There was not much money to spare in the poor man’s house, but he found enough to buy a lamb, a soft woolly lamb. Of course, his children loved it. It was not a lamb that lived outside in the field; it was a family pet, loved almost like a child. It even shared their food and drank from the poor man’s cup. I can picture that man resting in his chair, leaning back with that special pet lamb cuddled up on his chest. Nobody needs to teach a lamb to stay close.
There was plenty to spare in the rich man’s house. He had sheep and lambs, lots of them. He had herds of cows and goats too. They were born in his fields and grew up there. He was rich enough to have big dinners and fancy food every day.
Here comes a traveler to the rich man’s front door. “Greetings,” the traveler said as he introduced himself to the rich man. Of course, every traveler is invited to stay for dinner, and it would be one of the rich man’s fancy dinners with the best of everything.
Suppose you were the rich man: What would you do? First of all, if you give something to a traveler, make sure it is yours to give. It is God who gives us all we have. It is God who created us with the word of His mouth. It is God who gave His only begotten Son for us. These riches are mine to share with you. Jesus is my Saviour forever, and He can be yours too. With all my heart I want to share Him with you, and He will be yours forever too.
The rich man was selfish. He looked over his pastures filled with sheep, but he would not give up one of his own for dinner that night. It must be a tender roast for his visitor. His reputation depended on it. The poor man’s lamb would make the best dinner. Yes, he would take it.
It is not hard to picture the tears and emptiness in the poor man’s house. The pet lamb was gone, and there was no one to set things right. Maybe you are angry and upset and ready to scold that wicked rich man. When King David heard that story, he felt like that too! He was furious at such selfishness!
And then suddenly the prophet Nathan, who told the story to King David, pointed the finger at the king and said, You are the man!
The truth is that King David had taken another man’s wife, and who’s brave enough to accuse the king? But God knew that what King David had done was caused by selfishness, and he had tried to cover up his selfishness to save his reputation.
I think we all see a little of our own selfishness, but we try to cover it up so that no one will know how bad we are. But God knows, and only God can wipe the record clean. Don’t pretend it is not there; it grows deeper every day. But God Himself is the only One who can say, as He said to David after he confessed his sin, The Lord has put away your sin. You shall not die. God is a forgiving God and gives everlasting life - a life which never dies, although our natural bodies may die just as others do.
It was Jesus Himself who took the punishment for our sins in those dark hours on the cross. That wonderful word “forgiven” is for us who have taken shelter in the One who died for us. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)). His forgiveness is for sinners only. Will you repent and come to Him now? You can know that your sins are forgiven, and no matter what your background, you can be a child of God, fit for His home in heaven forever.
You may read this story in 2 Samuel, chapter 12.
ML-11/26/2006