You are that man!

Have you ever been confronted with sin in your life?  How have you reacted to someone that loves you enough to point this out to you?

Your reaction tells you a lot about yourself.

Did you get angry?

Did you become defensive?

Did you deny it, or accuse them of being self-righteous?  That’s an old favorite.

Did you notice that I said someone “loves you” enough to risk your relationship to tell you about your sin?  Did it mean they are without sin?  Of course not, we all sin, but don’t pull “judge not…” out of your hat, unless they are accusing you of something they are embroiled in themselves.

2 Samuel 12:5-9  So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!  And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had not pity.”  Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!  Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.  I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah.  And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!  Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?  You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword:  you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

David was a man after God’s heart, the king of Israel.  He was chosen by God to be of the royal lineage of the King to come.  How is it possible for this man to fall into such incredible sin; adultery and then murder?

The question before us today is how we deal with our sin, when we are confronted and how we deal with others sin, if we need to confront them.  I’ve appreciated a recent blog post by a friend as she is wrestling through her own judgmentalism.  Amy’s Blog Certainly, we must continue to check on our motives and we are not to be judgmental but we must be capable of discernment and judgements.

Brothers and sisters we must confront sin as sin.  We must call it for what it is.  If we really care for the souls of others we must be able to gently turn them from their sin (James 5:19-20).  Nathan skillfully but firmly showed David his sin, he didn’t hide from it or attempt to justify it.

Do you despise the chastening of the Lord? (Hebrews 12:5-6)  How does a believer react to sin?

2 Samuel 12:13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

This is a very straight forward and God honoring reaction.  No excuses, no justification, no buts…  “I have sinned”

David recognizes his sin.  He sees this as sin, how often do we excuse our sin as something other than what it actually is.  Do we realize when we are in sin?  Sin is deceitful; it blinds us to the actuality of what it really is.  We can so easily fool ourselves.

I’ve seen this recently from my last blog post on atheism.  Comments  She was offended that I would think to know what she was thinking.  I don’t know her thoughts by any supernatural power of my own.  I know her thoughts because the Bible shows me what she thinks.  Romans chapter 1 is a crystal clear example of this.  She is futile in her thoughts and in her wisdom she has become a fool.  So God gives them up and unless He grants her the ability to see her sin she will die in her sin.

Secondly, notice that David has sinned “against the LORD.”  When we sin my dear friends it is against a holy God.  Yes, we sin against others but ultimately our responsibility lies with God.  We’ve committed treason against the One who created us.  We are so arrogant and so self-righteous that we can’t even begin to see how offensive this is to God.  Does God really hate our “little” sins that much?  God hates sin so much that He would pour out His wrath on His Son.  Yes, God hates sin more than our minds can even possibly begin to understand.

Yet it also pleased God to crush His Son. (Isaiah 53:10).  Why?  Because God is love!  He loves those that love Him enough to provide a way out of the mess we are in.  We are in a mess even though we may not understand it.  Like a pig will go to slop before he’d eat a beautifully prepared prime rib dinner, mankind has no idea we love slop.

David recognized his desire for slop and out of that came one of the most beautiful Psalms ever written.  Psalm 51 should be a consistent and regular part of our reading.  If you dare forget God’s love or become sloppy in your worship of Him.  Turn to these words for renewal.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;  According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight…  Psalm 51:1-4

I’m humbled beyond words for God’s mercy in my life and I can only hope I continue to see my sin for what it cost the Son.

May God have mercy!

 

Kevin