Where Are the Men of God

David should have been at war, but instead he was on the balcony of his house watching a woman bathe. He lusted over her, called his people, said, go get her, I want her. He took her, had sex with her, and then he realizes that he's in a big mess.

This girl gets pregnant, he's got to do something about this. So Uriah the Hittite, who is the husband of Bathsheba, David brings him in, wants him to lay with his wife and, you know, sort of fix things. Boy, we try to fix stuff, don't we? From the very beginning, we sowed fig leaves.

From the very beginning, we try to fix our sin, try to cover up our sin. You can't cover it up, you got to get it washed clean. God's got to take care of it.

So Uriah the Hittite, eventually David sends him to the front line and has the husband killed. Okay, so now David is an adulterer and a murderer. And in 2 Samuel chapter 12, verse 1, look at this.

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David, prophet, and he came to him and said to him this story. There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished, and it grew up together with him and with his children.

It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man who refused to take from his own flock to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come. Prophet of God telling a story and the sinner listening.

So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, as the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die, and he shall restore fourfold for the lamb because he did this thing and because he had no pity. Then Nathan said to David, you are the man. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping and gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more. Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite. Oh, I love prophets, and I love preachers of righteousness.

I love pastors who are not afraid of their people. I love pastors who are not ashamed of the whole truth. I love pastors who will call sin, sin, even if it means losing the biggest giver in the church.

I love pastors. Dear Jesus, some of you are watching at home. The reason you're not happy is because God's not happy.

The reason you're not happy, and you've got all kinds of stuff, but you're not happy with yourself because you've wavered and the truth has been set to the side. You just give enough truth to make the people happy, but you don't share the whole truth. Nathan, as he's sharing this, David could have pulled out a sword and sliced off his head.

Shut up, Nathan. Get out of my life. This is David, man of God, king.

Help us. Jesus, help us to return to the God of our fathers.