Yet he was walking that way.
"This is insane. He's going to have my head." Nathan looked up into the clear blue sky. "He's going to kill me if I do this. He's the king."
Nothing. Just that stirring in his soul to go, do, and say.
Nathan had been sitting at home, tending to his duties, when it came over him. The tingling sensation started in his heart, and worked it's way to his fingers and toes. Increasing in intensity, the feeling consumed the inside of his soul.
Then the words started to flow.
Whenever Nathan heard from the Lord, he always longed for more.
Not this time.
This time, he wanted nothing to do with the word the Lord had given him. A reprimand is hard enough. Reprimanding the King for his despicable sin was an entirely different story.
If you don't, who will?
"You could, Lord," Nathan mumbled.
I called you.
"Yes. I'm so thankful for that, Lord."
I will be with you.
He had heard this several times from the Lord. He would be with him. So despite the fact that his head said this was a terrible idea, he was going. The Lord had called him to reprimand King David for his sin.
He sucked in a deep breath as the bustling Jerusalem came into view. He wove through the buildings, and he marched up to the soldiers guarding the palace. "I need to see the King. I am Nathan the prophet, and I have a message from the Lord."
The soldiers exchanged a glance. The tall burly one waved him forward with his hand. "Come with me." He led Nathan down several long halls before they arrived at an intricately carved door. The soldier knocked before entering, then bowed low.
"You have a visitor, my lord." King David looked up from the maps he had been studying. Nathan sucked in a deep breath. This was it. King David gave a slight nod to his soldier, indicating that he should leave them alone.
"Nathan," King David started to say, but he held up his hand.
"I've a story to tell you."
Based on 2 Samuel 12:1a
So last blog, we talked about how even leaders screw up in their walk with God. The important part is that they recognize that when they are called on the carpet, and repent.
I didn't feel like we were done talking about this topic. God gave me more.
So, I started thinking/God brought Nathan the prophet back to mind. I started thinking about the difficult situation he had been thrown into with King David.
Nothing. Just that stirring in his soul to go, do, and say.
Nathan had been sitting at home, tending to his duties, when it came over him. The tingling sensation started in his heart, and worked it's way to his fingers and toes. Increasing in intensity, the feeling consumed the inside of his soul.
Then the words started to flow.
Whenever Nathan heard from the Lord, he always longed for more.
Not this time.
This time, he wanted nothing to do with the word the Lord had given him. A reprimand is hard enough. Reprimanding the King for his despicable sin was an entirely different story.
If you don't, who will?
"You could, Lord," Nathan mumbled.
I called you.
"Yes. I'm so thankful for that, Lord."
I will be with you.
He had heard this several times from the Lord. He would be with him. So despite the fact that his head said this was a terrible idea, he was going. The Lord had called him to reprimand King David for his sin.
He sucked in a deep breath as the bustling Jerusalem came into view. He wove through the buildings, and he marched up to the soldiers guarding the palace. "I need to see the King. I am Nathan the prophet, and I have a message from the Lord."
The soldiers exchanged a glance. The tall burly one waved him forward with his hand. "Come with me." He led Nathan down several long halls before they arrived at an intricately carved door. The soldier knocked before entering, then bowed low.
"You have a visitor, my lord." King David looked up from the maps he had been studying. Nathan sucked in a deep breath. This was it. King David gave a slight nod to his soldier, indicating that he should leave them alone.
"Nathan," King David started to say, but he held up his hand.
"I've a story to tell you."
Based on 2 Samuel 12:1a
So last blog, we talked about how even leaders screw up in their walk with God. The important part is that they recognize that when they are called on the carpet, and repent.
I didn't feel like we were done talking about this topic. God gave me more.
So, I started thinking/God brought Nathan the prophet back to mind. I started thinking about the difficult situation he had been thrown into with King David.
It wasn't an easy situation. He had been called to reprimand the King. A holy, God-given reprimand can be hard enough, but to have to deliver such a message to the King, that's absolutely terrifying. David literally had the power to kill Nathan.
My point is, it's not easy to deliver that kind of a reprimand, and it's insanely hard to tell someone in any type of authority over you that they have made a mistake.
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16
If someone will hear the correction, and realize that God is using the messenger, then that person will grow spiritually.
If that person doesn't hear the correction because they were never given the message, the messenger is also in trouble.
If you take an important phone message for someone, but you never deliver the message about where the other person was supposed to go or what they were supposed to do, then it's not their fault. They didn't know they were supposed to change the dog food or pick up the kids from school. Obviously this is more serious then a missed phone message, but do you see my point? The messenger needs to deliver whatever message God has given to them.
It's not always easy, but you have to be faithful to what God has called you to do. Look at Balaam. He knew God's voice, but he pushed and pushed for his own way, and it almost cost him his life. What about Jonah? When Jonah tried to run away to get out of delivering the message God had given him, he was swallowed by a whale. What about Elijah? He was scared, fed-up, and angry with all the people coming after him for delivering God's word. It is not an easy job!
But if you are not faithful to the call, then who will be? Not only that, you are responsible for the repercussions of not delivering God's message. It's not an easy job, but sometimes you are the one called to do it. You need to be faithful to deliver the message despite who the person is and how they respond.
V. Joy Palmer
My point is, it's not easy to deliver that kind of a reprimand, and it's insanely hard to tell someone in any type of authority over you that they have made a mistake.
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16
If someone will hear the correction, and realize that God is using the messenger, then that person will grow spiritually.
If that person doesn't hear the correction because they were never given the message, the messenger is also in trouble.
If you take an important phone message for someone, but you never deliver the message about where the other person was supposed to go or what they were supposed to do, then it's not their fault. They didn't know they were supposed to change the dog food or pick up the kids from school. Obviously this is more serious then a missed phone message, but do you see my point? The messenger needs to deliver whatever message God has given to them.
It's not always easy, but you have to be faithful to what God has called you to do. Look at Balaam. He knew God's voice, but he pushed and pushed for his own way, and it almost cost him his life. What about Jonah? When Jonah tried to run away to get out of delivering the message God had given him, he was swallowed by a whale. What about Elijah? He was scared, fed-up, and angry with all the people coming after him for delivering God's word. It is not an easy job!
But if you are not faithful to the call, then who will be? Not only that, you are responsible for the repercussions of not delivering God's message. It's not an easy job, but sometimes you are the one called to do it. You need to be faithful to deliver the message despite who the person is and how they respond.
V. Joy Palmer
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