2 Samuel 12:7-12: a reflection

7Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that would have been too little, I would have added to you many more such things. 9Why have you despised the LORD’s word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10Now therefore the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken Uriah the Hittite’s wife to be your wife.’ 11“This is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12For you did this secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’”

When Nathan confronts David with his sin, the rebuke God gives through the prophet begins not with the sin itself but with all that God had given David. I anointed you king, God says; I delivered you from Saul; I gave you your master's house; I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added much more. Then comes the charge: Why have you despised the LORD's word, to do this evil? David's sin was not only a violation of God's law, but an ingratitude against a God who had given him so much, and would have given more.

Notice how God frames David's sin: as ingratitude against a generous God. Before naming the sin, God recounts all he had given David, and adds that he would have given more had David wanted it. Against that background of lavish generosity, David's sin appears not merely as rule-breaking, but as a despising of the God who had given him everything and stood ready to give more. His sin was ingratitude, a grasping for what was forbidden while God had freely given so much and would have given more. The generosity of God made the sin the more grievous, an ingratitude against a giving God.

That framing is worth taking to heart, for our own sin, too, is ingratitude against a God who has given us much. We can think of our sins as mere violations of rules; but God has given us much, and stands ready to give more, and our sin is a despising of his generosity, a grasping for the forbidden while he has freely given so much. Consider your sin against the background of all God has given you; it is not mere rule-breaking, but ingratitude against a generous God who has given you much and would give more. Let the remembrance of God's lavish generosity to you make you see the ingratitude in your sin, and turn you from it; for to sin against a God who has given us so much, and stands ready to give more, is a grievous ingratitude, as David's sin was against the God who had given him everything and would have added much more.

Lord, when Nathan confronts David with his sin, the rebuke you give through the prophet begins not with the sin itself but with all that you had given David. I anointed you king, you say; I delivered you from Saul; I gave you your master's house; I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added much more. Then comes the charge: why have you despised the LORD's word, to do this evil? David's sin was not only a violation of your law, but an ingratitude against a God who had given him so much, and would have given more. Show me how you frame David's sin: as ingratitude against a generous God. Before naming the sin, you recount all you had given David, and add that you would have given more. Against that background of lavish generosity, David's sin appears not merely as rule-breaking, but as a despising of the God who had given him everything. His sin was ingratitude, a grasping for what was forbidden while you had freely given so much. Take that framing to my heart, for my own sin, too, is ingratitude against a God who has given me much. I can think of my sins as mere violations of rules; but you have given me much, and stand ready to give more, and my sin is a despising of your generosity. Help me consider my sin against the background of all you have given me; it is not mere rule-breaking, but ingratitude against a generous God. Let the remembrance of your lavish generosity to me make me see the ingratitude in my sin, Lord, and turn me from it.