Day 122, Chronological Bible Study Timeline. Map. Go to today’s Bible reading (use your browser arrow to return): 1Chronicles 20:1; 2Samuel 11:1-12:24a; Psalm 51; Psalm 32
Guilt and Forgiveness
Guilt is seen differently by psychiatrists. Some believe it can be useful for positive change, while others link guilt to religion and difficult past experiences. In summary, Sigmund Freud said people choose belief in God, who represents a powerful father figure, because they need to feel secure and absolve themselves of guilt. They’re ready to accept any explanation to diminish or remove feelings of shame. What’s the problem with that? The Bible says God’s Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us of sin (John 16:8).
As an oncoming vehicle catches a deer in its headlights, the Holy Spirit shines his light of truth upon our guilty souls. Guilt can lead us to remorse for our sins and to seek forgiveness, but suppressed guilt can be harmful. King David had suppressed guilt.
In David’s early reign over Israel, he was victorious in his military campaigns. Under his leadership, the boundaries extend into the territories of other nations. One year, instead of accompanying his generals when they’d gone out to war, David stayed home. Perhaps David’s men encouraged him to do so because a giant almost killed him. Now, in today’s Bible reading, he’s bored, and it’s springtime.
Sins’ Opportunity and the Cover-up
Boredom and not being where we should be often leads us to sin.
One night, David sees Bathsheba, the beautiful wife of Uriah (one of his better soldiers), bathing on the roof of her house. David sends for her and commits adultery with her. When she informs him she is pregnant, David tries to cover up his sins.
First, he brings Uriah home to “report on the battle.” He then sends Uriah home to spend time with his wife. But Uriah is a dedicated soldier—he’ll not sleep in his bed with his wife while the armies of Israel sleep in the fields.
Next, David gets him drunk, but again, Uriah doesn’t go home. Failing in these two attempts, he finally puts him on the front battle lines and orders his commander Joab to withdraw his men so their enemies will kill Uriah. The plan works, but David is guilty of adultery and murder.
Be careful because your sins will find you out!
Sin Uncovered
As often happens when you and I are guilty of sin, eventually we get caught, and so does David. The prophet Nathan confronts him about his sin by sharing a story that pulls at the heartstrings of his boyhood roots. He shares a story of a rich man who takes a poor man’s one and only beloved lamb to feed a traveler who comes for a visit (2Samuel 12:1-13).David fumes about the injustice. Nathan then accuses him of doing the same thing by taking Uriah’s precious wife for himself. God said David should’ve been content. He had given King David wives and made him wealthy and successful, and would’ve done more for him. Immediately, guilt seizes his conscience.
Parents and friends, when we’re counseling a person who is at fault but doesn’t recognize it, we can do what Nathan did; we can share a story with which the guilty person will connect and sympathize. Is there an occupation or hobby in his background with which he’s passionate? Often the Holy Spirit can use that story, linked with truth, to convict the guilty person.
Sin takes its toll
If we read the story, David’s statement that he sinned against the LORD seems simple enough, but what was he feeling? Was he really sorry and grieved about his actions? We know how David felt because, in today’s Bible reading, we have a couple of songs he composed right after this incident. They show us how he struggled with his guilt.Guilt often takes its toll on our bodies. It can cause severe headaches, ulcers, weakness, and pain in our joints and muscles, as David wrote in other Psalms. Here David said, “When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long, my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3,4, NIV).
Two Kinds of Guilt
Unjustifiable guilt occurs when someone feels responsible or ashamed when there is no reason to feel this way. If a man rapes a woman, she may feel shame, but she isn’t at fault.
Justifiable guilt occurs when a person steals, rapes, murders, lies, or something else at which he is at fault. David is guilty of adultery and murder. He senses his condemnation.
Dealing with Real Guilt
We may not have committed David’s sins, but sometimes, we, too, have justifiable reasons for our guilt. What should we do with our feelings? From Psalm 51, we learn we should come to God with a broken and remorseful heart (v.17). We should cry out to God for mercy, acknowledge our sin and the evil of it, and ask for forgiveness and cleansing. He’ll forgive any sins confessed in a spirit of truth and humility.
Consequences
What happens to David? Is he now absolved of all sin and free to go on with his life, suffering no ill effects? No, he and his household will bear severe consequences for his crime.
Nathan, the prophet of God, says,
Now, therefore, [because you had Uriah killed] the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.
This is what the LORD says: “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.”
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die” (2Samuel 12:10-14, NIV).
We can make the choice to sin, but we can't choose the consequences, and they can be severe.
End Notes: What Is Guilt? Signs, Causes, and How to Cope (psychcentral.com) “In psychology, guilt is an emotional experience that occurs when a person believes or realizes — correctly or not — that they have compromised their values or morality in some way,” explains Dr. Harold Hong , a board certified psychiatrist from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Quote from Sigmund Freud on Religion (verywellmind.com) is a summary from Freud's psychoanalytic perspective
Focus Verse
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Discussion
What is the difference between justifiable and unjustifiable guilt? Give examples.
What should we do with justifiable guilt?
If we apply 1 John 1:9, does that erase any consequences for our sins? Why or why not?
Write a private prayer response to today’s Bible study:
Please send your comments to me, Rod, the author
Looking Ahead: God forgives David and restores his fellowship with him. If we have sinned, God can Forgive and Restore us, too. Find out more in our Next Lesson..
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