David and Nathan [David 10]

2 Samuel 12: 1-7a // Brent Nelsen

What is God going to do about David’s evil? That’s what Second Samuel 12 is about. David is the king of Israel. He’s a very powerful man. And God is telling Nathan to go confront him about his sin. We need Nathans in our society and we need Nathans in our lives who can confront us when we need confronting. David has a choice, as we all do when we’re confronted with our sin. He can make excuses like Saul did when he was confronted by Samuel. Or David can come clean. I have sinned against the LORD. I wonder if it was a relief for David to say those words. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. Because David’s sin still has huge ramifications on his family. And this makes sense. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily undo the damage. And the amount of damage that is done is often proportional to the amount of influence someone has. A parent’s sin can destroy a family. A pastor’s sin can destroy a church. A CEO’s sin can take down the company. And a king’s sin can have ramifications for the entire kingdom.