2 Samuel 12:7-9 – The honest truth

As soon as David had done pronouncing his judgment, Nathan calmly pronounced his. The prophet brought the devastating application to his parable by saying to the king, “You are the man!” Think of Nathan’s parable again. At least the rich man only seized the poor man’s only possession but did not take his life. Whereas in David’s case, he not only seized the poor’s man only possession but also had him killed. If the rich man deserves death according to David’s assessment, what he himself had done would deserve much more.   

 

What David had done to Uriah was incongruous with what a man whom God had given so much would do. Through Nathan, God reminded David of all that he was blessed with. He was made king over Israel and was preserved and delivered from the hand of Saul. In addition, He also gave him all that Saul once possessed and had made him the king of Judah as well as entire Israel. And if that were too little for him, God would have gladly added to him much more. But what David had done to Uriah clearly violated the commandments of God. He was guilty of at least two counts. He broke the sixth as well as the tenth commandments. He not only committed murder but also coveted his neighbor’s goods (wife). What he had done was wicked, and in violating God’s Word, he had shown contempt for the LORD. It was despicable of him. He not only had taken Uriah’s wife but also had him killed by the Ammonites.

 

We said that Nathan was a wise, witty, and courageous man. This was demonstrated in how he dealt with David. Nathan began by speaking to David’s sleeping conscience. The way he responded to the parable of Nathan showed undeniably that David could still differentiate between right and wrong, but his conscience was asleep. With a sleeping conscience, he was living in self-denial. This tells us how needful it is for us to cultivate a conscience that is ever alive to God. It will help us to be aware of our own wrong.  Secondly, Nathan set forth David’s sin before him. He did not mince his words but said it in an unmistakable way. “You are the man” so said, Nathan. He started diplomatically but at the fitting moment, he left no room for doubts. Truth needs to be told and told unmistakably and fittingly. Remember that it is the truth that will set us free. We should, therefore, not be afraid, to tell the truth, and neither should we be afraid to accept the truth. Thirdly, Nathan made sure that the fact of his sin was brought home undeniably to David’s heart. His words were incisive. “Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?” he asked. He turned the searchlight of God into David’s heart. We also need to turn the searchlight of God into our own hearts frequently. It will help us in our alignment. Let us be sure to nurture a conscience that’s ever alive to God; to live truthfully before Him, and keep aligning our lives with His Word. It is imperative, so let’s do it!