A Loving Rebuke
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:7-9
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife."
Observations:
After David sinned, it was several months before anyone confronted him about his actions. Obviously because he was the King, even David's friends who knew full well about his transgressions turned a blind eye and didn't try to correct them because they were afraid for their lives. However, when God revealed David's actions to Nathan the prophet, he didn't hesitate to speak up and confront David with his sin even though he knew it could potentially cost him his life depending on how the king responded to his rebuke. Thankfully David confessed his sin, repented, and was forgiven. But had Nathan chickened out and kept quiet, not only would David have continued on in his guilt before God, but he would have missed out on God's favor and plan for the rest of his life. Thankfully David had at least one person in his life who was not afraid to speak the truth in love and confront sin when he needed it.
Application:
(Proverbs 27:6) says, "faithful are the wounds of a friend..." How might we have responded if we were confronted with our sins like David? Would we be angry? Justify ourselves? No doubt it would be an unpleasant experience, but it would also be an extension of God's grace to us to have someone love us enough to tell us the truth that we may not want to hear but that we desperately need. Question is, do we intentionally surround ourselves with friends and people who we know don't have the guts to give us a loving rebuke when we need it most? Do we have the kind of character that is humble and responsive to correction or do people know us well enough to avoid it? Are all of our relationships so shallow that we never allow anyone permission to speak the truth in love even if it might hurt a little? Who in your life right now would be willing to love you with the truth of correction when you need it? If our list is coming up short, there's probably a reason behind it. We have a tendency to fool ourselves and others into believing everything is fine when what we really need is someone to give us a loving rebuke. Jesus said, "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him." (Luke 17:3). Of all people, we who profess both love for God and our neighbor should not only care about our brother's wellfare enough to confront sin when necessary and also forgive them in the same breath. Of all people, we who belong to such a community of believers ought to have the best environment for such accountable relationship to develop for our own benefit and for the benefit of those around us.
Prayer:
Father, give us the grace and the humility to lovingly confront our neighbors with the truth when necessary and be willing to accept correction when we need it. Help us to develop deep enough relationships with one another that welcome honesty and truth so that we may all be mutually edified. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife."
Observations:
After David sinned, it was several months before anyone confronted him about his actions. Obviously because he was the King, even David's friends who knew full well about his transgressions turned a blind eye and didn't try to correct them because they were afraid for their lives. However, when God revealed David's actions to Nathan the prophet, he didn't hesitate to speak up and confront David with his sin even though he knew it could potentially cost him his life depending on how the king responded to his rebuke. Thankfully David confessed his sin, repented, and was forgiven. But had Nathan chickened out and kept quiet, not only would David have continued on in his guilt before God, but he would have missed out on God's favor and plan for the rest of his life. Thankfully David had at least one person in his life who was not afraid to speak the truth in love and confront sin when he needed it.
Application:
(Proverbs 27:6) says, "faithful are the wounds of a friend..." How might we have responded if we were confronted with our sins like David? Would we be angry? Justify ourselves? No doubt it would be an unpleasant experience, but it would also be an extension of God's grace to us to have someone love us enough to tell us the truth that we may not want to hear but that we desperately need. Question is, do we intentionally surround ourselves with friends and people who we know don't have the guts to give us a loving rebuke when we need it most? Do we have the kind of character that is humble and responsive to correction or do people know us well enough to avoid it? Are all of our relationships so shallow that we never allow anyone permission to speak the truth in love even if it might hurt a little? Who in your life right now would be willing to love you with the truth of correction when you need it? If our list is coming up short, there's probably a reason behind it. We have a tendency to fool ourselves and others into believing everything is fine when what we really need is someone to give us a loving rebuke. Jesus said, "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him." (Luke 17:3). Of all people, we who profess both love for God and our neighbor should not only care about our brother's wellfare enough to confront sin when necessary and also forgive them in the same breath. Of all people, we who belong to such a community of believers ought to have the best environment for such accountable relationship to develop for our own benefit and for the benefit of those around us.
Prayer:
Father, give us the grace and the humility to lovingly confront our neighbors with the truth when necessary and be willing to accept correction when we need it. Help us to develop deep enough relationships with one another that welcome honesty and truth so that we may all be mutually edified. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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