Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): In times of trial and tragedy, Pastor Jeff reminds us today that we should first and foremost trust God.

Jeff Johnson: In the midst of a tragedy and a heartache, there was hope. They had that hope that God knew what He was doing and they submitted to that. There's a bigger picture here they realized that all things are working for the good for those that love the Lord.

And even death in a family can be for the glory of God and for the good of God. In fact, even Paul said, "Nothing is going to separate me between my love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Nothing, not even death is going to separate me."

Guest (Male): We're pleased to bring you Sound Doctrine now with Pastor Jeff Johnson, presented by Calvary Chapel Downey. Today we continue in the book of Second Samuel, chapter 12, with the story of David's sin and David's friend Nathan, who cared enough to reprove him.

Though David was completely forgiven by God after he confessed and repented of his sins, there were still consequences he had to deal with. Today we'll learn of the importance of dealing with our sin and taking responsibility for the consequences. From Second Samuel, chapter 12, here's Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: This morning we're in Second Samuel, chapter 12. We're going to finish the chapter this morning. There is an enemy that man has yet to conquer that we're going to talk about this morning and, of course, that enemy is death. Man can do a lot of things, conquer a lot of things, and overcome a lot of things, but this one thing he cannot conquer and, of course, we know death is what he's feared of the most.

To understand death, to experience the heartache of it but then to know about the hope of it, is so important. So we're going to look at that this morning. Also, we have had a number of infant deaths here at our church. We have had a number of older children who have died. We've experienced that heartache of having a little one go before the parents. That always hurts so much.

And yet in that, we've experienced the hope too. For these families that I'm thinking about that have lost little ones, the Lord has always given another little one. Not to take his or her place, because that'll never happen, but oh, the Lord is merciful and the Lord blesses and continues to love us through those hard times and to help us understand the whys of it all. Because I think that's where you really come up with a lot of why. Why has God allowed this to happen?

Well, hopefully this morning we'll get some answers. And I want you to, as we're going through in Second Samuel, chapter 12, not to look at what David experienced in his life as an example of everything that goes on. Because people get sick not only because of sin in the parents' life, or things happen within your own personal life that there's sin God's trying to get your attention and yes, He will deal with you and those in your family, but also because we're living in a sinful world, bad things happen.

It's not a perfect place. God's going to come and He's going to make it perfect one of these days, but until then we're to keep looking up because we got a hope that's awesome. The Bible makes it clear that you can be sure that your sin will find you out. Whatever you sow, you will reap in this life.

So it was with David after almost a year had gone by in his life. He struggled, he had agony with his sin until he was finally confronted with his sin against God by Nathan the prophet. He finally confessed his sin to God and God forgave him. And that's where David wrote Psalm 32 and said, "Oh, how happy is the man whose sin is forgiven him, whose iniquities are not imputed unto him," or that he realizes that God is not keeping a list of all of his sins.

How blessed is that man that comes to this knowledge, that knows that his God has washed him clean of his sins. So months of guilt and shame were lifted off of David as he confessed his sin. He experienced God's amazing grace, His amazing love and mercy. And remember when Nathan said, "God wants me to tell you, David, that because you've confessed your sin you are forgiven of your sin and that, David, you're not going to die. Don't be afraid, you're not going to die."

Remember Jesus said, "He that liveth and believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live, and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never ever die." His promise to us. When God forgives, He forgets. So David is forgiven. His fellowship with God is now been restored and God is now reestablishing that intimacy with His child David and there's a beautiful thing happening.

But verse 14 of Second Samuel, chapter 12. Look at how this verse begins, verse 14. "Howbeit." However. The results and consequences of David's sin were still there. They weren't taken away with his sin. They weren't removed as far as the east is from the west. They weren't totally obliterated. He still had to face and pay the price, the consequences.

It's part of the reaping process that God has us go through at times. So God informs David, "You're going to have family problems, David." He informs David that not only are you going to have family problems but because of your lifestyle and because of the sin that he was into, it would be made public knowledge to everyone what he had done. This would be David's season of sorrow.

This would be, if you would, his woodshed experience. Ever had one? His public caning where God would lay it on him and it would hurt. He would go through it. Verse 14 says continuing, "Howbeit, because by this deed," Nathan says, "thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die."

David's sin has caused the enemy, note it's the enemy, not the people of God, but the enemy to blaspheme God. To talk against God, to ridicule God. And I thought, man, all the past scandals that have gone on in this day and age with ministries and all, think about how many has it caused to blaspheme the work of God. What kind of God is this that would allow adultery and murder?

And when public figures fall who are supposed to be God's representatives, it's a real tragedy, isn't it? Because it causes those that are looking on to really question and even to blaspheme God. Gives unbelievers the cause to do it. In fact, Nehemiah said when he found out what they were doing, he rebuked them.

Let me read it to you and this is in Nehemiah, chapter 5, he said, "It is not good that you do this. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?" I mean, be careful, walk in the fear of God. Learn the fear of God so you will not fall and then cause the enemies of God to blaspheme and to ridicule what God is doing, because they'll take anything, won't they?

Well, the enemy was blaspheming God, yet God is righteous, He is just, and that whole thing of the law of sowing and reaping is to be respected. You know, there are certain things that we're to respect in this world and I know one of them I respect and I've learned to respect is electricity. Have you learned that also? I mean, when you take a light switch and something's wrong, it's not the light and you've checked it already, you go the switch and you're undoing it and you get the wires.

Do you do it while the breaker is still on? Some of you are going, "Yeah, I understand it." Usually those are the guys that are messing around that get zapped and you laugh at them because they get zapped. And I've been zapped and I don't know, I respect, I try, sometimes I shut off all the breakers just to make sure that one's turned off. I really respect it, okay? And then I do it and even then I'm real careful not to let the wires touch.

Another thing I think is a law that we need to respect and we do have a respect for is the law of gravity. I mean, it is a law of God. It's a law of this planet that what goes up comes down and that you don't walk up to the third story and walk off and see if you're going to land on your feet because you're going to break both legs. And so we don't do that. We respect that and we try to keep our children away from the edge of places where they're going to fall. We respect it.

And so should we respect the law of sowing and reaping, for whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian here this morning, that is a law that we're all under together. Whatever you sow, you're going to reap. It's going to come back to you. God is not mocked. So to sow to the flesh, the Bible says you're going to reap corruption. Nathan turns to David and says, "Your son is going to die."

Death is going to enter into your situation. That's a heavy thing. David would pay a great price for his little fling with Bathsheba. But isn't that how it always is? You pay a great price for those little flings of life that you're not to be messing with. You've yet to learn the respect of it and so David was to pay. Yes, sin for a moment is pleasurable but there's always the payday, isn't there?

The wages of sin is death. God warned in the New Testament, gave us the warning of the Old Testament actually, in First Corinthians 10, let me read it to you and in verse 8 it says, "Neither let us commit fornication," sexual sin, "as some of them committed." And then it goes on to say, "Now all of these things happened in the Old Testament unto them for our example and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinks that he stands take heed lest he falls."

We should all be warned of sexual sins. Beware of these things that would suck us down and really capture us. He says there has no temptation taken you but as such as common to man. But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

And so along with the temptation of this world and the lust of the flesh and everything, God's always going to make a way for you to get out. He made a way for David to get out. He just didn't take it. God will give you a way. We need to be warned lest we also fall into what David fell into.

Notice verse 15 now going on. "And Nathan departed unto his house and the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore unto David and it was very sick." God allowed this child to become deathly sick and I thought for a moment as I was reading this, I thought what is this talking about divine sickness? And a lot of people go, "No, no such thing. Divine sickness? What are you saying, that God brings and gives sickness?"

What's it say here? That God touched the child. That it was sick, deathly sick. Did God do this? I looked at some of the scriptures and in Deuteronomy 32:39 it says, "See now," God says, "that I even I am he and there is no God with me. I kill, I make alive, I wound, I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand." It goes on in First Samuel 25:38 saying that the Lord smote Nabal that he died.

It goes on in Second Kings 15:5, "And the Lord smote the king so that he was a leper unto the day of his death." It goes on in Second Chronicles 13:20 and saying that Jeroboam, the Lord struck him and he died. And then in Acts 12:23 the angel of the Lord smote Herod and he died, eaten of worms and he gave up the ghost. I thought, wow, divine sickness. That God allowed this little child to experience sickness and to die.

It's a shame that sometimes the sins of the parents go on to the children and in this situation it's happening. The one thing that I'm sure that David didn't want to happen has happened. The child is deathly sick. And we see that all the time. We see parents that are involved with alcohol and look what happens when they bring forth their children. They're deformed and the sins of the parents go down to the children. With drugs, same thing, damaged.

And then with AIDS, it just goes on and it's such a sad thing to see and when you see a little baby just sick like that and dying, your heart goes out. It hurts. You have a hard time dealing with it. How could this happen? And yet it is. And I'll tell you something, no man is an island and I think what God would teach us this morning is that you cannot sin and not affect somebody else. We all affect one another and our sins do affect one another. They are handed down from generation to generation.

Verse 16. "David therefore besought God," notice his reaction, "for the child. And David fasted, went in and laid all night upon the earth. The elders of his house arose, went to him to raise him up from the earth but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them." David as many a parent would, did not accept what God had said through the prophet. He just ran right to God and that's a good place to go to when you're in trouble, you run to the Lord.

He did. Remember how Jesus cried out and said, "If it be possible, Lord, let this cup pass from me." So David is seeking for divine healing because God gives us divine healing doesn't He? "By his stripes we are healed." And so Jesus took upon his back those stripes for our physical healing. So we run to the Lord for physical healing.

So David tried to talk God out of taking his son with what? Fasting and prayer. "Lord I beseech you," "Lord I cry out to you." But he also missed a very important thing. When you're seeking the Lord with fasting and prayer for God to do something, you need to also have submission in your heart to Him. As also Jesus said, "If it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will be done but thine be done." He was submitted to the will of the Father. We must submit to God's will being done.

The elders were very concerned for David. They went concerned for his health that he fasted so long. They tried to talk him out of it, he just wouldn't eat. Verse 18. "And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead for they said, 'Behold while the child was yet alive we spoke unto him and he would not hearken unto our voice. How will he then vex himself if we tell him that the child is dead?'"

So after seven days of fasting and prayer, seeking the Lord, the child dies. You say is this God's will that this child died? Wait a minute, I have a hard time with this. There is a scripture that I think helps us to understand sometimes why things like this happen. In Isaiah, chapter 57, in verse 1, the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, "The righteous perish, no man lays it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, none considering this, that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."

Why would God allow this to happen? Well, God, first of all, we have to realize He is perfect, isn't He? And He does all things perfect. That means He doesn't make mistakes and so when God does something and allows something to take place, there's a purpose and reason for it and I think we need to be open to say, "Lord, what are you trying to say? What is the purpose, what is the reason? I don't see it but I'm looking for it."

Well, the Lord says here that one of the reasons is that He sees the trials, He sees the tribulations, He sees the agony, He sees the pain of this world in that individual's life and He just says, "I'm taking them home. I'm just taking them home." That's what it says right here. "The righteous are taken away from the evil to come." The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away.

David was out of the room, probably in the other room praying and fasting, and the servants were afraid to tell him now that the child was gone. "He's going to lose it. If we tell him, he got so depressed anyhow. He's crying out to God, we can hear him in the other room. And if we go in there now and tell him that his son is dead, who's going to be responsible for what's going to happen when you tell him? Are you going to do it? No. You going to tell? No. Well, who's going to tell? We just won't tell him." Great.

So nobody's going to tell him? Verse 19. "But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said unto his servants, 'Is the child dead?' And they said, 'He is dead.'" You can just sense something. Probably in the other room he heard them whispering and went into the room and you sense it. When something's wrong, you just know it. Or when somebody is gone, you just know it.

I've experienced it. You just know they're gone. They're dead aren't they? And then they backed off because they knew once they told him, this guy's going to fall apart, he's going to lose it completely. But notice David's reaction, verse 20. "Then David arose from the earth, he washed himself, he anointed himself, he changed his clothes, he came into the house of the Lord, he worshipped the Lord, then he came to his own house and when he required, they set bread before him and he did eat."

David shocked them all. They're waiting for him just to fall apart and lose it, but he shocks them. Instead of a breakdown, he gets up, washes his face. They probably thought he lost it anyhow. He's in shock, right? He just doesn't realize. He says, "I want to take a shower now, I want to get some new clothes and I'm going to go worship the Lord and then I want to eat something." What?

He went into the temple to worship God and I thought, wow, what a different response than they thought he was going to have. He acknowledges God's righteousness and His justice. And I thought, you know what, there's another guy in the Bible that did the same thing as David did. So I went and looked up Job, Job, chapter 1, where it says that Job after learning he had lost everything and everybody, they just told him that all his children were killed in a horrible accident.

Job's reaction was this in verse 20 of Job 1. "Then Job arose, he rent his mantle or his robe, he shaved his head, he fell down upon the ground and he worshipped the Lord and he said naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither. The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. In all of this it says that Job sinned not nor did Job charge God foolishly."

You see, he didn't sin and say, "God, what are you doing? God, why have you done this?" He realized that there's something going on here and here is where I believe that most parents would have been totally devastated. Your child is dead. Most parents would just lose it, right? "What? Why would God do this?" And immediately blame God, charge God foolishly. Why would you blame God for this? He allowed it. He is in control of everything. There's got to be a purpose for it.

And what good does it do to blame Him? You're going to fight with God now the rest of your life? And what good is that going to bring you? No, that's not wise. David doesn't blame God, he worships the Lord, he reverence the Lord, he submits to His will. And you say why? Well, I think like Job, David, they both knew that hey, He's God. He knows what He's doing. And in the midst of a tragedy and a heartache, there was hope. And they had that hope that God knew what He was doing and they submitted to that.

There's a bigger picture here they realized, that all things are working for the good for those that love the Lord. And even death in a family can be for the glory of God and for the good of God. In fact, even Paul said, "Nothing is going to separate me between my love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Nothing, not even death is going to separate me." Death is not my enemy, it's my servant. It'll usher me right into the presence of the Lord.

Both knew God's plan. They could have this attitude of hope. David began to eat as if to say, "Hey, let's just go on and keep living here." Instead of getting all bitter and getting down and blaming God and having a cloud over his head that depresses him and then depresses everybody else around him and doesn't do anybody any good, David just said, "Okay, I'm going to get better from this situation, I'm not going to get bitter. I'm going to get up and I'm going to look to the Lord and let's go on with living. Let's live now. Give me something to eat."

Guest (Male): That's a great example of dealing with the bad things that come our way. Use them as learning opportunities and opportunities to grow in our relationship with Jesus. This is Sound Doctrine and you heard a message today from Pastor Jeff Johnson in Second Samuel, chapter 12.

We house all of our Second Samuel studies at sounddoctrinereadio.org. This comes in handy should you miss a study or two on the radio or just want to hear something again or even share it with someone you know. This study and more are available now at sounddoctrinereadio.org under messages. You can also listen at oneplace.com and through the Sound Doctrine Radio podcast app.

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