So, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell David this story: (2 Samuel 12)1
David stood with shame and guilt etched on his face. He was caught. The sins he thought were skillfully hidden, confronted him.
“There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very large flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him. 4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.2
1 Peter 4:17 “17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?“3
2 Samuel 12:5 David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.”4
What was David’s sin? You have heard of Bathsheba? He failed in his duty as king to join his men in battle, which set into motion adultery, murder, and mostly, disregard for God.
And Nathan, the prophet pulled back the curtain that David thought perfectly concealed his sin.
Nathan said to David, “You are the man.”
For brevity, I have linked (2 Samuel 12)5 the passage so that you can finish the story. Suffice it to say that David stood condemned by his own admission of guilt.
As believer’s we can all relate to David’s shame. We get caught up in our secret sins, thinking no one knows. But somehow, believers fool themselves into thinking that as long as other people don’t know God will be patient with us till, we can figure a way out of our sinful mess. How do I know this? Take a guess! I am just like David! So are you. Our sins may be different, but they are no less sinful. And we bring them into God’s Church. Sometimes without regret. If we do that, I wonder how sure is our salvation? True believers cannot live under the pressure of unconfessed sin forever. Lost people have no compunction for dishonoring God.
The problem is that if there is no Nathan in our lives to stick us out, then it is very hard to come clean, with God and people we have offended. But we must. Read 1 Corinthians 5. The household of faith, the Church, is commanded to help each other face our failures. We do that without hypocrisy or judgment. Read the passage in 1 Corinthians 5. The guide for how to do this is very clear. This is not for lost people.
The longer we hide out in our cage of concealed sin the more we add to the fear of getting caught. Also, the longer we stay there, drowning in our sin, the more likely we are to add to our sinful behavior. And worse, yet the further we drift from our relationship with God and grieve the Spirit.
There is only one thing we can do. We have to repent. We have to open our hearts to the God who does not want us to wallow in the darkness and fear. He just wants us to be humble and turn around.
Just as with David, God has mercy for every sinner. For believers caught in such a trap, God is not willing to leave you there. He will mercifully remind you of your need to repent. John 1:16 reminds us that believers receive grace upon grace. But don’t abuse that grace. True believers don’t want to abuse that grace. They hate the sin they are caught in.
Lost people also have kindness from God offered to them if they confess that they are sinners, ask forgiveness, turn from their sinful life to Him and walk in a new way of life.
“Amazing grace! How sweet, the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, am found. Was blind, but now I see.” -John Newton Ca. 1772
- 2 Samuel 12:1
World English Bible
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked. ↩︎ - 2 Samuel 12:1-4
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. ↩︎ - 1 Peter 4:17
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. ↩︎ - 2 Samuel 12:5-6
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. ↩︎ - 2 Samuel 12
World English Bible by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked. ↩︎
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 