2 Samuel 12:13

"And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die."

There are few statements in the scripture that are more clear than this declaration by Nathan; "The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." Context tells us the sad story of the sin of David with Bathsheba and against her husband. A cursory look back at the life of David shows the clear hand of God Almighty in it in saving him from Saul's wrath, and in giving him the kingdom. It is a breathtaking example of God working in someone's life. Each of us surely longs for this kind of clear, unmistakable guidance by the LORD in our own lives. Turning to the story of David's sin, its hard to believe that the man that was so clearly guided would fall so far, and, apparently, so rapidly. How much lower can someone go than adultery followed by the premeditated murder of the woman's husband?

We should realize, at least, that what scriptures tell us is true. All have indeed sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every one of the great men and women of the Bible, with the obvious exception of the LORD Jesus Christ Himself, sinned. They were all disobedient to God. For us, the implication is that we need to be walking circumspectly, aware of the presence and power of sin in us, and the schemes of the enemy to trip us up. Every step should be taken with an eye toward God, and halted at His direction. None of us ought even for a moment to think that we will not fall. If one such as David can fall, then so can we.

As David was confronted by Nathan regarding his sin, his response was not one of self-defense, or excuse. Rather, he declares that which is true, "I have sinned against the LORD." Being a good king in Israel, he, as directed by the LORD, had a copy of the scriptures to read daily and on which to meditate. No doubt, he had seen the scriptures that declare, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." He had certainly read of Nadab and Abihu who offered strange fire before the LORD, and were immediately killed. Concerning that instance the LORD said, "I will be glorified in them that come to me." Being the one who defeated Goliath, who had "defied the armies of the Living God", David respected and loved the LORD, seeking usually to honor Him in all things. But now he has failed the great God, Whom he claimed to follow. David knew that God had every right to end his life, as He had done in the history of Israel. Undoubtedly a shiver of fear went up his spine as he considered the position in which he found himself. But the wonderful declaration of Nathan undoubtedly provided a breath of great assurance to David. It consists of two pieces.

"The LORD also hath put away thy sin." The most blessed truth is that God has again taken matters into His own hand on David's behalf. Only this time instead of helping him in the realms of the physical, fighting David's enemies, God has acted in the realms of the spiritual. David took no action, neither would it have helped the situation. He was caught red-handed, and could only hope. David's only hope was in the God against Whom he had sinned. And that Great, Almighty, Creator of the Universe again acted on his behalf. Lest we conclude that David was in some way a court favorite, or was due some consideration by God for who he was, consider that which did come David's way because of his sin. Because of his actions the peace that David enjoyed on every side of the kingdom was taken away. His own son attempted to steal the kingdom away, and was, in fact, successful in exiling his father from the kingdom for a time. From the day of his sin forward many other events happened to David that can be traced directly back to his sin, including the death of the child that was born as a result of his sin. Just like David, we will never avoid the consequences of our sin. But the thing that did happen was David was spared God's righteous wrath against his sin. Psalm 32:1, 2 declares, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." David knew this truth first hand.

"thou shalt not die." Death would have been the result of God's righteous wrath. To us sin is a game we sometimes flirt with but with God it is an absolute affront to His person. He cannot stand sin in His presence. Sin is the disobedience of law He has put in place. When we sin we say that we know better than God what is right behavior. We also say by our sin that He doesn't know what He is talking about. But as noted before, God Himself said that the soul that sinneth, it shall die. God has created a place of judgment against sin, a place called Hell. Individuals that do not have the problem of their sin resolved before God will find themselves judged for eternity there. It is not a matter of whether or not we have sinned; we all have in God's eyes. It is a matter of what He has done about it. This second statement of God's through Nathan is a direct result of the first. Because God put away David's sin, he did not die for it.

All of which leads to a significant question that we must all ask, how do we know if God has put away our sin? How can we be sure that we won't die for it? The simple answer is that Jesus Christ was judged in our place. God’ s righteous wrath against our sin was poured out on Jesus. He was our substitute, taking the punishment that we deserve. Now we can stand before God, and His Word tells us, The LORD also has put away your sin, thou shalt not die.

This was God’s plan from before the foundation of the world, and it is a gift He offers to all mankind. To God be the GLORY!

HJK