Normally if somebody says, “You’re the man”, it is a good thing – you are the hero, the right person for the job, but not so with this passage.

2 Samuel 12:7-10 

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.”

 Oh David, so quick to pass judgement – what a chill must have touched his heart as he heard the words “You are the man!” Not an accolade of esteem, but a condemnation. The king who had been given everything, the throne, victory, land, wives, coveted even more. What he took by the sword would bring the sword upon his own household.

In this capsule we see the heart of why things go wrong with humanity. We are not satisfied with the things we have; we always want more. We think we can satisfy our own desires by whatever means, and if we can get away with it – we do. But at some stage, light will shine in the dark shadows of our secrets and we will face conviction and judgement like a sharp sword.

Thankfully, there is another Man who really is The Man, the hero, the right and only person for the job of redeeming us from our self-driven state.

This is the Man spoken of in Zechariah, “Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.” (Zechariah 6:12b-13)

Much later, as reported in the gospel of John we read: When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” (John 19:5)

David was a king after God’s heart, but he made mistakes seeking his own satisfaction. Jesus is the perfect King and Priest, Man and God, who died that we might be satisfied, who emptied Himself that we might be filled.

Here is the Man!

Head: Bad choices come back to haunt us; David’s misappropriation of the sword led to the sword forever shadowing his house. Are you living with the shadows of bad choices now? While they might be always there, think on how the light of Christ gives you relief from them.

Heart: David is reminded of all that God has given him, but that he forgot in his own passions and desires. Take time to remind your heart of all that you already have – especially what you have in Jesus.

Hands: We can be quick to have an opinion of the actions of others, but slow to take responsibility for our own actions. Today, think of the things that you are doing throughout the day, the choices you are making and how they appear to God.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, far be it from me to judge David, as I am just as capable of the same shortcomings when I put my own desires before your Word and instead of your will. Thank you for your grace, for sending me the Nathans to point out when I have made an error. Help me to receive such correction as from One who loves me and sets me the example of obedience and perfection. Thank you for the Man Jesus who died for me, and reigns forever as our King and High Priest. Amen.

A song to listen to: See the Man

Nicole Davenport

Living Church

Creek Road campus