September 17 | Week 3: Character and Growth
Accept “I Have Sinned Against The Lord”
2 Samuel 12:1-13
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. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 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.
4 “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.” 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
“You Are The Man!”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ 11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
Correction With Empathy
1. How did Nathan get David to see his own sin? Nathan told David a parable that David would empathize with. Furthermore, the parable awakened David’s sense of Justice.
2. When David was caught, what did he do? Just as important, what did he not do (v. 13)? David accepted responsibility and recognized he had sinned against the LORD. David did not argue with Nathan, reject the truth, or detest the correction. Instead, he accepted correction.
3. When you get corrected, do you tend to repent like David, or to make excuses? I can blame my circumstances or feelings when I am corrected. However, my hardships will never excuse my sins. Instead, the scriptures teach me that I need to go to my God for comfort, not sin (idolatry)! (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Accepting Hardship As God’s Correction
Hebrews 12:5-11
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined–and everyone undergoes discipline–then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Accepting Correction Leads To Righteousness And Peace
1. Why does God discipline the people he loves? God disciplines me for my good so I can share in his holiness.
2. How does discipline feel at the time? What does it produce later (v. 11)? Discipline feels unpleasant momentarily – yet it produces “a harvest of righteousness and peace”. Interestingly, this “harvest” is given to those “who have been trained by” the hardship. We have a choice to make whether we will become bitter (at God, others, circumstances) or better (accepting God’s correction) when we “endure hardship.”
Not Just Accepting Correction – But Loving The Corrector!
Proverbs 9:8-9
8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. 9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
1. How does a wise person respond to correction? How does a mocker respond? A wise person loves the person who corrected them! A mocker hates the person who corrects them.
2. Which one describes you? I find myself being critical and/or “overly” sensitive when someone corrects me and I’m not close to God. In my life, I had an intense era of discipling and repentance from 1998-2000 which was a real mental renewal. Sadly, I was initially critical and unloving towards the person mentoring me and correcting me. I am reminded of Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.” (Thank you Darren and Christian for putting up with my stupidity and showing so much grace and truth to me!)
Go Back And Accept The Correction!
APPLICATION: How you take correction shows how humble you really are. Think of the last time someone corrected you. Did you receive it, or fight it? Go back to someone whose correction you brushed off, thank them, and tell them you have been thinking about it.
Raul delivered the hardest correction that I can recall lately. It was about my diet, weight, and overall health. I’m 20 lbs. overweight still, and I need to take it seriously, as I’m very close to becoming diabetic.
