Bible Passage: “You are the man.” (2 Samuel 12:7a NIV)
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-25
During a Sabbatical year, my family lived with one of my best friends, Josh, and his family. We have a deep friendship, and one day, as we went for a walk, I asked him to name the darkness and/or blind spots that he noticed in my life.
He replied, “You’re usually a really nice guy, but when you get angry, it’s powerful. It’s like a darkness fills the room.”
Ouch.
Yet, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
After David sleeps with Bathsheba and murders Uriah in order to marry her, the prophet Nathan comes to confront him.
Nathan tells an odd story about a rich man who unjustly takes a sheep from a poor man, which culminates in David angrily calling for the death of a man who would commit such an injustice.
Nathan’s famous reply echoes through the generations:
“You are the man” (2 Samuel 12:7).
Are you the man?
Is there anything festering in the corners and closets of your life? Is there anyone who’d tell you? Is there anyone you’d tell?
This week is about male friendship. Most of our friendships will be spent doing the mundane of life together; you’ll laugh together, raise kids together, serve God together, relax together, and share meals together.
But the best and necessary friendships go further and deeper every so often.
These are friendships where we confess our sins to one another (James 5:16) and where a brother might wound us with the truth about us, in a way that helps. Give them permission to do so!
Gentlemen, I can’t express how good and freeing it is to live life without secrets, knowing the joy of having friends who tell me the truth and help me become the man God wants me to be. I live without secrets, and my brothers have been invited to confront me.
What about you?
Prayer: Lord, it’s scary to think of confronting another man or confessing my sins to another man. This isn’t something to be taken lightly, and yet I know that it’s most likely to be fear that would keep me from this. If this is a step you want me to take, show me who and open up a door for it to happen. Give me courage. Amen.
Reflection: When we are wrestling with sin, we often believe the lie that we are somehow uniquely distorted or sinful. When you become part of a community that confesses sin to each other, you’ll discover that everyone is wrestling with the same things. What areas of your life do you fear talking about? Why? Have you ever experienced someone lovingly confronting you like Nathan confronted David? How did that go?
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