Father's Day, we look for heroes. I have preached about Abraham, I have preached various texts, I have preached about God as Father. I have never preached about David on a Father's Day. Our text is in 2 Samuel.
2 Samuel shows us several aspects of David's life. David is a man after God's own heart. David is a true (although imperfect) representative of a God-centered king. While David is king, it is ever clear that he represents God. Israel is a theocracy. Early in the book, David is proclaimed king at Hebron by the tribe of Judah, but he is subsequently accepted as king by the other tribes after Ishbosheth's death, 5:1ff. Ishbosheth was a son of Saul and thus in a normal line of succession, despite the fact that Samuel had been called to anoint the next king of Israel after Saul's rejection as king (1 Sam. 15-16).
David was an effective and decisive leader. He identified with his people. As soon as the kingdom was reunited, he captured Jerusalem and make it the royal city. He brought the ark from the house of Abinadab to Jerusalem, acknowledging the Lord as king over all the nation, including David, ch. 6. He wanted to begin immediately to build a house for the Lord and the ark, but was told by Nathan that he was not to build the temple.
David is a victorious king, defeating and subduing Philistines, Moabites, Arameans, Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. He is gracious toward Mephibosheth, Saul's crippled son. He successfully represents God in the battles fought, and faithfully depicts God as king, 10:12. He is a man after God's own heart. This is what we teach our kids about David in Bible class.
Chapter 11
Now it is spring. Time for kings to go off to war. But David is a success already. He sends out his men without him, and they continue the string of successes. And David remained in Jerusalem. We want to provide spiritual leadership like David did early in his time as king.
Think with me about David. Aging a bit, a little gray, or perhaps some hair is losing its grip. What? 40+, already at the height of his career, how can he go further? King. Ruler. Successful. But in the mirror.... What does he see? Are there perhaps some doubts that arise? Some need to make certain he is still the man he used to me, fighting bears and lions, protecting the sheep of his father. Wiry, but now just a little pudgy. Any self-doubts? Does he at least look at the Viagra commercials?
Not only is David possibly thinking such things about himself, but he has time on his hands. Deadly combination. Can't sleep. Some cool evening air. And there on a roof not far away, a woman bathing. Bathsheba. Husband is away at war, serving the king. He won't know. No one will know. It will be a secret. No one needs be the wiser.
And almost before he can follow his conscience to the contrary, the dastardly deed is done. They sleep together. Yes, no one will be the wiser. Send her home. A brief affair, it's over now. Illegal, immoral. Has a heavy penalty in Israel, even death. But who is going to stone the king? And he can certainly keep a secret, and Bathsheba won't tell either, certainly not on penalty of death. We want to learn the need to keep busy in God's work. There's never a good time to slack off. There's never a time to quit. Idle time is a destroyer.
Just one problem, it won't be as secret as David thought, for Bathsheba sends the word, "I'm pregnant." What to do? How to respond? People can count in those days too-- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9--they have calendars. They will know Uriah was away at war. Time is short, a plan is needed.
Call Uriah in from the battle, send him home, make him an unknowing part of the coverup, then all will be well. But it doesn't work. Uriah sleeps outside, he won't go home. David gets him drunk so perhaps he (and others) won't know. But Uriah isn't party to the deception, and David knows, and Bathsheba knows, and Uriah probably knows. Sin has to be handled. It can't be postponed.
So David adds to his sin by becoming a murderer. Oh, he doesn't pull the trigger, but he gives the order. He's the one, no doubt. It's his doing. That's the way it is with sin--always more difficult, one thing leading to another. We want to learn that sin builds upon sin. One leads to another even worse. Sin is progressive.
But it's over now. Uriah's dead, Bathsheba mourns, and David plays the part of the sympathetic king. You can come to my house, I will take care of you, and they marry, and she bears a son. And no one knows, David, except God knows, 11:27. We want to learn that God always knows, Heb. 4:11-13.
Chapter 12
Nathan the prophet comes to David with a sad story. There has been an abuse in the land. A rich man has stole the little ewe lamb of a poor man solely to show hospitality to a traveler. It's not for hunger, it's not for necessity, just luxury. David burns with anger at the injustice, the man deserves to die!
But you are the man. God knows, 12:7ff. Despising the word of the Lord, doing evil, and the calamity won't leave your house, David. Sin has consequences, and those sometimes come to families. Not the guilt, but the consequences.
David is penitent, but the son dies. Another comes, Solomon, but it's not the same. Perhaps we want to be like David, perhaps not.
But David also teaches us that despite the consequences, relationship with God can be restored. Probably what most fathers need today is penitence. Perhaps in this room, with these people, because life has fallen apart so badly. But more often, with family, spouse, praying, recommitting. What a special father's day that would be.
But it's more than fathers, isn't it. It's all of us. It's life. It's the truth that God knows. Everything in your heart. Everything in your life. Every sin, every fault, every flaw, every challenge, every problem. He knows the struggle, the failures, the need to start again. He knows the difficulty of facing up and fessing up. But he knows the cleansing power, the necessity, the help. It's time. Time to be busy with God's things. Time to walk with him. It's time for fathers to be spiritual leaders. It's time for to deal with sin, before it piles so high we no longer see spiritual realities. It's time to build relationship with God. You can you know. You can respond, in faith, love, confession, you can turn, you can be washed. You can rebuild relationship with God. Now is that time, as we stand and sing.
