Treating People Right When They Sin
[9] Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. [10] Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ [11] Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. [12] For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” [13] David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
2 Samuel 12:9–13 ESV Read More
Man, when David is good, he is really, really good. But when David messes up, it is of king-sized proportions. Here Nathan the prophet catches David (by the Lord telling Nathan about it) and David is cut to the heart about it. He doesn’t retaliate against his accuser or make excuses and blame Bathsheba. You have to appreciate that. How? It’s hard, but look at how the Lord deals with David in this…
So many times, someone sins and we label them according to their sin. They are an alcoholic, or a teen-mom, a drug-user, or an ex-con. We take the worst label of a person and let them wear it like all of their identity is wrapped up in that sin.
Now God tells David straight up what is going to happen because of his sin. His family will always be fighting. Someone else is going to come and take his wives and sleep with them in broad daylight, to show what David did in secret. Even the child that was conceived and showed that David had committed adultery is going to die. The child served its purpose before the Lord in exposing David’s sin, and then he passed away.
God does not take this sin lightly, just as any rebellion against Him is not taken lightly. But, the Lord moves on. When David admits and confesses his sin, Nathan replies, “The LORD has put away your sin. You won’t die.” The Lord is going to discipline you hard, David, but you aren’t going to die for this. You aren’t going to lock in your identity as one who is an adulterer.
Only with Christ in us can we carry such a balanced view of sin. Typically we have one side or the other. We can condemn somebody in our minds and be convinced that they are going to suffer and have shame and a hard life, etc etc. Or we can put away their sin and act like nothing happened, even though the person has done some seriously awful stuff!
In Christ, we can find the way to live the life of forgiving sin and putting it away, while at the same time recognizing and weighing the fullness of a person’s rebellious acts against God. That is the perfect way of non-judgement. That is a way that welcomes the sinner but also helps us to grow out of the life of sin as Christ transforms us.
At the beginning, Nathan call’s David’s sin “despising the word of the Lord.” By helping every person along the way of Jesus, not judging but always walking in truth, we love the Word of the Lord.
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