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| Nathan Confronts David |
TO CHEW ON: "But what David had done was evil in the Lord's eyes .... 'You did what you did secretly, but I will do what I am doing before all Israel in the light of day.'" 2 Samuel 11:27b, 12:12.
On the day of Nathan the prophet's visit, at least nine months, perhaps a year or more had passed since David had begun his affair with Bathsheba, been foiled in his attempt to cover it up with a visit from the front by her husband Uriah, and then had Uriah murdered. Now, with his relationship to Bathsheba legitimized by marriage, he probably thought that he'd gotten away with what he'd done. Not so fast, David!
Nathan told David of God's deep displeasure. This showed David that his attempt to be sneaky with God was useless. No wonder David penned the words:
"If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,'
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You'" - Psalm 139:11,12.
Other Bible incidents remind us of God's all-seeing ability:
- Adam and Even couldn't hide from God - Genesis 3:18
- The garment and the gold and silver Achan secretly took from Jericho were uncovered - Joshua 7:18
- Ananias's and Sapphira's lie to Peter came to light - Acts 5:1-11
Our attempts to sneak around behind God's back will prove just as futile. He still knows, sees, and has the ability to expose us. Let's let the words of Jesus Himself warn us:
"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops" -Luke 12:2,3 (emphasis added).
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be honest in the way I live, first with myself, and then with You and others. If I have committed secret sins, please give me the courage to confess them and make them right. Amen.
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 89
MORE: A false declaration
I remember exactly where I was when I recalled that I had lied on my declaration of the value of goods I brought into Canada after my Europe trip (back in the '70s). Seemingly from out of the blue, as I was walking down the hallway at Bible School where I was attending an alumni event, the realization came to me, and the thought: I'm going to have to make this right.
Don't kid yourself, it was a struggle. I had a mighty argument with myself:
- This happened a while ago. Why bring it up now? I just won't do anything like this again.
- I don't have the precise numbers.
- What would the consequences be? Could Canadian Customs and Excise go after me?
Eventually, though, I wrote and mailed a letter, and felt better. Now there was nothing between God and me. And, as often occurs with such confessions, all my fears were groundless. I think I received a confirmation that they got my letter, but nothing more happened. It was an action so worth doing to have my relationship with Jesus clear and open again.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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