A Broken Heart

II Samuel 11, 12

In these two chapters, we find the man after God's own heart in the midst of the gross sins of lust, adultery, and finally murder. How had this gentle, loving shepherd and harpist come full circle and stooped to such a low level in his life? After this harmless man endured years of fleeing hateful enemies without cause and yet continuing to walk wisely in all his ways, he now was guilty of what most consider to be the worst deed a man can perform. And yet, he apparently thought he would escape the law of the harvest. Perhaps his role as king gave him a sense of being above the law. Maybe he figured he had suffered so much in his life as a citizen that now that the tides were turned and he finally had his promised position as the head honcho, he could do as he pleased without fear of repercussion or retribution. And then maybe he was just so wrapped up in the sinful moment that he failed to think or consider the cost at all.

At any rate, King David is an adulterous murderer with a child on the way. Then Preacher Nathan paid him a visit. He shared a gripping story about a poor man and his family's adored pet, a little lamb. Little BaaBaa, who was so cherished that the family allowed the little guy to eat from their very table. Then along came Neighbor Wealthy, who demands little BaaBaa be offered up for his elite guests - when Mr. Wealthy had an entire flock of the fluffy white guys of his own! But as we all know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and the poor, destitute family with the single lamb had the greener pasture as sheep go. Mr. Wealthy took their lamb and served him for dinner.

Of course, David, the gentle shepherd who spent the first portion of his life tending his father's sheep, protecting them, and loving them, was LIVID with this pompous rich man! How dare he steal from the poor when he had the best sheep available in his own pasture?

David demanded that the man restore four-fold to the family and also that his life be taken for payment! It is amazing to me that the prophet Nathan had the wisdom to find an angle that would touch David's heart right where it needed to be touched. Wisdom like that must come from God himself.

But once David's proclamation was made, Nathan pointed a finger at David, as only a preacher can do, and stated, "THOU ART THE MAN." I can imagine that David was half out of his seat, if not pacing the floor, in anger as he fumed over the wicked selfishness of the rich man. But the moment the words of the preacher escaped his mouth, David's heart must have smote him to the ground. He had seethed with anger over the story Nathan shared with him and suddenly he is faced with the reality that HE was indeed that very man he was only moments ago ready to slay.

All of us have at one time in our lives tried to push some sin to the back of our mind or tried to explain it away as "not as bad as all that." No doubt David had taken this approach with this terrible sin of his. He was living in denial. But suddenly he has come face-to-face with his actions. It is very easy to avoid the truth, blame shift, or point an accusing finger when we are about to experience the rod of correction. But David immediately recognized his sin for being just that - SIN! His words to the preacher were "I have sinned against the Lord!"

After David was confronted with his sin and admitted his guilt, he was of a broken and a contrite spirit! Psalm 51 is the psalm David wrote following his meeting with Nathan that day. There are 19 verses dedicated in this chapter to his guilt and the sorrow he experienced for his sin. We would do well to read this chapter as preventive maintenance. If we understood the magnitude of this chapter and the repercussions of our sin, we would find ourselves spending more time asking God to purge us even of those hidden sins and to create in us a clean heart and less time in sin!

You know, another thing I find intriguing about David’s Psalm is that he states that God is not interested in sacrifice and offerings. Not when a heart isn’t in the right place. He says in Psalm 51:16 and 17 – “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” In this day and age of frantic, hectic, busy comings and goings, we find ourselves in the midst of extreme service to God. We teach Sunday School, we go Soulwinning, we sing in the choir, we clean the toilets, we volunteer for this and we plan for that, but we fail to have that broken and contrite heart before God! We lack that close communion with him that reminds us daily of God’s desire for our lives and just how he wants us to live day-by-day. David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit!” Are we broken? Truly broken? Scripturally broken? Do we hunger and thirst after righteousness? Does our heart meditate on the Lord day and night? Do we love God’s law? Are we searching the inmost parts for that hidden sin? Or do we bury our heads in the service of God instead? You may feel you are pleasing to him, but Psalm 51 clearly states quite the contrary.

“Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.” God loves sacrifice. But only when it comes from the right kind of heart – a broken and a contrite one. One that faces and DEALS with sin. Yes, a just man falleth seven times, but he rises up again. He struggles with his Christian walk. But he asks the Lord to show him hidden sin. When it is revealed, he asks God to purge him – whether it is once or seven times.

On another note, we look at David’s sin and think, “My word! How can God call him a man after his own heart after this? How can God give him any benefits of a child of God after this wretched act?” Well, David did reap some very heavy ramifications as a result. He lost the child that Bathsheba was carrying at the time of this ordeal. Later he had utter chaos between his children and lost several of them. He restored four-fold just as he had demanded of Mr Wealthy. But because of his repentance, God spared his own life. That in and of itself was an amazing act of mercy. But look at II Samuel 12:24 – David had another son with Bathsheba, the very woman he committed adultery with and murdered for. This child’s name was Solomon. Notice what the Bible says about this baby, “And the Lord loved him!”

We all know the rest of the story. Solomon grew up to be the next king of Israel, the second of the seed of David. He was the wisest man ever to walk the face of the earth. God poured out his blessings upon Solomon. Solomon walked with God for many years. This child was a result of a hideous, unsightly, even unmentionable sin. And yet God was merciful because of David’s broken heart over his sin. And not only was Solomon one of the greatest kings and the wisest man, he was in the direct line of Christ! Jesus was born to the seed of David and Solomon was the son of that seed. He was the result of a lustful relationship. What a loving, kind, merciful God we have!! When we come before him and lay it all out in the open and say, “God – I BLEW IT! I have sinned,” He will take our sin and do a 180 with it. He can be glorified through our wrongs. There is no sin too great that he will not forgive it. There is no sinner too far gone that he cannot be used greatly of God. But…you must have a Psalm 51 heart.