Those of us looking at David's life may use different words to say the same thing about his fatal experience with Bathsheba. We might call it the most distressing episode of David's life; some will see it as an exceedingly dark day; others will lament how the mighty have fallen.
Even though it’s difficult, even though the person being confronted may not respond as we hope, and even though we may be misunderstood, we must, nevertheless, do the right thing—in the right way”at the right time.
Pastor Chuck Swindoll will conclude the story we began last time, directing our attention to the dramatic scene where Nathan the prophet is sent by the Lord on an unenviable mission: to confront King David in his sin.
Family feuds, wayward kids, parent-child clashes, husband-wife disagreements, and other in-house pressures have a way of breaking our spirits and stealing our joy. And no one is immune who compromises with God’s standard—not even a king such as David. In this study we witness the monarch’s misery as the sword of consequences falls on him and his family.
David refused to repent about his sin until a man of incredible courage and bold honesty stood eyeball-to-eyeball with David and exposed the truth of his deeds and deception. Let's honour that man—the prophet Nathan.
We have traced David’s tragic steps downward as the consequences of his disobedience were visited upon him. Now, let’s learn to ride out the whirlwind and the storm when we go through similar times of judgment under the smarting rod of God.
Recent times with David have been rather dismal and bleak. He'd fallen into compromise and sin…then witnessed his family begin to crumble under the load of sin’s consequences. Going from bad to worse, the king must have felt crushed beneath the weight of overwhelming loneliness and guilt.
As always in matters of forgiveness, the offended—the forgiver—must pay the cost in full. That takes an awfully big person to pull off. As we shall see, David filled those shoes. Can you?
There isn’t a single person reading these words who hasn’t been hurt by someone else. All of us can remember someone who planned something, said something, or did something ugly or unfair to us.
A silent battle rages in every one of us: the conflict between the sin of pride and the virtue of humility—the desire for significance versus the goal to be Christ-like. We should not be surprised that when God led the prophet Micah to tell us what He expects of us, He included “Walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Contrary to popular opinion, humility—not self-promotion—marks the path of a life well lived.
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