David as the legalistic Christian in 2 Samuel 12

2 Samuel 12
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 "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 has been a shepard for many years. Could Nathan have picked this specific example to provoke a response? ------------------------------
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!	------------------------------ David's anger is strong! David understands that sin deserves death; although the Law would require a smaller penalty, David understands that sin deserves death. But he says it in anger... Is it surprising that a saved man would demand justice in burning anger instead of mercy? ------------------------------
6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."	------------------------------ But, he thinks better of what he said and essentially pronounces the sentence required by the Law (4X the loss). This is not a picture of David expressing mercy...this is what is required and allowed by the Law. ...Although he is saved, David is hung up on right-and-wrong, good-and-evil, the Law, etc, etc. ------------------------------
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.	------------------------------ At this point, Nathan confronts David with David's sin; we know that Nathan (and God) considered David to have killed Urriah. What is required by the Law in such a case? Death. ...The Law requires the death of murderers. ------------------------------
10Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.' 11 "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' "	------------------------------ Nathan prophecies about what God will do; it sounds quite harsh to us...but it is actually quite lenient! In the Law, murder requires death! What is the difference between David's pronounvcement and God's pronouncement? ...Where David had reacted in anger wanting 'justice', God reacts in love with grace and mercy. ...Where David had thought better of his first reaction and pronounced the Law on the rich man, God did not pronounce the Law on David. ------------------------------
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."	------------------------------ David doesn't pick up on how differently he reacts from how God reacts. Modern people read this statement from David as if he was 'doing the right thing' and confessing his sin. But this is really a picture of disbelief. ...David knows the requirements of the Law and can't beleive how lenient God treats him. How is that lenient? David thinks that stealing a ewe lamb deserves death...how much more does he think murder deserves death!?! ...David hears the pronouncement and states 'I have sinned against the Lord'...he is practically reminding Nathan that he is a murderer deserving death, correcting Nathan and prodding him to judge him and pronounce the Law's 'proper penalty'. ...David is not 'confessing his sin', he is encouraging his own death !!! ...Although he is saved, David is hung up on right-and-wrong, good-and-evil, the Law, etc, etc. ------------------------------
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.	------------------------------ Nathan responds to David's legalism with the Gospel: "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." ...Even though God had already saved David, even though David's sin was already paid for, David was still in bondage to the idea that he still owed a sin-debt to God! God's prophet, Nathan, corrects David - David had no sin, and David was not going to die. That's the gospel. All in all, David is a saved man, bogged down and in bondage. He is given mercy, but reacts with justice. He is given life, but keeps expecting death and keeps expecting God to kill him. Though saved, he keeps disbelieving the gospel; his faith is as long as his arm. Poor David... ...But, even sader given that we're on this side of the cross, most believers still disbelieve like David did. ------------------------------