David and Bathsheba: You Can’t Hide Your Sins from God
Today’s Bible reading* us a familiar story for many of us: the story of David and Bathsheba. It is the lowest point of David’s life, this man after God’s own heart. The story reveals David’s humanity. It reveals David’s fallenness.
And then Nathan the Prophet arrives at David’s door with news of a man who stole something that wasn’t his. When David expresses his rage and condemns the thief, Nathan says, “You are that man.” David knows his “hidden” sins are known to God. And regardless of his response to Nathan’s pronouncement, he will suffer the consequences.
David has sinned. He coveted someone else’s wife. He committed adultery. He tried to cover his sin. He conspired to kill someone. God only condemns David of one sin. So which of these sins was the worst?
Through Nathan, God says that David has despised Him by taking Bathsheba as his wife. And David has treated Him with contempt. (2 Samuel 12:10, 14) David rightly confesses that his sin was solely against God. (Psalm 51:4) Yes, he sinned against Uriah. Yes, he sinned against Bathsheba. Yes, he sinned against the people of Israel. But his primary sin was against a Holy God Who had done so much for him in calling him, saving him (multiple times), and placing him in his position as king over Israel.
Application
We all sin. (Romans 3:23) We do all kinds of sinful acts. But ultimately, we sin against God. And in sinning against God, we prove that we do not love Him with everything that we are. (Deuteronomy 6:5) And because we sin against God, we commit high treason against the King of the Universe, a crime deserving of death.
Jesus paid the sin-debt penalty of death on our behalf. You can’t hide your sins from God. It isn’t that He will find them out. He already knows. And like David, the only appropriate response is to come clean, confessing our sin against our King, our Father, and pleading for His grace and mercy.
* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
2 Samuel 11
2 Samuel 12
1 Chronicles 20
Psalms 51