The Story of the Little Lamb

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10

David was a good king, and he loved God. But even David did terrible things.

One spring, when David’s army went out to war, David stayed at home in Jerusalem. One evening he saw a beautiful woman called Bathsheba. She was married to a brave soldier called Uriah, who was away fighting in David’s army. But David wanted her to be his own wife.

So David did something very wicked. He sent a message to his army commander: “Put Uriah at the front, where the fighting is fiercest, and then pull back, so that he will be killed.” And that is what happened. Uriah was killed in the battle. Then David married Bathsheba.

David thought nobody knew. But God knew. And what David had done made God very angry.

So God sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan told the king a story.

“There were two men in a certain town,” said Nathan. “One was rich and the other was poor. The rich man had lots and lots of sheep and cattle. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He looked after it, and it grew up with him and his children. It ate from his plate and drank from his cup and slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

“One day a traveller came to visit the rich man. But the rich man didn’t want to take one of his own sheep to make a meal for his visitor. Instead, he took the poor man’s little lamb, and cooked that.”

David was furious when he heard this. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay back four times as much, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man!”

Nathan told David what God said. “I made you king. I saved you from Saul. I gave you everything. Why did you despise what I said and do what is evil? You had Uriah killed, and you took his wife.”

David could have been angry with Nathan. He was the king, and he could have had him thrown out, or worse. But he didn’t. He knew Nathan was right.

“I have sinned against the Lord,” said David.

And Nathan said, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die.”

David was forgiven. But his sin still brought great sadness to his family in the years that followed. Sin always hurts people.

David wrote a song to God about that time. It is Psalm 51. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion,” he prayed. “Wash me clean from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Read it in your Bible: 2 Samuel 11:1–12:13; Psalm 51

Dear God, I am sorry for the wrong things I have done. Please wash me clean and give me a clean heart. Thank you that you forgive everyone who comes to you and says sorry. Amen.