A Great Sinner and Greater Savior
As we think of the various people featured throughout the Bible, it can be tempting to divide them into categories of good and evil. However, one does not have to read far into the lives of each of the so-called good people in the Old Testament to see that they were filled with flaws and sinned often, sometimes in ways that are clearly egregious even to nonbelievers. This is certainly true of David, the man after God’s own heart. Much is written about David in Scripture, so his life has been the topic of much theological study. Yet we often overlook perhaps his most remarkable trait: repentance. David’s repentance shows his faith in a way largely unparalleled in the Old Testament, so it is worthy of examination three thousand years later. His understanding of his great sin and greater Savior displays a faith that all Christians should seek to emulate.
David’s Good Start
Of all Old Testament figures, few are greater than David. Along with Abraham and Moses, David received a specific covenant from God. Additionally, his Spirit-inspired songs include several prophecies fulfilled by Christ. His very life foreshadows Christ, as David was the king chosen and raised up by God. As the man after God’s own heart, David was faithful to follow both the letter and spirit of God’s commands. From the first time we meet him in Scripture, he is held up as righteous in comparison to his unfaithful predecessor Saul. While Saul started well, it was not long before the limits of his faith became evident. Out of fear, he offered an unauthorized sacrifice before battle and later failed to wipe out the Amalekites as God had explicitly commanded, with resulted in God rejecting him as king. After that, David was anointed king and began his slow and tumultuous rise from the sheepfold do the throne that ultimately took decades. Even while David was on the run, God was increasing David’s strength, drawing many people to follow him—both Israelites and foreigners. Many of these would ultimately become his Mighty Men. He had initially run from Saul alone, but upon his return he had around six hundred men with him. Despite numerous hardships, he showed incredible faith in God’s timing and methods, refusing to use his divine anointing as license to harm Saul. Not until Saul died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa could David ascend to the throne—and even then he had to overcome Saul’s supporters. But ultimately, David’s kingdom was established as a prototypical kingdom of righteousness. After seven years in Hebron, he conquered Jerusalem and established it as his capital. It would be known as the City of David from that point onward. To top all of that, David received the covenant from God, who promised to establish David’s dynasty by saying his descendant would rule forever. It appeared that the Israelites had finally entered God’s rest.
David’s Great Sin
But then came David’s most famous sin: adultery with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. Even before that sin, we see evidence of moral compromise of David in this area with his embrace of polygamy, thus joining the myriad of Old Testament examples dissuading the practice (which I briefly addressed in a previous post). That deviation from God’s design for marriage led to another much larger deviation from God’s Law. David forsook his calling for comfort, succumbed to sexual temptation, and committed a string of sins to cover it up. Like Adam’s sin at the Fall, it began with omission. Perhaps more than any other king, David’s place was in the field leading his men in battle and experiencing adversity with them. Instead, he neglected this calling and duty in favor of the comfort of his palace. He then allowed power and lust to corrupt him into committing adultery with the wife of one of his elite and close-knit Mighty Men, which I discuss in more detail in my leadership paper. When Uriah’s righteousness and devotion to duty thwarted David’s plan to cover up his own sin, David conspired to have him killed in battle. When compared to the sins that led to Saul’s downfall, the monumental sin of David should not only have resulted in his rejection but also his death, since adultery was a capital offense in the Law (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22).
Nevertheless, David still attempted to hide his sin until rebuked by God through the prophet Nathan. After calling out David’s sin, Nathan prophesied the consequences of that sin. He warned that because David had “utterly scorned the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:14) the son born from his adultery would die. This was just the first consequence of David’s sin. Instead of peace and rest, violence would now plague David for the rest of his life. This would be most visible in Absalom’s rebellion in 2 Samuel 16. Just as the first Adam had failed when tempted and had thus been banished from God’s rest and the first Moses had failed when tested and had thus been prevented from entering God’s rest, so the first David had failed when tempted and thus failed establish a kingdom in God’s rest. So just as we need a second Adam to reverse the curse and a second Moses to perfectly fulfill the law, we need a second David to establish His everlasting kingdom. God in his grace and mercy did not just spare the first David from the death he deserved but allowed him to glimpse His plan of salvation. As a result, in this dark hour when David’s kingdom seemed to be doomed to go the way of Saul’s, David’s faith shines forth brightest by how he responds to his sin and its consequences.
David’s Great Repentance
David’s response to Nathan (and thus to God) was repentance. First, we must note that this repentance was empowered by God. Since God’s covenant cannot be supplanted by man’s sin, the Holy Spirit prompted and enabled David to fully repent of his sin, which began the process of restoration. Unlike Saul, God would restore David in such a way as to foreshadow the ultimate restoration He would bring through Christ. Even as a prophet David understood this only in part, but through the lens of Messianic hindsight we can see it more clearly. But we cannot forget that this restoration had to begin with repentance, which while it was enabled and prompted by God was still David’s responsibility.
This restoration began with immediate and complete repentance. When Nathan rebuked David, he immediately responded with “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). Thus David gives us a great example of how to confess sin. He started by admitting his sin without reservation. He didn’t make excuses by citing Bathsheba’s beauty or his status as king. He didn’t use smooth rhetoric to avoid the issue or justify his actions. He didn’t blame anyone else or his circumstances for his sin, and certainly didn’t claim that it was caused by some sickness. He didn’t admit to some of his sins while not acknowledging others. He simply acknowledged that he had sinned. Just as important, he acknowledged that his sin was against God. While some sin is against others (which was certainly true in this case), all sin is ultimately and primarily against God. Therefore, David was right to say that he had sinned against God. When we confess our sins, we must likewise avoid excuses, blame shifting, and partial confession while also acknowledging the ugliness of sin itself and how it is primarily against God.
But confession is only the beginning of repentance. We must not only acknowledge our sin but also turn away from it. David displays this in what came after his confession, but those actions would make no sense without Nathan’s response to David’s confession. Rather than issuing the sentence that would end David’s kingdom, Nathan responds with these remarkable words: “The LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Samuel 12:13). This statement shows the incredible forgiveness of God, without which all of our repentance would be ultimately futile. It was David’s confidence in God’s forgiveness that ultimately drove his response to the consequences of his sin.
David’s Greater Faith
The first consequence of David’s sin came quickly as the son born as a result of his adultery became sick. David fasted and pleaded with God to spare the child, showing that he had accepted the consequences of his sin while also entrusting himself to God. He was truly saddened by his sin and its consequences to others much more than its consequences to himself. This is the major difference between godly grief that is sorrowful for sin itself and worldly grief that is sorrowful only about the consequences of sin (2 Corinthians 7:7-10). In contrast to Cain, who was grieved about the consequences of his sin on himself rather than the fact that he had killed his brother, David mourned his sin itself and its impact on others. This does not mean that we cannot grieve over the consequences of our sin on ourselves, but that grief should be overshadowed by our grief over the fact that we sinned against God as well as how our sin affects others.
David’s actions also show his reliance upon God based on an understanding of His character. Though David knew Nathan’s prophecy, he also knew that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Exodus 34:6, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8). Thus, he thought that perhaps God would be gracious to him and let the child live (2 Samuel 12:22). But when the child died, David ceased his fasting and instead worshipped God. We can certainly relate to the confusion of his servants at this unusual turn of events. David’s explanation does little to clear up that confusion:
“While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
-2 Samuel 12:22-23
David’s explanation may be sufficient to explain his fasting before the child died, but not his lack of mourning after the child died. Though it is impossible to know exactly what was going on in David’s mind at that time, the psalms give us enough of a glimpse to allow us to at least speculate the reasons for his unusual actions. After David was rebuked by Nathan, he wrote Psalm 51, displaying his understanding of his sin and God’s righteousness as well as his dependence on God to cleanse him. There is a level of surety in his requests of God to blot out his transgressions and restore him to his former place as the man after God’s own heart. The tone is even more positive in Psalm 32, proclaiming blessing on the one that God forgives and against whom God does not count sin. The tone suggests that David experientially knew this blessing.
But if David understood the weight of his sin, how could he experience God’s forgiveness? Paul answers that question by quoting Psalm 32:1-2 in his argument that salvation is by faith in Romans:
And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin”
- Romans 4:5-8
But did David really understand that righteousness came through faith and not works? In addition to the fact that New Testament interpretations of Old Testament passages are inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore correct, the language of Psalm 32 certainly suggests that he did. Additionally, David’s faith was not a general faith in God but faith in the salvation that God would bring through his descendent. Psalm 22 speaks of Christ’s suffering while Psalm 110 speaks of Christ’s glory, both written by David. In Matthew 22:41-45 (cf. Mark 12:35-37, Luke 20:41-44), Jesus suggested that David understood this by referring to his descendent as his lord in Psalm 110:1. God revealed enough of His plan of salvation to David that he placed his hope in it. To some extent, he understood that the Messiah would be his descendant, would suffer and die, and would be raised up by God to establish an everlasting kingdom. He also understood how offerings worked and didn’t work, including the heart behind them (Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 24:24). As a result, he knew that he could not atone for his own sin but had to rely on the substitute that God provided.
A Shadow of David’s Greater Son
This is where the speculation begins. Nathan prophesied that though David would not die for his sin, his son would die. It is thus possible that David viewed his innocent son as taking the punishment that David deserved. Though certainly sinful by nature, this unnamed son has no sins mentioned in Scripture and can thus be thought of as if he was sinless. Regardless, he certainly didn’t deserve to die for David’s sin. This may explain David’s fervent prayer on behalf of his son, perhaps asking to die in his place as he would later lament regarding Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33) and the Israelites dying of pestilence from David’s sinful census (2 Samuel 24:17). But the child did die, which prompted David to worship God. If he did view his son as a type of substitute dying in his place for his sins, then he would have viewed the child’s death as a sign that God’s wrath had been satisfied—at least temporarily. Regardless, the death of David’s son was evidence that God keeps His promises, which included the Davidic Covenant and God’s promise through Nathan of God’s forgiveness for this particular sin, which would have been reason enough for David to worship. David felt the weight of God’s judgement lifted from him, leading him to worship. I wonder if that immediate worship included Psalm 32.
Though David certainly experienced the forgiveness of God and its resulting peace with the death of his son, he knew that peace was not to last. Nathan had prophesied that his son’s death was only the beginning of the price David and the nation would pay for his sin. Thus, David would continue to hope in the Messiah which his unnamed dead son prefigured—Jesus Christ, who would be the perfect substitute. David must have known that his infant son could not actually take away his sins but that the Messiah would. David was not justified by God because this son died in his place but because God’s Son died in his place. David’s salvation came just like Abraham’s—through faith in the salvation God would provide later through Jesus Christ. This means that David’s salvation is the same as ours: by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. So by faith David greeted Christ’s future yet sure coming from afar (Hebrews 11:13). Unbound by sin nature, Christ lived a truly perfect life, earning a record of obedience that God imputes to both David and us. In exchange, God imputed all the sins of all who would trust in Christ (including David) onto Christ, thus allowing God to be just and the justifier of all who are saved through faith (Romans 3:26). This is why David could rejoice in his sin being forgiven and covered over as he trusted in the justifying and sanctifying work of God. Such rejoicing is the appropriate response, which could explain why David was so quick to worship following his son’s death. If David with his limited understanding of God’s coming salvation was able to rejoice in it, then we who have the advantage of a Messianic perspective should rejoice all the more at God’s salvation through Christ.
David knew that even his sin could not thwart God’s plan of salvation. Thus, 2 Samuel 12 continues with the birth of Solomon. Though Solomon would begin to fulfill the Davidic covenant by building the temple, even he would fail, leading to the division and ultimate destruction of Israel. Yet from him would eventually come Jesus. Unlike the first David who gave into temptation, this second David would resist it. Instead of lusting after power and pleasure, Jesus would serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Instead of offering a sacrifice inadequate to remove sin, Jesus would offer Himself—the only adequate sacrifice to remove sin. So instead of ruling a nation temporarily, Christ rules the universe eternally. Therefore, like David we must set our hope firmly and solely in Jesus Christ. And that faith should lead us to a repentance like David’s, including complete confession of sin, acknowledgement that all sin is ultimately against God, and godly grief over sin itself far above its consequences, all with hope in the sure forgiveness of God that comes only through the finished work of Christ. To paraphrase John Newton, David was a great sinner—and so are we—but Christ is a greater Savior!
