WORDS OF HURTING AND HEALING

12/8/2010


Read 2 SAMUEL 12:1-10

1 So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story:"There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. 2Therich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. 3 The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb,and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.4One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man's lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest."

5 David was furious. "As surely as the LORD lives," he vowed, "anymanwho would do such a thing deserves to die! 6 He must repay fourlambsto the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."

7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! The LORD, the GodofIsrael, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you fromthepower of Saul. 8 I gave you your master's house and his wives andthekingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, Iwouldhave given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised thewordof the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murderedUriahthe Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.10From this time on, your family will live by the sword because youhavedespised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own.

A man who had been elected president of a Bible College in the USAwasasked by his friends how they could best support him. His replywassimple, "keep on telling me the truth about myself even if I don'tlikeit." Too many people, once they reach high office, surroundthemselveswith 'yes' men and women who say what the exalted one wantsto hear.

King David probably had a few of those. But he also had Nathan who wasn't interested in flattery. David had an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and was complicit in the death of her husband Uriah. He had abused his power for his own selfish ends. He would be forgiven,though would suffer some consequences.

It was Nathan who confronted him, who cut through the deceit,the illusion, the arrogance. He did it cleverly in the form of a story,but the important thing was that he did it. He didn't offer some political or diplomatic doublespeak. And sometimes we will need to be like Nathan and speak uncomfortable truth to someone we care about. We are to ensure we do so with God's heart, but we do it anyway.

And sometimes we will need to be like David. Ready to listen to a rebuke and learn from it. We "commoners" need to have people in ourlives who will tell us the truth in love. The wounds such words cause will be like the scalpel wounds of a surgeon: instruments of some pain,and yet much healing.

Blessings

David Reay

http://www.hope1032.com.auLifeWords