Coverup

2 Samuel 12:1-4

1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said,

      “There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

      2 “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.

      3 “But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb

      Which he bought and nourished;

      And it grew up together with him and his children.

      It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,

      And was like a daughter to him.

      4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man,

      And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,

      To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him;

      Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

Examine / Explain

Nathan, the prophet, was sent to David by God to illustrate by parable the sins that David committed. The parable is to convey that David slaughtered a sheep that was not his to slaughter. In an effort to cover his own deeds he sacrificed a “lamb.” Later we find that there are consequences for this. After confession of his sins, David is spared his life. However, God removed his hand of protection from David, and the son who was conceived with Bathsheba died. Also, David would be publicly humiliated.

How do I apply this to my life?

I don’t think it was a coincidence that the parable given to David involved being a shepherd. This would event would strike close to David’s heart. He has been a protector of a flock. He hunted down lost sheep, he kept away the lion and the bear. He would do everything in his power to protect a lamb under his watch. And to see how one was taken and offered up for a stranger enraged him. He lost sight of where and who he was. We are image bearers of God. Every human life precious. Even when we wage war and it results in the killing of the enemy. Those are humans too. We dehumanize those who disagree with us, and it eases the conflict inside of us to hurt others. We become blind to who others are also because of our sin. Sin clouds our vision and allows us to make decisions that we would not make if we were in our proper position of submission to Christ. The lust of the eye clouded David, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life. Hmm, sounds like the same struggles we deal with today. His ended with the death of someone in his charge. What does our disobedience lead to the death of? What are the consequences of our rebellion? Punishment from God? Or simply the removal of protection? What “parable” will it take for us to see our sin and own up to it? What will the consequences be? Is there something close to my heart that will expose where I am missing the mark? What will it cost me?

What is my response?

Father, I fail constantly. I make choices that are not of You and yet You are always there to receive me. Every single time I fall short. I know I am not going to be perfect in this lifetime. But I do want to be a good and faithful servant. I want to make more “better” choices than bad ones. I want to be known for following you. I want to walk this walk and be more obedient to what You teaching me than being more obedient to my flesh. I seek comfort. I want to be significant in the eyes of others. I long to feel valuable. And yet, I know my mind takes me to those things in all the wrong ways. I need to be reminded of who and where I am constantly. I am a son of the living God. Graphed into Your family. A co-heir with Christ and I need to live as such. Loving the Lord my God and loving my neighbor. Helping the next guy when I can, because I can. Capture my heart. Capture my focus. I need help to think and be more clear in my life. I get so distracted with the temporal things of this world. Work, money, transportation, and food fill my mind. Which we need, but I need You more. When I am not dancing with You all other things suffer. Firstly, my relationship with my spouse. And it trickles down from there. I want to be in step with You. Help me get there. Amen.