Daily Devotionals

Bride and Gloom Week 6: Saturday

Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die. 2 Samuel 12:13-14

I once heard someone teach about the importance of offering a full apology. This person teaching expressed the value of not simply saying a half-hearted "sorry," but saying the complete sentence, "I am sorry," purposefully and intentionally. In the middle of conflict, when an apology is required, it can be tempting to utter the words "I'm sorry" without actually meaning them. While it can be tempting to offer a half-hearted apology, Scripture teaches the importance of acknowledging when we are wrong and confessing our mistakes. Although it sounds simple, acknowledging when we are wrong and offering an apology when necessary will help build solid and healthy relationships.

 David found himself caught in his sin in 2 Samuel 12. He had taken Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, as his wife and had Uriah killed. When Nathan, the prophet, came to him and called him out for his sin, David had a decision to make: would he confess his sin or deny it? David confessed his sin. As soon as Nathan finished calling him out for his sin, he said, "I have sinned against the Lord." (verse 13). He fully acknowledged what he had done and then faced the consequences of his sin. He did not blame anyone or try to rationalize his sin. Instead, he acknowledged it and apologized. 

Like David, we are all called to own up to our sins. The call to admit when we have messed up applies to all relationships, including spouses, family members, friends, and acquaintances. We must be willing to admit when we are wrong and say, "I'm sorry." After all, God cares deeply about our relationships and that they have been restored.

Moving toward action

Spend some time praying for the people around you who you interact with regularly. Is there something right now that you know you need to apologize for in the middle of your conflict? If so, go to that person today, acknowledge where you were wrong, and say, "I am sorry." Then, commit to taking the necessary steps toward restoration today.

Going Deeper

2 Samuel 12:13-31 (NLT)

13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

15 After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. 16 David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. 17 The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.

18 Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?”

19 When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

20 Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.

21 His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”

22 David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”

24 Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded.

David Captures Rabbah

26 Meanwhile, Joab was fighting against Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and he captured the royal fortifications. 27 Joab sent messengers to tell David, “I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply. 28 Now bring the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and get credit for the victory.”

29 So David gathered the rest of the army and went to Rabbah, and he fought against it and captured it. 30 David removed the crown from the king’s head, and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and it weighed seventy-five pounds. David took a vast amount of plunder from the city. 31 He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to work in the brick kilns. That is how he dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.