God's grace and God's truth can come to
us in many different ways, even when we want to avoid it at all cost. In today's first reading from the 2nd
book of Samuel, we hear how his truth and grace come to David in the form of a
story told by Nathan. It is the story of
a lamb that is treated like a child by a poor, simple man. Yet, a rich farmer, who has hundreds in his
flock of livestock, steals this poor man's beloved lamb to serve as a meal for
a visitor. David doesn't immediately see
the truth and the irony in this story, as it is really a story about him, how
he took Bathsheba away from her husband, Uriah the Hittite. God uses this story to expose the wretchedness
of David's sins.
It is striking that even though Nathan
is a prophet, in this case he acts as David's faithful friend. He willingly and courageously helps David
through pointing out his sins through compassion and love. He does this in order to help David and the
nation of Israel. It also shows us that
while we are often blind to our own sins, as David did not even initially see
himself in the story, God sees our sins and is there to help us in the process
of repentances and conversion. David
learned through this experience that his sin was not worth the price he would
ultimately pay, which is a good lesson for us of us to heed.
Another good lesson for us to take away
from this story of King David is that we are all capable of sinning, no matter
who we are. We can be tempted and lured
into sin, we can be blinded to the truth and the reality of a situation.
As we get closer to the holy season of
Lent, may the Holy Spirit lead us to disciplines and practices to incorporate
into our lives of faith that will help us to turn away from sin, that will help
bring about conversion & renewal in our lives. May we become more aware of the sins that
exist in our lives as we continue on our journey of faith.
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