You Are the Man
The Prophet Isaiah said, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” When we sin, how does God restore us back into fellowship? The story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12 is the story of sin and repentance. King David’s army fought against the enemies of Israel but David took some time off. The problem is that David also took time off from his fellowship with the Lord. A wise man said, “an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” David was in his palace and noticed his neighbor Bathsheba taking a bath on her roof. He lusted after her. Lust is any desire that takes precedence over our desire for fellowship with our Lord. David gave into his lust and committed adultery with Bathsheba. She became pregnant. David decided to cover up his adultery so he called Bathsheba’s husband Uriah who was a soldier in David’s army. David as commander in chief ordered Uriah to take a leave of absence from the battlefield and spend some intimate time with his wife. However, instead of sleeping with his wife, Uriah was so committed to his fellow soldiers that he slept outside of David’s house so that he would be on-call to rejoin his brothers in arms. Then David said to his officers, put Uriah on the front lines in the heat of the battle. Then retreat from the point of battle so that Uriah would be alone to face the enemy fire. Uriah was killed as a result David’s plot to have him murdered.
David was so out of fellowship that he no longer feared the Lord God Almighty. God told his prophet Nathan to confront David about his sin. Nathan was reluctant to face the king because he knew that David had committed murder by having Uriah killed. God gave Nathan a story to tell David. Nathan told David about a poor man in his kingdom whose only possession was his precious little ewe lamb whom he loved and cherished like his own daughter. Then a rich man who owned many flocks had one of his rich friends over for dinner. Rather than taking from his own flock, he went over to the poor man’s house, stole his precious ewe lamb, butchered her, and fed her to his rich guest. David was once a shepherd as a boy. He was deeply moved and infuriated about this injustice in his kingdom. David said to Nathan, “the man who did this must die.” David had pronounced the death sentence against the rich man. Then Nathan stuck his finger in David’s chest and said, “You are the man.”
This story broke David’s heart. He realized that he had broken fellowship and sinned against his Lord. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance. When David walked in fellowship with His Lord, he was a man after God’s own heart. Men of God are imperfect in the flesh. However, Jesus said “He who abides in me shall produce good fruit.” Psalm 51 proves the heart of true repentance. You can’t hide from God. He’s the hound of heaven who pursues us when we stray…all we like sheep have gone astray…we have returned every one to our own way. When a man of God stumbles, God will bring a brother across his path to reprove and correct him. Biblical correction means to “restore to a upright position.” A Man of God runs to God for confession of sin. Most men run away from God when they sin. Repentance means to Change direction. It means to turn around to return to God.
David returned to his Lord with a broken and a contrite heart. According to Psalm 51:1- 4, “HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
It’s always emotional when a Man of God returns to his Lord. Those who are not ready for repentance hide from God. But as Jesus said, “he who saves his life shall lose it but he who loses his life for my sake shall save it…”
There are always consequences for sin. David’s baby son, the result of his adultery with Bathsheba, was taken from him in death. David mourned while his son was on death’s door. In his prayer of repentance David said in Psalm 51:7-10, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
1 John 1:9 is the key to repentance to return to fellowship with our Lord: “For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Every man struggles with the sin nature that we inherited from Adam. However, when we return to the Lord with a broken and a contrite heart, when our prayer is “Create in me a new Heart, O God,” he will renew a right spirit in us. To be filled with His spirt we must empty ourselves of ourselves so that He can fill us with his Holy Spirit.
In Psalm 51 verses 11 and 12 David prayed, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
After Peter had denied his Lord three times, Jesus came to restore Peter back into fellowship. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me with the love of God?” Peter said “I love you like a brother.” He didn’t yet know how to love with the love of God. Jesus asked Peter this question three times. The third time Peter said to Jesus, “Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love you the only way I know how.” Jesus said to Peter, “feed my sheep.” Peter learned to love his Lord Jesus Christ when he received the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost. At that time Jesus’ promise came true. Jesus had said in John 14, “The comforter, the holy spirt, will teach you all things.” The greatest thing that we know according to the Holy Spirit is to Love unconditionally with the love of God. This is the “agape” unconditional love of God.
Joe Briscoe said, “the Holy Spirit has left the church and we didn’t even know it.” Our commission is not to call people to church but rather to call people to the Lord. This is the theme of David’s prayer in Psalm 51 and Psalm 32. Our prayer is that God’s Holy Spirit of Christ in us will teach us the first of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have no other Gods between your face and God’s face.” As we return our hearts back to fellowship with our Lord, may we pray the lyrics of this hymn:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face…And the things of earth shall grow strangely dim… In the light of His glory and grace.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael