It had been an error of judgment, a moment of lust and passion; merely a mistake. After all, he was the King. God had appointed him and surely, after all that he had done in obedience to God, this one indiscretion was nothing. As long as "the people" didn’t know and he could cover this up, then all would be okay. Then, she was pregnant. King David’s inner thoughts must have gone like this. "Well think this through, I am King; I will call her husband home; but he was so noble he would not see his wife because the other men were still gone to war. So what, he died in battle. Soldiers sometimes die in battle; particularly when sent to the front lines. That is not my fault just because I sent him to the front. It was the enemy who killed him. I will marry her and I will look like the hero for making her a queen after she was left widowed."
2 Samuel 12: "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 traveler 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.
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.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man." Suddenly, David had no more excuses. He now saw His own sin as that something so repulsive, vile, and an abomination to God. Suddenly, David no longer believed that God chose him because he was so special himself that of course God would choose him. Suddenly, David saw the darkness of his own covetous, self exalting heart that had been filled with arrogance and self pride. That is when he went to God in prayer.
Psalm 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Are we not much like David? We make excuses for our sins. We many times believe that just if we keep it hidden from the world, God won’t notice either. Or, we say, not my fault. Have you ever tried to blame God by saying, "You could have prevented this and you didn’t. Why did you let this happen?" Sometimes our sin even is a sin of omission and all the excuses of why we don’t have time to study His word and pray. The point I want to make is that sin is sin. Usually, the seed of sin begins with pride and then shoots forth in many directions. It all comes back to a heart that is self-exalting and covetous. We become very content in our self, like there was something special about me causing God to have chosen me; after all, "look at all I do for Him. Don’t I deserve that He give me wonderful gifts for my service to Him" Until my heart becomes broken over my own sin and that spirit of pride is crushed by the truth that I wasn’t chosen because of anything special within me; then I am not able to come before God to ask for mercy. This is true at the point of salvation and also true throughout my life as a believer. Once I have accepted Christ as my Savior, my salvation remains secure; but my joy in that salvation is dependent upon my day by day relationship with my heavenly Father. Sin fractures that relationship, resulting in agony. Much like a argument between a father and son can cause a great deal of sorrow and sometimes years of separation; yet, the son remains a son. Much like the story of the prodigal son. God knew before the earth was formed every time that I would fail Him. He is not taken off guard or surprised; yet, He chose me in spite of all my flaws. Sometimes, He allows me to fall that I might learn to walk upright. He, alone knows what is needed to transform this heart of darkness into one that can be filled completely with His light. He knows what is needed to remove all the chaff, all the blemishes, all the self centered desires, that I might see Him as my greatest treasure and in Him find fullness of Joy. He never is the author of our sin. But as in the case of Peter or Job, He gives permission for Satan to sift us. Often, then we fail and that results in a broken and contrite heart. So, what are the benefits that come from a broken spirit, a broken heart and a contrite heart?
1. No more excuses.
2. No more Pride
3. No expectations
4. No Conditions
5. Anticipates no favor
Then, what is God’s answer when we come to Him in true repentance with a broken and contrite heart?
Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRIEcammskA (Preview)