Get David: King, Prophet, Repentant Sinner

The prophet Nathan confronted King David about his adultery with Bathsheba and his arranging Uriah's death on the battlefield.

Nathan's prophecy The prophet Nathan soon after confronted David about this murder, by first telling him a parable of a rich man and a poor man: The rich man had many sheep, while the poor man had only one little ewe, whom he cared for greatly.

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.

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.

God sent the Prophet Samuel to Bethlehem and guided him to David, a humble shepherd and talented musician. He brought the young man to Saul's court, where his harp was so soothing that Saul called for David whenever he was vexed by an “evil spirit” sent by God (I Samuel 9:16).

David's prayer of repentance is in response to premeditated sin that he planned out intentionally and that he tried to bury to avoid the negative consequences. The spontaneous, day-to-day sins, over a decade of confessing them and submitting them to God, decrease as we gradually find victory over them.

David confessed his sin when the Prophet Nathan told a story about a rich man stealing a lamb from a poor man. The story closely resembled what David had done in stealing the wife of Uriah. In a dramatic moment, Nathan said to David, “You are the man,” and David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (v. 1-7).

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He [Nathan] came to him [David], and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.