Against God

The introduction to Psalm 51 says:  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

From his convicted heart, David prayed:

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.  (Psalms 51:1-4 KJV)

No where in there is Uriah mentioned, though David specifically required his death.  No where in there is Bathsheba mentioned, though we do not know how compliant she was other than obeying a king’s command.  Here he does not mention the child, either.  Yet all of them, and so many others, were impacted by David’s giving in to temptation.

What did Joab feel when he complied with David’s letter?

And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. (2 Samuel 11:15 KJV)

Yet David says to God:  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight

We don’t have a Nathan to come to us and explain in a parable that we have failed.  When he gave David the example in 2 Samuel 12:1-4, David became enraged and vowed the man would pay for his crime, only to hear the truth:

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. (2 Samuel 12:7a KJV)

We do have the Holy Spirit:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26 KJV)

One of the things He brings to our remembrance is that we do sin against God – it’s His commandments we’ve chosen to break.  It is His strait way we have left and it is His narrow gate we have chosen to ignore.  Conviction of these errors is the first step in acknowledging His place in our lives.  Can those steps be accomplished?

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)