Day 85, or March the 26th. 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. First, 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 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.