2 Samuel 12:4-9 Selected (NKJV)
4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 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! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
7 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……9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?
Do you do the right thing? When someone comes to you to speak about an issue they have with something you have done, what is your position? Are you defensive? Do you try to cover up your faults? This is a story about King David and one of his failures. And David was considered a man after God’s own heart. The Bible does not show us perfect people.
In this story, the Prophet Nathan went to King David to confront him about Bathsheba and Uriah. Nathan tells David a story about a rich man who steals a lamb from a poor man’s flock rather than use his own. When the story is told to him, David is incensed by the arrogance of the man who would take something that belonged to another use it as his own. He vows punishment for this misdeed. Then, Nathan reveals that David himself it the culprit. As great as David was, he still had faults. Even though God would punish David for this wrongful act, He would still redeem David.
What about us? Do we have faults? Why would a perfect God want anything to do with imperfect people? Because His grace, mercy, love and compassion overshadow His judgment! While He wants us to strive to be more like Jesus, He still knows how we were made. He knows our hearts are deceitful. He knows we cannot meet the standards He set which are perfection. Throughout the Bible, we see examples of people who fall short of the mark and sin. Yet God redeems them! He offers the same redemption to us today. His grace, mercy, love and compassion eclipse any judgment we deserve. We are His children, made in His image, and He is our loving Heavenly Father. Today, walk in the grace He offers. Be bold. Be loved. Be redeemed! Be radiant!
Father, thank You that Your love for us overshadows all else. Thank You that You made a way for us to return to You if we make a mistake. We know that perfection is the goal but compassion is Your practice. Help us to strive to be more like Your Son but catch us when we fall as You know we will. Remind us of Your ways and let Your Spirit guide us in them. In Your name we pray.