2 Samuel 12

"Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!...So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” vv.7,13a


Read chapter 12


Nathan the prophet comes to David with a parable of someone deserving of death according to the king yet then Nathan makes aware that David is that man in the parable. David was the one rich man who stole the poor man's only lamb, he stole Uriah's only wife with all the wives and concubines that he already had. If he would have asked the Lord for more wives He would have given them to him but David acted wickedly and took what he could not have. Yet the surprising thing is his response. He simply says "I have sinned against the Lord." He doesn't try to justify, he doesn't try to cover it up, he simply repents. It's interesting to compare David and Saul with both their sins that made the Lord angry and both their responses. If we compare Saul's sin with David's sin according to man's eyes, Saul's is nothing. He couldn't wait for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices so he did it himself, something a non-priest wasn't allowed to do. Yet when called out about his sin he doesn't repent but justifies and thinks it's not a big deal. David committed adultery and murder and when called out by his sin he repents and is forgiven "...The Lord also has put away your sin" (v.13b).


How do you respond to sin of both the "big" and "small" sins? Why do we justify when caught? Do you have a "Nathan" in your life who will call you out in truth?