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!
Thought for Today
True friends can be hard to find. Lots of people want to be around you when things are going well and tell you how wonderful you are. However, it is in the difficult times that true friends are revealed. David had seemingly gotten away with his sin with Bathsheba. It was in that moment when Nathan, a prophet of God and a friend of David, comes on the scene. Nathan wasn’t afraid to call out David for the wrong he had done. Nathan’s boldness might cost him his friendship with David, or even his life as he confronts the king of Israel. But Nathan and God love David too much to allow him let this kind of sin become acceptable in his life. True friends have your best interest at heart even when it means confronting you in order to help you. Do you have someone in your life who has permission to call you out when you stray from the person you want to be? If so, encourage that person. If not, look for that person and give them permission to speak into any area of your life when they see you straying.
Prayer
Holy Lord, raise up true friends in my life who will love me enough to confront me when I stray that I may be called back to the life I desire to live for You. Amen.
Devotional Quote
There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. — Thomas Aquinas
Quote of the Day
An acquaintance merely enjoys your company, a fair-weather companion flatters when all is well, a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear. ― E.A. Bucchianeri
David's Folly: Whistleblower
2 Samuel 12:1-7
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!
Thought for Today
True friends can be hard to find. Lots of people want to be around you when things are going well and tell you how wonderful you are. However, it is in the difficult times that true friends are revealed. David had seemingly gotten away with his sin with Bathsheba. It was in that moment when Nathan, a prophet of God and a friend of David, comes on the scene. Nathan wasn’t afraid to call out David for the wrong he had done. Nathan’s boldness might cost him his friendship with David, or even his life as he confronts the king of Israel. But Nathan and God love David too much to allow him let this kind of sin become acceptable in his life. True friends have your best interest at heart even when it means confronting you in order to help you. Do you have someone in your life who has permission to call you out when you stray from the person you want to be? If so, encourage that person. If not, look for that person and give them permission to speak into any area of your life when they see you straying.
Prayer
Holy Lord, raise up true friends in my life who will love me enough to confront me when I stray that I may be called back to the life I desire to live for You. Amen.
Devotional Quote
There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. — Thomas Aquinas
Quote of the Day
An acquaintance merely enjoys your company, a fair-weather companion flatters when all is well, a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear. ― E.A. Bucchianeri