Hello All,
This is day 2 of my 7 days of blogging and today we are talking about dealing with an issue before God deals with it. Today the scripture reference comes from 2 Samuel 12:1-9. Let's check it out!
"1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 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.
4 "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."
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own."
If we follow this story from 1 Samuel 11 we the story of David and Bathsheeba. David looks onto this beautiful women bathing. Lets deal with this issue first. Was David supposed to be at home? The pastor at the church I used to attend brought this to our attention in 2 Samul 11:1 "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war" Why was David (the king of isreal) at home when all the other kings have gone off to the war. Thats an issue but not the main issue here. David see's Bathsheeba and with lusting eyes he desires to have her, he sleeps with her and she becomes pregnant. The thing is David has slept with a married woman. Her husband one of the men in David's army Uriah is her husband. He has committed adultry with this women. David then goes on to send for Uriah in an effort to cover the mess up hoping Uriah will go home and sleep with his wife but Uriah does not go home instead this is what happens:
" When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?"
11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"-2 Samuel 11:10-11
So now to cover up the mess he tries to trick Uriah by getting him drunk so than he will go sleep with his wife and no one will know the difference. Of course Uriah is an up right man and does not go home but instead he sleeps on the mat among the master's servants. So David does the next thing he writes a letter instructing that Uriah be put on the front lines in battles and sends the letter back with Uriah. So Uriah was put on the front lines and killed. The problem is solved right? No, the bible says in 2 Samuel 11:27 "....but the thing he did displeased the Lord".
What happens when you have created a bed for yourself to lay in and gotten so comfortable in that bed that you love the way it feels and feel nothing is wrong? In that instance in your mind nothing really is wrong. David wanted Bathsheeba (another man's wife) so bad that he would kill her husband to be with her. The issue is not just lust but rather SIN knowing no end. He doesent even stop and repent because in his mind nothing is really wrong. You want it to be practical dont you? Here it is in 2010, if I have a drug problem, an anger problem, a sex problem, or any kind of problem, if I have gotten comfortable in it what really will stop me from doing it any longer? Im comfortable here and no matter who I am (my status in the church) I am not leaving. I ignore my conscience and my God for my desire. In the scripture passage at the beginning it was God who had to send Nathan to correct David. Do you know David would have kept on living like nothing was wrong if Nathan had not have been sent. When nathan came he did not come with a warning, he charged David. He made him aware of his offense and then told him of the repercussions. "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' "-2 Samuel 12: 11-12. It was then and only then that said "I have sinned against the Lord". The moment of repentance comes when the punishment was handed down. We often times will wait till stuff gets so bad that its un-bearable to make change, or to stop, and repent. We forget God doesent force himself on us but he is watching. And like David if you are amongst the many who accept Christ then you are held to a higher standard. When you decide to choose your way over his way. Then he lets you have it, he wont fight with you on it. Romans 1:28 tells us "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." You want it than you can have it. But when he sends Nathan, reality kicks in. Thats when you have to deal with what you have done. The good news today is that Christ comes to take away the guilt and shame and forgiveness is avaialble. The reality is why wait till the problem becomes more than a problem but now an issue. Once you see it beginning to manifest deal with it then. If David had not had taken that second look or a first look he would've never had this issue. Most times we don't think its a problem we rationalize it and make excuses to do it. When are feeling desperate, lonley, ashamed, strung out, careless we turn to things that we know we ought not do. The greatest trick the enemy uses against us is things like that, when feeling alone we search for a way out, the thing is that the point after sin can one of the lonliest times you feel because you know you have wronged God, and your left alone with that feeling. Worst than that you are so far from God like David you don't even feel its wrong. It takes someone like nathan having to come to show you what you did. I admonish you people whatever problem (if any) you are dealing with it. Deal with it now or God Will!! Stay tuned for day 3!
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