2 Samuel 12:1-14 (NIV)

The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.”

Explanation:

Sin can't be hidden from God, and it has consequences. King David had done some very evil things. When you look at God's Ten Commandments, you can see that David disobeyed three of them. He first coveted after another man's wife. Then he broke the seventh commandment by committing adultery. Lastly, he murdered a man, which goes against the sixth commandment. Since David reacted so quickly to condemn the man in this story, it seems that David must have been trying to rid his guilty conscience by passing judgment on someone else. But after the prophet Nathan confronted him, David's heart was pierced with shame and disgust for what he had done.

Have you ever been confronted by someone else regarding some things you were doing that were not pleasing to God? Have you been directed by God to challenge a friend about their behaviors? Nathan had a close relationship with David. I read this about David and Nathan's friendship: “Nathan the prophet was a blessing to King David. He was a close, trusted friend. He spoke truth to David, even when that truth was difficult to hear. He was loyal in his service to the king and faithful to God and His Word. These are all important traits to possess in any friendship. It says something that David and Bathsheba later named one of their sons Nathan.”

If God has confronted you with unforgiven sins, take some time right now to ask for forgiveness. Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. All you need to do is what David did. He confessed that he had sinned.

If God is directing you to talk with a friend about an area in their life that is not pleasing to God, take these important steps first. You can read further about these steps at https://www.crossway.org/articles/7-tips-for-confronting-a-friend-in-sin/ Confront yourself first Confront from a loving heart Confront at the right time Confront the most important matters Confront with Scripture Confront confidentially Confront and then provide accountability

Action Steps:

If you have been confronted with unforgiven sins, remember that because of Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, you can now come before God Almighty washed clean of all of your transgressions. Don't go another minute without asking God to blot out all of your sins. All you need to do is say something like this: Jesus, I have sinned (be specific and name your sin). I know this was not pleasing in Your eyes. Please forgive me for what I have done. Thank You, Jesus, for wiping my sins away!

Prayer:

Lord, if You are calling me to confront someone's sins, please give me the right words to say. Holy Spirit, go before me and prepare my friend's heart before I speak with them. Then, help me to show them that You have provided a way for them to be forgiven of all the wrongs done. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, who paid the price for my sins. The blood of Jesus washes away all my iniquities. Help me to confess everything to You, Lord. I don't want anything in my life to be hidden from You. Amen!