Welcome to
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Friday, 22nd September 2023

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

V1-15 罪的工價就是死

God will not give up on His people, even David sinned, God again and again gave him the opportunity to turn back. God sent Nathan to tell David a story, he didn’t tell David directly what he did wrong, but used a story, just like what Jesus did. When we listen to stories and parables, are we being alert? Do we know God is talking to us? When we sin, do we know the price of sin is death? We continue to indulge in sins and at the end we will die in sin. When Nathan told David this story, he talked about a rich man and a poor man. There was visitor, which revealed the heart of the rich man. He had everything but he still took the lamb of the poor man, because he had an orphan heart.

When David heard the story, he was upset and wanted to put the rich man to death. David knew the price of sin is death. We are easy to complain about others, we often thing everyone has wronged us, in sin we are blind. Nathan pointed out to David that he was the rich man. Do we also know we are the person in the story? We thought we’ve done so much, we thought we’ve worked hard, and we thought we don’t need to pay the price of our sins. In the Jewish New Year, they feast, they celebrate, and they also repent.

We are the followers of God, but often we mark ourselves, give ourselves credit, and we think we are ok. This is pride, we have so many problems in life we just choose not to see them. People are greedy, greed make us fail, we greed for money, for comfort, for food… at the end, we are the ones who suffer. We did t need to carry the burden of debt, but because of debt, our focus is shifted from God to the world.

We make ourselves our own gods, we walk further and further away from God, and we want to solve problems by ourselves. Nathan talked to David on behalf of God, again and again, reminded David who he was, and how God led him this far. God saved him by His love and mercy, and give everything that didn’t belong to him.

We live in sins but we don’t realise it. What is the definition of sin? Are we doing things that tend to please people? Do we want people to praise us? Because we don’t think we are good enough that we need to hear it from others. We greed for people’s praises, and we didn’t see what God has given to us. God had already given us everything we need, but we don’t see it and we still want to receive from people. We despise God and we displease God.

David followed his lustful desires, and God told him that the swords will not leave his household. God has given us a full bag of blessings, but we have a hole in the bag, and the blessings seem to never stay. When we realise this, we must stop and ask God humbly, do we really walk in the way of God? Stop complaining about others, and start looking into our own lives. Seek God, and see our own problems in lives. Everything happens for a reason, we must be alert.

God told David that his wives and concubines would be given to others. David took in his wives and concubines by his lustful desires, and he needed to pay the price in where he sinned. God was always with him, He knew everything, and He had been waiting for David to return. We thought God is not with us, but He is always there, He is waiting for us to return back to Him!

David was reminded and taught about his mistakes. He immediately humbled himself and repented. Even though David did wicked things, but when he received God’s disciplines, he returned straight away, he knew he had done a bad thing and he understood the price he had to pay was death. God was gracious to David and continued to bless him because of David’s attitude when he received teaching. David was willing to accept all consequences, he didn’t ask for a favour. He knew he sinned against God.

David admitted his sins and God allowed him to live. But his actions allowed a loophole for Satan to blaspheme. The child had to die because this birth was not blessed, and this sin would continue generation by generation. This is also the same with Adam and Eve, if they don’t die, then salvation can never come. Only by death, Jesus’ resurrection can truely give us life.

V16-25 回轉必有憐憫

God let David’s son to become ill, because David lived a life without God. David prayed and fasted for his son. David really repented, he went into the inner room and stayed away from his lustful desires. When our child become sick, do we really pray and seek God?

Why did David fall into lustful desires so easily? When David worshiped God naked, his wife despised him, and when David didn’t receive recognition and encouragement from his wife, he started to fall in his lustful desires and he fell deeper and deeper.

When David’s son died, David didn’t blame God, David didn’t complain, instead he went back to worship God and carried on with his duty as the king. David knew God’s heart, he knew what God had said would really come to past. God’s Word is real, do we have the same faith as David? David knew God had forgiven his sins, he knew God’s eyes would not leave him, and he explained to his servants why he did what he did. Death is never the solution to any problem, but when the death is given by God, God will take care of the dead. David knew his son was with God, and he no longer struggled.

Then God gave David another son Solomon, and through Nathan, God gave Solomon another name, Jedidiah. But David and Bathsheba never seemed to call Solomon the name given by God. Had David and Bathsheba really put to past the death of their child? God loved Solomon, but Solomon didn’t live in the way of God. We came to know that Solomon had 1,000 concubines, where was the source of this? It was David. At the end, this sin seemed to not die away with the child. Solomon’s era also became the beginning of the dividing of the kingdoms. Are we being wilful in our lives? God is willing to bless us, He knows what we need and He loves us, but do we choose the walk in this love and blessing?

V26-31 神必有更大的恩典

David was willing to return and repent, and God granted him all the treasures of the Ammonites.