Wednesday Thought -- October 19, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

God would not allow David to get away with his sins.  The Lord loved David too much to remain silent.  There was something wrong with David’s relationship with God, a barrier had been built by David’s sin and God wanted it removed.  God chose an obscure prophet about whom we know very little to be the one who would confront David.  What an assignment that was!  Imagine standing before the most powerful man in the world and being told by God to point a finger at him and tell him that he had sinned.  That was the assignment God gave Nathan.  David could have had him executed for his audacity.  He’d already proven that he would stoop to murder to cover his sin, so Nathan couldn’t be sure how David would respond.  But with obedience and boldness Nathan did exactly what God asked him to do and trusted the outcome to God.

He approached David with a story.  "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.  The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought.  He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children.  It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms.  It was like a daughter to him.  Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him.  Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." (2 Samuel 12:1-4)

David responded with fury – fury at the rich man who had stolen the poor man’s only sheep.  David was ready to have the man punished severely:  "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!  He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." (2 Samuel 12:5-6)

Nathan’s next statement cut David right to his heart.  "You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7)  And Nathan proceeded to reveal to David that he knew about David’s sin.

Then came the critical point:  how would David respond to the rebuke God had sent him?  In evidence that his relationship with God was real, David admitted his sin.  "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13)

If you had been Nathan, given such a dangerous and important responsibility by God, how would have responded?  Would you have been obedient?  Would you have obeyed with the kind of boldness with which Nathan obeyed?  Would you have trusted God with the outcome?

If you had been David, how would you have responded to Nathan’s rebuke?  Would you try to keep covering your sin by silencing Nathan?  Would you deny the charge and hope that it would go away?  Would you find some excuses that would minimize your guilt?  Would you try to shift the blame to Bathsheba?

Nathan obeyed and David admitted – they both responded right to the Lord.

His, by Grace,

Steve