Thou Art the Man — Confronting Our Own Sin

“And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.”

— 2 Samuel 12:7

When Sin Is Exposed

King David, the man after God’s own heart, fell into grave sin—adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged death of her husband, Uriah. For a time, David attempted to conceal it. But God sent the prophet Nathan, who told a parable of a rich man stealing a poor man’s lamb. David condemned the man in righteous anger—only to hear the piercing words: “Thou art the man!”

The parable struck David like an arrow. Suddenly, the sin he had hidden was laid bare before God. This account reminds us that we too can be blind to our own faults, yet quick to see the faults of others.

Seeing Ourselves in God’s Word

Like David, we often listen to God’s Word thinking of how it applies to others. But Scripture is a mirror for our own lives (James 1:22–25). We must allow God’s Word to cut us to the heart, exposing sin and calling us to repentance.

Jesus frequently warned His listeners to truly hear. Every sermon, every reading of the Bible, is a chance to ask: “Lord, is it I?”

The Heavy Hand of Guilt

Before Nathan confronted him, David already felt the crushing weight of guilt. In Psalm 32, he wrote of his silence: “My bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long… For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me.” Sin does not bring joy—it brings misery, sleepless nights, and broken fellowship with God.

We may think hidden sin is harmless, but Scripture warns: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). God may delay judgment, but He never ignores sin.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Nathan’s parable of the lamb pointed David to his guilt—but it also pointed to God’s grace. Though consequences followed, David found forgiveness when he confessed: “I have sinned against the LORD.”

This foreshadows an even greater story—the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins. At the cross, we see not just the sins of those who cried “Crucify Him,” but our own sins. The gospel still says to each of us, “Thou art the man.” Yet it also declares, “The LORD has put away your sin” (2 Samuel 12:13).

From Guilt to Grace

The good news is that God does not expose our sin to destroy us but to save us. His grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and live righteously (Titus 2:11–14). Through repentance, confession, and faith in Christ, we move from guilt to forgiveness, from shame to restoration.

The question is: when God’s Word says, “Thou art the man,” will we harden our hearts—or will we, like David, repent and find grace?