
into question
number three.
What is the
evidence of
true repentance
in David?
What is the
evidence of
true repentance
in David?
And we
see three
things
underneath
this,
but let's
read it.
Verses
6-12.
David says,
Behold,
you delight
in truth
and the
inward being,
and you
teach me
wisdom
and the
secret
heart.
Purge
me with
hyssop
and I
shall be
clean.
Wash
me,
I shall
be whiter
than
snow.
Let
my heart,
let me
hear joy
and gladness.
Let the
bones that
you have
broken
rejoice.
Hide
your face
from my
sins
and blot
out all
my
iniquities.
Create
in me
a clean
heart,
O God,
and renew
a right
spirit
within me.
Cast
me not
away
from
your
presence.
Do
not
take
your
Holy
Spirit
from
me.
Restore
to me
the joy
of your
salvation.
Withhold
me
with a
willing
spirit.
So we
see three
things that
give evidence
that his
repentance
is real
here.
The first
one is
he has
a longing
to be
right
with
God.
He
has a
longing
to be
right
with
God.
This
inward
renewal.
Verse
7,
the literal
says,
it is
truth
that gives
you
pleasure.
God
desires
not just
that we
change our
actions on
the outside,
but from
the inside.
So he
recognizes
that,
that God
loves
truth.
He loves
righteousness
in the
deepest
places
of our
hearts.
So he's
asking God
to go
door-to-door
in his
heart,
to clean
it out,
and to
make it
holy and
pure.
True
repentance
brings a
desire to
change.
It
isn't just
God
forgive me,
but God
change me
in a way
that honors
you,
starting in
my heart.
Truth
gives you
pleasure.
I don't
want to
stay like
this.
I want
to honor
you.
Then
secondly,
we see
in verse
7,
there's a
condition here
that sin
defiles us.
Sin
defiles us.
Ezekiel
20,
verse 43,
listen to
this,
and there
you shall
remember
your ways
and all
your deeds
in which
you have
defiled
yourselves,
and you
shall loathe
yourselves
for all
the evils
that you
have committed.
So sin
causes us
to feel
defiled,
that we
loathe
ourselves
for all
the evil
we have
committed.
So he
says,
purify me,
wash me,
me.
He
mentions
hyssop,
that's
a plant
that's
in the
mint
family,
a cluster
of flowers,
it was
used to
sprinkle the
blood over
the doors,
the Israelites
when they
were in
Egypt,
the angel
of death
would pass
over them.
Then he
says,
so he's
saying
symbolically,
cleanse me,
symbolically,
wash me,
I'll be
whiter than
snow,
clean,
pure,
unadulterated,
beautiful,
whiter than
snow.
Repentance
is the
desire to
be clean
from sin
and made
right.
Look at
verse 8,
he says,
let me
hear.
Alright?
He wanted
God to
allow him
to hear joy
and gladness
once again,
instead of
just hearing
condemnation,
instead of
just hearing
gloom
over his
sin.
Sin only
leads to
voices,
y'all know
this,
sin leads
to
voices
of guilt,
shame,
and
condemnation,
anxiety.
Repentance
is a
longing to
hear God's
voice again
as your
father,
loving his
word,
loving the
sound of
his voice.
And then we
see in
verse 9
that sin
can separate
us.
He says,
hide your
face from
my sin.
It's important
to see this.
Notice that
David doesn't
want God to
hide his
face from
him.
He says,
hide your
faith from
my sin.
Again,
to the
Jews,
the Hebrews,
the greatest
blessing was
to see
God's
face,
was an
idea of
favor,
fellowship,
and love,
and blessing
from God.
On the
other hand,
the greatest
curse was
for God
to hide
his face
from you,
which meant
curse,
displeasure
of God.
So he's
saying,
hide your
face from
what I
did,
hide your
face from
my sin,
and not
me.
We see
clearly in
this that
it's God's
fellowship
that he
wants.
He says
next in
verse 11,
cast me
not away
from your
presence.
Don't
take your
Holy Spirit
from me.
Remember,
the Holy
Spirit is
how God
manifests
himself to
us.
And in
the Old
Testament,
he empowered
men by
allowing the
Holy Spirit
to rest
on them,
but he
ultimately
could take
it away.
He did
it with
Samson,
and even
closer to
home to
David.
He saw
what happened
when King
Saul had the
Spirit taken
away.
He's like,
please don't
let that
happen to
me.
Please don't
take your
Holy Spirit
from me.
So,
a lot of
people want
to be
delivered from
the consequences
of their
sin,
but they
don't really
want fellowship
with God.
That's a
problem.
They want
his gifts,
but not
him.
Jonathan
Edwards once
said,
you may
love
deliverance,
but hate
the
deliverer.
Then secondly,
what other
evidence does
he give?
He wants
fellowship
with God.
That's the
end goal
here.
Number two
is a
commitment
to newness
of life.
We see
this in
verse 12.
Restore
to me
the joy
of your
salvation.
He asked
God to
infuse
him with
joy and
gladness
and thanksgiving
in his
soul again.
Uphold
me with
a willing
and noble
spirit.
So sustain
that.
Don't just
let it be
a flu.
Give me
enough joy
where I
can just
be sustained,
persevered
in you
and what
you have
done for
me.
And then
I just
want to
kind of let
you know
this really
quickly.
He uses
this term
create in
me a
clean heart.
So some
of you may
be thinking
and I
can testify
I've
definitely
felt this
way before
like how
can God
change me?
Like I
feel like
everything is
against me.
I feel
hopeless.
I feel
like this
sin just
dominates
me and
my heart
will just
remain this
way.
So you
can't change
yourself.
Good luck.
That's what
our culture
does.
Willpower
resolve and
it fails.
But David
uses an
incredible
word,
Hebrew word
here,
the word
create.
Think about
where that
comes from.
God
created
the heavens
and the
earth.
So David
is calling
upon that
same power
that created
the mountains,
the oceans,
the universe,
everything visible
and invisible.
He's calling
on that
omnipotent
hand to
create and
speak to
give him a
new heart.
God can do
this by his
omnipotent
hand.
His hand is
not so
sure that he
cannot save.
And then
thirdly and
lastly,
another evidence
of true
repentance is
sharing God's
mercy and
right outward
worship.
So often
when we sin
we want to
just make
amends.
We want to
do penance
which is what
the Roman
medieval church
taught us.
I'm sorry
God, now I'm
going to do
a bunch of
good things
to make
amends for
what I
did.
He says
this last.
This is like
after I'm
right with
you and
I have
fellowship
with you
and you
and I
are well
then I
will do
these things.
He says
in verse
13,
then I
will teach
transgressors
your ways
and sinners
will return
to you
out of
your
rud
guiltiness
O God
of my
salvation
and my
tongue
will sing
aloud
of your
righteousness
O Lord
open my
lips and my
mouth and I
will declare
your praise
for you
will not
deliver
me.
You
will not
delight
in
sacrifice
otherwise
I
would
give
it.
You
will
not
be
pleased
with
the
burnt
offering.
The
sacrifices
of God
are a
broken
spirit,
a
broken
and
contrite
heart
O God
you
will
not
despise.
Do
go to
Zion
in your
good
pleasure.
Build
up the
walls
of
Jerusalem
then
you
will
delight
in
right
sacrifices
and in
burnt
offerings
and whole
burnt
offerings
then bulls
will be
offered
on the
altar.
So again
many times
in ancient
Israel
the people
would have
a daily
sinful
lifestyle
then they
would just
run to
the temple
make a
sacrifice
think they're
good
go right
back out
to sinning
again.
We do the
same thing
right
and just
in a
different
way
a lot
of people
in the
church
today
and he's
saying
no no
no
he doesn't
delight
in
sacrifice
he
delights
more
in the
heart
of the
worshipper
right
you can't
just say
well I'm
sinning
against
God
so I
better
go to
church
more
I
better
share
the
gospel
I'll
read
my
Bible
for an
extra
hour
and
then
I'll
fast
and
then
God
will
be
cool
with
me
it's
penance
again
that's
penance
and not
repentance
right
he said
you
did not
delight
God
doesn't
care
at all
about
that
he cares
about
the
heart
behind
the
worshipper
so
what
God
truly
desires
a
broken
shattered
heart
over
sin
that's
verse
17
it's
what
Jonathan
Edwards
called
a
humble
broken
hearted
joy
genuine
repentance
brings
about
a
change
in
our
attitude
which
brings
about
a
change
in
our
actions
and
how
we
live
if
God
truly
rules
our
hearts
he
will
rule
over
our
actions
as
well
if
God
truly
loves
us
and
we
will
be
transformed
from
the
inside
out
so
not
just
our
morality
or
behavior
modification
again
in
here
coming
out
God
doesn't
just
care
about
what
we
do
but
he
cares
about
our
motives
our
desires
behind
that
are
they
for
him
for
his
glory
I
have
love
for
him
so
we
cleanse
me
forgive
me
you
have
the
power
to
do
that
and
then
I
will
sing
songs
about
your
salvation
to
others
and
then
lastly
verse
19
then
you
will
delight
in
right
sacrifices
then
I
offer
sacrifices
with
the
right
heart
behind
it
and
lastly
he
just
offers
a
prayer
for
the
nation
in
verse
18
so
landing
the
plane
here
sorry
last
question
number
four
gotta
see
this
must
see
this
how
is
David's
forgiveness
and
ours
made
possible
so
again
it
isn't
that
hard
to
do
but
how
can
God
pardon
David
imagine
yourself
being a
family
member
or a
friend
of
Bathsheba
or Uriah
you would
be
outraged
you would
say
no
this
man
killed
my
son
he
raped
my
daughter
in
law
this
is
not
okay
we're
all
outraged
when we
see
judges
pardoning
criminals
murderers
child
rapists
with a
slap
on the
hand
we get
so
mad
when we
see
that
kind
of
stuff
it's
not
so
with
God
so
how
can
Nathan
say
to
him
hey
the
Lord
has
taken
away
your
sin
this
because
David
knew
the
scripture
right
Exodus
34
6
that
God
will
by no
means
leave
the
guilty
unpunished
he's
got to
punish
sin
there's
where
we
end
look at
Romans
chapter
3
really
quickly
flip
over
to
Romans
chapter
3
and
look
at
verse
22
Romans
3
verse
22
it says
verse 22
the righteousness
of God
through faith
in Jesus
Christ
for all
who believe
for there
is no
distinction
for all
have sinned
and fallen
short of the
glory of
God
here we know
this universal
guiltiness of
sin
all of us
past and
present
many
says
verse 24
and are
justified
by the
grace
as a
gift
through
the
redemption
that is
in
Christ
Jesus
whom
God
put
forward
as a
propitiation
by his
blood
to be
received
by faith
here's
how it
ties into
David
any
person
in the
Old
Testament
this
was to
show
God's
righteousness
because
in his
divine
forbearance
he passed
over
former
sins
it was
to show
his
righteousness
at the
present
time
so that
he
might
be
just
and
the
justifier
of the
one
who has
faith
in
Christ
so
God
knew
that
one
day
he
would
punish
David's
sin
in
the
true
Messiah
Jesus
Christ
David
had
fallen
and
sinned
greatly
but
he
had
faith
that
God
would
one
day
provide
through
his
line
of
descendants
one
who
would
redeem
him
and
be
his
savior
so
God
punished
all
that
sin
the
murder
!
all
of
it
he
punished
it
in
Christ
so
David
looked
forward
to
the
Messiah
as
we
look
back
to
the
Messiah
forgiveness
of sin
the
Old
Testament
anticipates
the
sacrifice
of
Christ
as
the
final
sacrifice
for
our
sins
so
in
God's
mind
David's
sins
are
counted
as
Christ's
sins
and
Christ's
righteousness
is
counted
as
David's
righteousness
Jesus
is
the
only
way
to
be
forgiven
and
made
right
and
reconciled
to
God
again
so
like
God
proves
his
righteousness
like
I'm
not
letting
that
go
I'm
proving
that
I
take
sin
seriously
and
how
am
I
going
to
do
that
by
punishing
that
sin
and
my
only
son
so
David
by far
as we
see
today
is
not
the
perfect
king
he
is
not
he
is
not
the
savior
hero
in
the
one
who
rules
over
all
that
we
would
worship
and
bow
down
to
him
and
David
did
David
knew
he
wouldn't
be
spared
and
listen
as
we
look
next
week
we'll
see
that
though
he
is
forgiven
he's
made
right
with
God
he's
still
going
to
deal
with
a
lot
of
consequences
in
this
world
because
of
his
sin
his
family
is
going
to
be
torn
apart
he's
going
to
suffer
greatly
but
he's
with
the
Lord
today
so
our
Christ
the
perfect
sinless
king
that's
who
we
worship
so
if
you
have
unconfessed
sin
if
you
have
something
you're
wrestling
with
go
to
God
and
use
this
as
a
way
to
pray
use
his
word
and
then
share
with
another
believer
to
confess
our
sins
to
one
another
let's
pray
together