"THOU ART THE MAN"

2 SAMUEL 12:7

A. "AND NATHAN SAID TO DAVID, THOU ART THE MAN"
  1. The great sin of King David:
    1. Committed adultery in the open daylight by taking his soldier's wife to him.
    2. He planned and supervised the murder of an innocent husband by the hand of the enemy.
  2. He passed the verdict of criminal guilt upon himself: 2 Sam. 12:1-6
    1. This is the irony of sin, when one seeks to hide it from others.
    2. We often pass severe judgment upon sin, not realizing that the verdict falls on us.
B. LET US CONSIDER, PRAYERFULLY, THE SIN OF SELF-INDULGENCE
  1. A fall, like that of David, does not happen at the unguarded moment:
    1. It was carefully planned by the guilty.
    2. It was an act of carelessness which led to such immoral acts.
    3. A life of ease and self-confidence by the king opened the door to the temptation which led to the crime.
  2. I can think of three specific reasons why men of God fall prey to such hideous crimes:
    1. Neglect of private prayer. Had King David spent that time praying for his men on the battlefield, the crime by him would never have taken place.
    2. Lingering where danger lurks is another contributing cause to sin. For example - Peter at the fire of the enemy - Mark 16:67; Cain at an altar that was useless - Gen. 4:7; Judas and the chief priests - Matt. 26:14-16
    3. Idleness is still another factor which exposes one to temptation. Had Eve kept herself occupied in the garden, she would not have yielded to temptation. That was the downfall of King David. That, too, was one of the contributing factors to Samson's demise - Judg. 16:1-22. That was the downfall of Belshazzar - Dan. 5:1-25.
C. SELF-DECEPTION
  1. It strikes us most forcefully when we read the conversation between David and Nathan, the prophet:
  2. David unwittingly passed sentence upon himself:
  3. He had planned the crime so cleverly that he was confident that no one would ever know about it:
  4. That is why he was so ready to pass sentence upon the man in the parable:
  5. Note four specific facts about self-deception:
    1. We blind ourselves to the evil we know is in our own life.
    2. We make excuses for the sin we know we ought to confess.
    3. We become so familiar with the sin in our life that it diminishes in our own estimation.
    4. We never are honest enough to go into judgment with ourselves. Face savings is the ever present temptation to all of us.
D. SELF-DISCOVERY
  1. The story of Nathan's interview with David moves us with pain and pity:
    1. God takes a hand in it by revealing the sin of David to Nathan.
    2. He lets David see the hideousness of the crime he had committed against his own soldier, whom he was pledged to protect.
    3. Finally, he allows David to pass the verdict.
  2. Thou art the man:
    1. David made a new discovery, which he faithfully recorded in Ps. 139:1-17
    2. He discovered that all things are open to the eyes of God - Heb. 4:13; Ps. 139:1-8
    3. He began to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and it pressed heavily upon him - 2 Sam. 12:13
    4. He was a very fortunate sinner because there was pardon with God for him - 2 Sam. 12:13 But friends, what if that verdict should come to us after probation closes?


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