Day 85, or March 26. Don't you love a really good story?
Our thoughts today are rooted in 2 Samuel chapter 12 verse 1. 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.
Here's the big picture surrounding this verse. Uriah the Hittite is killed so that David
can take his wife Bathsheba. Then Nathan the prophet confronts David about his sinful actions.
Unfortunately the baby conceived during this adultery dies, but God hears David's true
repentance, and a second child is born, and named Jedidiah. He is renamed later, and is
better known by his new name, Solomon. Solomon goes on to become the next king of Israel.
Now our action step for today. Stories are not just for children. Very often they are
the only bits we'll remember after a sermon, that and any mistakes or gaffes the preacher
makes. They are powerful tools which can penetrate even the hardest heart. Nathan knew this very
well, and that is probably why he tells David a story rather than simply confronting him
with the factual accusation, and he gets just the reaction he is hoping for. He does seem
to ham it up a bit in verse 3 of chapter 12, but I find it very acceptable in the circumstances.
The verse says, 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. Beautiful details in a powerful story,
and the results were excellent too. Nathan declares, You are the man. Very reminiscent
of Pilate's words about Jesus, son of David. Behold the man. Don't ever demote stories
to for children only. They can be the most powerful disarming way of ministering the
word of God in a society that is full of technical wizardry, but always has time for a good story,
or so it seems from the large audiences watching the soaps on TV every week. True stories
from the Bible are even more powerful.