A Parable to Cause Penitence
And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. - >2 Samuel 12:1-3
Nathan the prophet arrived and began to tell David a story. We do not know if the parable was true or not, but what is important here is that the Lord used the story in order to convict his heart. David was so messed up, that I do not think he even realized how far he had strayed away from God.
It might be that David thought he was beyond God’s chastening and judgment. He had an attitude that everything was still cool, as if nobody knew about his sin, only Joab knew about Uriah. King David judged other matters in the kingdom of Israel, but he needed to examine his own heart.
If only we would learn to take a spiritual inventory of our lives. If we took a daily examination of our own hearts before the Lord, He would convict us of any sin. Second Corinthians 13:5 instructs us: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. Do you keep short accounts of your life with God?
A full conviction of sin is a great and shaking surprisal unto a guilty soul.
~ John Owen~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!
