“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 traveller 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 traveller 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 NIV

 

From the very beginning, since the time of Adam and Eve, we have thought that we could hide from God when we sin. It never works. God sees and hears everything. He even knows our thoughts before we think it. He does not intend to spoil our fun in life, but he wants to give us life in abundance. Within his parameters, there are peace and joy. Relationships are extremely important to God and his instructions are meant to promote healthy relationships in our lives.

 

David thought he would get away with his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. The Lord sends the prophet Nathan to share this parable with David. David gets extremely angry at the man in this story. He wants to execute him and insists that he pay the damage back fourfold. How shocked would he then be when Nathan confronted him in 2 Samuel 12:7: “You are the man!” Through the prophet, God convicted him of sin. Herein lies the test: what do you do when God reveals sin in your life? David acted with wisdom – he confessed it in sorrow. He trusted in God’s mercy. Others, like Solomon, would ignore the prophets and the conviction of the Lord. They would kill the prophet or ignore the situation. Then the destructive aspect of sin increased. Sin kills.

 

Each one of us has sinned in our lives. Maybe we did some ghastly things, but God does not leave us fallen in sin. Through his Word, by his Spirit, maybe through a prophet, he will show us that there is something wrong in our lives. Do not deny it or ignore it. He even knows our thoughts and attitudes. May the Spirit lead us to heartfelt sorrow and confession before God.

 

Sin has consequences. David and Bathsheba’s first baby died. We should remember that God does not punish his children anymore. He finished punishing like that at the cross. He invites us back into relationship with him. He shows mercy. David and Bathsheba had another son who would be King Solomon. He is listed in the family tree of Jesus in Matthew 1 as an ancestor of Jesus. God can work all things for the good. But do not mess with sin, and confess it when the Lord shows sin in your life. Sin kills, but God gives life.

 

Prayer: Lord, I have sinned. I need your grace to heal me. Thank you, Lord Jesus that you have paid for all my sin. Thank you for forgiveness through the cross. Holy Spirit, take control, show me the way, guide me and strengthen me to endure on the right path, to the glory of God! Amen.