Theme For David Jeremiah Devotional 8 June 2019 – FAITHFUL FATHERS: DAVID
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
2 Samuel 12:13
Recommended Reading: Psalm 51:1-12
It is not a matter of “if,” but of “when”—that moment when a father realizes he has sinned against his child. Perhaps it’s a moment of anger or a promise not kept, or a prolonged occupation with other things besides fatherhood leading to a loss of intimacy. Regardless of the reason, the failure brings a need for one thing, perhaps the hardest in a father’s life: confessing sin to a child and seeking forgiveness.
King David was far from a perfect father. Two of his sons, Amnon and Absalom, called David’s fatherhood into question by their acts. But the one thing David learned to do in perhaps his hardest moment was confess his sins. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and was complicit in the death of her husband, his sins were found out. To his credit, David confessed his sins to Nathan, the prophet, and to God in the heartfelt words of Psalm 51. David had many sons, most of whom we know little about. But we know they had a father who learned, painfully, to say, “I’m sorry.”
If you need to confess a failure to your child today, follow David’s example as a faithful father.
The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession. – Richard Sibbes
Credit – David Jeremiah