1. The Devil finds work for idle hands (2 Samuel 11).
2 Samuel 11 is literally the worst chapter in David's entire kingship. The sin that he commits against God and others is incredibly serious. But, look at how it all started: "In... the time when kings go out to battle... David remained at Jerusalem" (2 Samuel 11:1). Here we see David relaxing, with nothing to do, and all his soldiers are off at war, and he is putting his feet up at home. And then he is looking around because he's curious. And then he sees something he shouldn't and doesn't look away. And then he leans in, and goes after what he's set his eyes on. And then he's arranging a meeting. And then he's covering it up. And then he's committing crimes to preserve his own reputation: the man who would not kill Saul, though Saul hunted for his life, now has no problems with endangering his own soldiers in order to have Uriah -the husband of the woman that he lay with- killed and made to look like an accident. You see, David illustrated what former generations recognized quite well: that bad things happen when we don't have enough to do.
2. The source of sin is lust and pride (2 Samuel 11).
One verse that is often used to categorize the temptations that we face is 1 John 2:15-17, which describes "the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life" as a basic categorization of worldly desires that lead us astray. These categories actually work pretty well. David fell for all three: first he let his eyes wander. Then he indulged in the desires of the flesh. Then, in order to cover up and maintain his image as the "man after God's own heart," David had a man killed so that he could maintain his outward appearance of righteousness and his pride of life. Interestingly, David didn't kill because of his lust: he had already had that satisfied. David killed because of his desire to look like a good, moral person. He needed others to recognize that he was righteous. And, ironically, in order to do that, he became the most immoral that he had ever been. Sometimes if you want to find out how evil a person is, all you need to do is let them know that you're aware of some actions of theirs which go against their self-image. This will work even if you don't exactly confront them on it. All they have to do is know that you are aware, and you will see what is inside them bubble up to the surface--just don't deliver any mail for them at that point, or you might get Uriah'd.
3. Becoming afraid of yourself (2 Samuel 12).
"You are that man," spoken from Nathan's lips, must have rung in David's ears for the rest of his life (2 Samuel 12:7). In that moment David's objections and justifications melted away, and he was allowed to finally become a little bit afraid of himself. What had he done? It would be hard to know where to start. He was a liar, and an abductor of men's wives, and a murderer, and an adulterer, and likely a breaker of every other one of the ten commandments all at one point in time. And now he knew it, and I believe he became a little bit afraid of who he'd become. I think the people that I enjoy best are those who have learned to be a little bit afraid of themselves. They are aware that certain things take their objectivity away, so they learn to trust themselves a little less. They know that they are prone to anger, and that this hurts those around them emotionally, so they have learned to go for a walk when they need it. They see the reality of hurt that they've caused, and so they have become gentle, humble people, ready to receive the Lord's guidance. Becoming afraid of yourself is not a bad thing. In this case fear of self is what brought David to repentance.
4. There is no cure for guilt other than God (Psalm 51).
This Psalm appears to have been written soon after Nathan confronted David. It records David's repentance, his acknowledgment of his own sins, and his desire to be made clean by God ("Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow," Psalm 51:7). There is no cure for guilt other than this. God alone is the one that we can run to. God alone has the power to wash away our sins. Only God, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, can make us clean again.
DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?
How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we should lift God up and acknowledge his goodness and righteousness in contrast to our own faulty righteousness. Through knowledge of our own sinfulness, we are pushed closer to God who draws us closer to him so that we can share in his goodness. IN OUR ATTITUDES this knowledge of our own guilt should make us gentler, humbler people, who are patient with the fault of others because we know the fault in our own selves.
Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.
-Sean
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