The Failings Of Man And The Triumphs With God
Lesson One: by turtle

This new study is about the failings of man. Meaning how man trusted in himself and failed to achieve the goals of God. Yet with God
they found victory. This is not necessarily about battles, but daily living and trust with God. This study points out the humanity of our
super hero Bible characters. Sometimes our Bible stories seem larger to life especially when we are young. We wonder how we could even
live up to even their faithfulness. Some things are easy to trust God for and others thing not so easy. Daily walking is probably the hardest
thing to do. Especially when we get angry, and want to tell someone off or knock them down. How God corrected them. How God
forgave their sin even in disobedience because of faith and others without faith died. What does it mean to be protected by God? What
does it mean to be one of God’s children? These questions we will be answering.

However today I want to take us to Psalm of David and look at his words of realizing what it means to be forgiven.

Psalms 32:1-11 KJV
(1)  A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
(2)  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
(3)  When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
(4)  For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
(5)  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
(6)  For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they
shall not come nigh unto him.
(7)  Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
(8)  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
(9)  Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come
near unto thee.
(10)  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
(11)  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

David in these was a broken man in spirit. He acknowledge he had sin, and yet God did not judge him according to his mistakes or sin. He
found grace in God’s eyes. Grace because of confession of sin, grace because of God’s mercy because he believed and grace because he
choose to follow after God, by putting his trust in Him.

David put one of his good men in harms way because he slept with the man’s wife and she became pregnant. With his death, he could
make her is wife. As king he could have more then one wife, it was not unusual of wealthy men to care for more then one wife. Yet God
sent the prophet Nathan to speak to him concerning his sin. David child became sick and God took his child because of his sin.

2 Samuel 12:1-25 KJV
(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.
(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. 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.
(10)  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be thy wife.
(11)  Thus saith the LORD, 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 neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
(12)  For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
(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.
(14)  Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born
unto thee shall surely die.
(15)  And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
(16)  David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
(17)  And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with
them.
(18)  And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for
they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex
himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
(19)  But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is
the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
(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: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
(21)  Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but
when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
(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?
(23)  But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
(24)  And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name
Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
(25)  And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

Why did God strike an innocent child to become sick because of the father’s sin. To loose a child, to loose a love one because of sin,
seems harsh. Yet I also see God teaching David the value of human life. The value of what he had done to Uriah by putting him on the
front lines to cover sin. It was the blame game. And then Nathan warned David what would happen, because of his sin. The thing that is
interesting as when Nathan told David the parable, David became angry and thought the man should die and have to repay. David was
upset to discover the story was about him. So distraught he asked God for mercy for his son, when his son became ill due to the prophesy
spoken.

When God speaks prophecy to the heart or through someone and it comes to pass it needs to be a warning if it is concerning sin, the
reality of God. No one knew that child would be sick, but God alone. Only God knew the hour that child would die, not man. Prophesy is
foretelling event to come that only God could know or preaching a parable like Nathan did concerning an event. I believe real prophesy is
still in function today, because God still speaks to man. God still communicates with man. God still warns us of sin.

Trusting God for mercy in all events, because God loves us. Seeking God in all matters is important. David is given mercy and also
another child by Bathsheba who would rule the land. The sin did not make it right, but God mercy was given to David. God gives grace
because we are human, we are created in His likeness, but we are not perfect like God. God gives grace, yet he still punishes us when we
sin and yet there are sins God does not punish us for. However this is one time God punishes David. David was getting to big for his
britches in what he thought he could do and cover up.

Psalms 32:1-2 KJV
(1)  A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
(2)  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.