David, Part 8: You Are the Man | Bible Stories Retold

God's promise that his throne would last forever. He had just shown grace to his enemy's grandson. And then, one spring evening, he did something so wrong, he tried to bury it. It was spring, the time when kings go out to battle. David sent his army to war, but David stayed home in Jerusalem. One evening, David got up and walked on the roof of the palace. From there, he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful. He asked who she was. She was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his own soldiers. David sent messengers and took her. He was the king, she could not say no to the king. Then, she went home. Later, she sent David a message I am pregnant. David tried to hide it. He called Uriah home from the battle and told him, "Go home to your wife." But Uriah slept at the palace door. My fellow soldiers are camping in the open field. Shall I go home and eat and drink? I will not do this thing. So David wrote a letter to his general and sent it with Uriah himself. It said, "Put Uriah at the front where the fighting is hardest. Then pull back from him so that he would fall in battle." And Uriah fell. Bathsheba mourned for her husband. When her time of mourning was over, David brought her to the palace and she became his wife. It looked like it was over. He covered up, but the thing David had done displeased the law. God sent the prophet Nathan to David.

Nathan told him a story. There were two men in a city. One was rich with many flocks and herds. The other was poor. He had nothing except one little lamb. It grew up with his children. It ate from his plate and slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. A traveler came to the rich man. He didn't want to take from his own flock, so he took the poor man's lamb and served it to his guest. David burned with anger. As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die. Nathan looked at the king and said, "You are the man." Then Nathan told him everything. You took Uriah's wife. You had him killed by the sword. You thought no one saw. God saw. David could have had Nathan thrown out. He was the king. Instead, he said, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan said, "The Lord also has put away your sin. You will not die." But forgiveness did not erase what happened. Uriah was still dead. The baby became very sick. David fasted and lay on the ground all night, begging God. On the seventh day, the child died. The damage David caused followed his family for years. Out of that time, David wrote a prayer. "Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise. Maybe you've hurt people. Really hurt them. Maybe you spent a long time covering it up. David did too. Real repentance doesn't make excuses. And it doesn't pretend the damage isn't there. It says, "I am the man. I did this." And it brings that broken heart to God. He will not turn it away. [MUSIC] You