From Eternity Past

How God Intervened

There was a necessity for God to interpose. David's sin toward Bathsheba became known, and suspicion was excited that he had planned the death of Uriah. The Lord was dishonored. He had exalted David, and David's sin cast reproach upon His name. It tended to lower the standard of godliness in Israel, to lessen in many minds the abhorrence of sin. EP 522.6

Nathan the prophet was bidden to bear a message of reproof to David. Terrible in its severity, Nathan delivered the divine sentence with such heaven-born wisdom as to engage the sympathies of the king, to arouse his conscience, and to call from his lips the sentence of death upon himself. The prophet repeated a story of wrong and oppression that demanded redress. EP 522.7

“There were two men in one city,” he said, “the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 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. 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.” EP 523.1

The anger of the king was aroused. “As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing is worthy to die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” EP 523.2

Nathan fixed his eyes upon the king, then solemnly declared, “Thou art the man... . Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?” The guilty may attempt, as David had done, to conceal their crime from men, to bury the evil deed forever from human sight, but “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:13. EP 523.3

Nathan declared: “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. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house... . Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor... . For thou didst it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” EP 523.4

The prophet's rebuke touched the heart of David; conscience was aroused; his guilt appeared in all its enormity. With trembling lips he said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” David had committed a grievous sin, toward both Uriah and Bathsheba, but infinitely greater was his sin against God. EP 524.1