Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!

2 Samuel 12:4-5

Nathan’s brilliant story causes David to condemn his own behavior. Perhaps even the pet lamb picture made David remember his own youth. He recognized that the story represented a real situation and he was shocked and furious. A man who had abundant wealth, including many sheep, felt so entitled that he took and killed a poor man’s pet lamb.

David knew instinctively that anyone who behaved in such a contemptible and mean way deserved the strongest condemnation and punishment. Imagine his horror when he realized that the story was about himself. He not only despised God’s word, but despised God himself by acting as if God’s many gifts to him were not enough (v 9). He had sinned not only against Bathsheba and Uriah, but against God. Nathan makes it clear that there would be both short-term and long-term consequences. Though he committed such terrible sins of adultery and murder, he set a good example of repenting his sins: Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord” (13). We know how sincere his repentance was through Palm 51.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" (Ps 51:1-2).

God forgave his sins in His great mercy. God restored him until he is called as "a man after God's own heart" (Ac 13:22). Praise be to the Lord God that His Son Jesus bled on Calvary to wash our terrible sins so that we may be washed from our sins and be restored as "a man or woman after God's own heart" in repentance.

CLOSING PRAYER: Holy God, when you see my sin, help me to repent, remembering the great price that was paid for your forgiveness