2 Samuel 12:5, New International Version

“Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man…”

Let’s us begin with an event of King David:

“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. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 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. 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.’

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’

Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! …Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes…” (2 Samuel 12:1-9, NIV)

Have you also had two languages of sin, one for yourself and one for others? How many times in our lives have we failed to realize that we want justice for others, but mercy on ourselves? How many times do we seek to hold others accountable to our understanding of righteousness, yet seek to justify our own wrongdoing?

Here is a statement we all should learn; “Don’t hold others to a higher standard than yourself.”

God knows and He sees, and He is the judge! He cared for David and He cares for you – those who follow Him! So, what do you do if you know you have a hidden sin (one that you think no one knows about) just like David? Repent! Repentance comes when we recognize our sin, admit it, and seek to turn from our own wrongdoing.

How about sin that we may not understand is against God and therefore we believe that our actions are justified? My dear brothers and sisters, if you are truly concerned you have displeased the Lord then it is time to search your heart with the help of the Holy Spirit. Let Him reveal to you and guide you into all truth and Light.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5, NIV)

Don’t wait for the judgment of the Lord. He is patient and waited for nine months for David to explore his sin. However, when judgment came, this was what the Lord said, “You did it in secret, but I will do this thing (the judgment) in broad daylight before all Israel.” (2 Samuel 12:12, NIV)