“Judging Yourself”
(A lesson from David)
II Samuel 12:1-4

Introduction

• In this account of David here in II Samuel we will see where David judges himself for his sin with Bathsheba.
• We all know what the Bible says about judging others…
  1. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:1…Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
  2. Again, Jesus said John 5:30…I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
     This verse is so interesting to study especially the part where Jesus said “…as I hear, I judge.” In other words, Jesus said he judges people according to what He hears them say. This is how we should judge. WHY? Because Jesus also brings to light that Matthew 12:34 “… for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. The mouth will tell us for the most part where a person’s heart is.
• But what about judging our self? 

I. The Parable of Nathan

  A) The rich man and the poor man

• Look at the account here in II Samuel 12:1…And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2) The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3) But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4) And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
• When you read this story that Nathan (David’s best friend) tells David, it kind of makes your blood boil doesn’t it.
• The story in short is about two men who live in the same city, one rich and the other man is poor. The rich man has a wayfaring (traveler on foot) man come to his house and wants to prepare a meal for him using the poor man’s lamb that was the family’s favorite and only pet. The rich man took the lamb from the poor man and prepared a meal for his traveler with it.
• Nathan was giving David a parable (truth in a story), but David thought it was concerning someone else within the city.

  B) David’s response

• II Samuel 12:5…And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6) And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
• Let us look at David’s rash and quick judgment… “the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:” What was wrong with the death penalty?

1. According to Exodus 22:1, the penalty for stealing and slaughtering an ox or sheep was not death, but restitution (restoring what was taken).
2. Restitution for stealing and slaughtering an ox or sheep demanded the thief pay back 4 times the amount stolen. (In this case 4 lambs)

• David’s reasoning was that the rich man “had no pity.”

  C) The explanation of Nathan’s parable

• Now look at II Samuel 12:7… And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8) And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9) Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
• Here is the explanation…
  1. David was the rich man.
  2. The stealing and slaughtering of the lamb represented the adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah by David.
  3. According to Mosaic Law, both adultery and murder required punishment by death.
  4. David judges the man in the parable not knowing that the rich man in the story was himself (David).
• A lesson to learn from this account between Nathan and David is that we can be like David in going through our daily life day after day thinking ourselves to be holy, admired by others, thinking we are smarter than everybody else, holier than everybody else when in reality we are dirty rotten sinners that need to repent.
• David needed someone to help him realize his sin. David needed to realize his condition. Nathan was the man to do that
• This is also the exact same thing Jesus did in the New Testament when he would give parables to the disciples and the Pharisees could never see their condition, and never realize their sin.

II.  We Must Recognize Our Condition

  A) What we deserve

• Look at David’s remorse in II 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.
• For any and every child of God, after a sin is committed or sin that you are made aware of in your life, we must first recognize that we have sinned against God and His children.
• What was David’s judgment against the sin committed? Death. Death was in the mind and heart of David. He knew that God will judge us according to how we judge others.
• In fact, David’s sins are confessed in Psalm 32 and 51.
• David had come to realize his sin and the judgment for his sin based upon his own judging…

1. Death because of his sins against God (Disobedience to God’s Law)
2. Sin of stealing what belonged to another man (his wife)
3. Sin of adultery (sleeping with another man’s wife)
4. Sin of murder (her husband)

• David deserved death because of his sin. We deserve death. Separation from God is death.

  B) Recognize/confess is healing

• For a child of God it is important to God for us to recognize our sin, confess our sin (or faults) so that we can begin the healing process.
• David recognized his sin after Nathan had made him aware of his sin.
• James 5:16 …Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
• Satan loves to blind the eyes of God’s children which cause confusion, upset, depression, and ultimately ruination.
• Confession comes from the heart bringing out what a person believes to be true. This is also the means of our salvation. Romans 10:10…For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The word “believeth” in this verse is talking about believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Son.
• David had confessed because he had remembered the Law of Moses (or God’s Law) in Leviticus 5:5…And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: 6) And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.

• The high priest’s duty was to make an atonement of someone’s sin by offering a sin sacrifice on the altar to cover their sin.
• Aren’t you thankful for Jesus Christ who was offered for our sins? (Rom. 5:11)

  C) Grace and Forgiveness

• Now David is worried that he will be put to death by God.
• Note what Nathan says to relieve David of his guilt in II Samuel 12:13b… The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
• Nathan said that God had “put away” David’s sin. What does that mean?
• This means that God has forgiven him (David) of his sin against God. HOWEVER, this does not mean that the consequences (punishment) of David’s sins are ignored by God. God must keep His word in that every sin has its own punishment. Every law that is broken must be dealt with by punishment to the offender.
• Forgiveness does not mean … there will be no punishment in this life.
• NOTE: Events in the O.T. have shown us where God demanded death as a punishment for certain sins, while other sins God had given grace to the sinner. Those who died in their sin illustrate what we deserve. Those who were given grace are proof and examples of God’s grace towards us.

III.  Judging Ourselves    

A) Judging from within

• I Corinthians 5:12…For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13) But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
• To understand this verse we must know that when the Bible uses the word “without” it means without God, not saved, not a child of God.
• The word “within” means that person is within the Kingdom of God, saved, and is a child of God. That Paul is telling the church at Corinth who had issues with judging others.
• We are to judge (as verse 12 says) those who are in the church, and not judge those that are lost without God. WHY? Because God will judge the lost.
• Paul follows up with the Law in I Corinthians 6:1…Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust (worldly courts), and not before the saints (Law of the church)?

  B) Bible verses on judging ourselves

• I couldn’t get over how many internet articles there are about “Stop judging Yourself” when God says just the opposite.
• The more you get into God’s word, the more you will find that the world’s perspective, the world’s thoughts, the world’s ways, and the world’s agenda is completely different and opposite of what God teaches.
• Look at what God tells us…
• Lamentations 3:40…Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
• I Corinthians 11:27…Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that 29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30) For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31) For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
• II Corinthians 13:5…Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates (a really bad person)?
• In the above verses you can see the true meaning of judging yourself or others for that matter being…
  1. Searching our ways (To study deep into why we do what we do)
  2. Trying our ways (test our ways)
  3. Examine himself/herself/yourselves (examine means to check out and judge your motives and actions)
     

  C) David judged/examined himself

• Read the rest of the story of David here in II Samuel 12 verses 14-23…
• God’s judgment upon David was found in verse 14… the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
• David cleansed himself in verse 20) Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped:
• David had hoped God would be gracious to him by letting his child live 22) And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
• David should have known that God’s judgment is just and sin is punished by death. Sometimes not our own death but of someone close to us.
• Judge yourself and know what Jesus said in John 5:22…For the Father (God) judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son (Jesus Christ):