Thursday, March 22, 2018

"Thou Art the Man!"

"Thou Art the Man!"

   
    "And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man!" (II Samuel 12:1-7).      

    
    How did David not realize he was the object of the prophet Nathan's indictment?  The answer is easy, but uncomfortable.  How many times have we ourselves been oblivious to our own sin and wrong which should have been obvious?  Of course, we may perceive David's sin with Bathsheba and against her husband Uriah to have been particularly egregious.  Adultery, obfuscation, and murder comprised a horrible triumvirate of wickedness.  Nevertheless, the default position of humanity involves both willful and blind ignorance to our own waywardness (while, ironically, possessing a keen eye regarding the sins of others).  We all sometimes turn a blind eye toward our missteps, only to wonder how we could have missed that which should have been patently conspicuous.

    "Who can understand his errors?  Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" (Psalm 19:12).

    We require the light of God to reveal the darkness of sin.  We might think it should be otherwise, but our native tendency to justify ourselves runs deep within the humanity of even the most devout among us.  Thus, we must join David in seeking our Lord's exposure and cleansing of "secret faults."  Acknowledging our weakness and remembering that "in Thy light shall we see light" prepares us to respond quickly to the Word of God and the Spirit of God in times of unbelief and disobedience (Psalm 36:9).  Hopefully, no Nathan will have to visit us.  Moreover, let us solemnly remember that we possess that which David did not, namely, the Scriptures and the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit.  Thereby we should be far more prepared for awareness of our failures.  And thereby we can quickly be restored to vital fellowship and faithfulness in our walk with the Lord who exposes our sins in order to quickly return us to the path of righteousness.

"Search me, o God, and know my heart.  Try me and know my thoughts.  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalm 139:23-24)

Weekly Memory Verse
   For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:2)
   
    




   
    
     

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