Father, it is a pensive kind of day. Not really a bright and cheery kind of day, overcast instead. Thinking of pending hurricanes and the anniversary of so many lives lost not that long ago. Thank You, Father, for Your ever-abiding presence. Through the mountaintop and the valley experiences, gratefully You are the rock-solid foundation on which we can stand.
Matthew 21:33-46 (<<click to read the passage)
After reading this passage through four or five times, it’s interesting that my mind went to an incident involving King David, Israel’s greatest king of old.
As was stated in 1 Samuel 13:14 David was a “man after [God’s] own heart.” Yet an innocent glance escalated to the point of adultery and eventually murder on the part of this great man of God. He thought his egregious acts were well hidden. But as we’ve already discussed, nothing is hidden from God.
Shortly after the child, conceived in adultery, was born, the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”
David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man!” (2 Samuel 12:1-13)
A story exposing the heart, much as Jesus’ story of the wicked farmers exposed the heart of leading priests and Pharisees. But what were the responses?
David repented. Verse 13 says,
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
The religious leaders barely flinched in their efforts to rid themselves of this thorn in their side – Jesus. It says in verses 45-46,
When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
There’s a lot of Scripture here but the message is clear. What do we do when confronted with the truth of our sins? Do we dig in our heels, determined to not change our course as we continue to oppose God? Or do we come to a complete stop and repent, changing course and turning our hearts toward and humbly God seek His forgiveness?
The decision is totally ours…
Sept 11th, 2018, Tues, 6:28 pm
