Articles
The Hardest Thing To See
You may remember the story of King David, how he one night happened to see Bathsheba bathing after he had gone on the rooftop. Though he did not go to the rooftop for that purpose, he did see her, and it stirred desires in him that were not right, and he then pursued her, though he knew she was married (2 Sam. 11:1-5). You might also remember that after he had sexual relations with her and because of that act a child was conceived, David tried to cover up his sin, eventually putting her husband [Uriah] at the front of a battle where David knew he would be killed, and he was killed (2 Sam. 11:7-24).
It should go without saying that God was not pleased with David for this series of events, and He sent Nathan to confront David about his sins (2 Sam. 12:1). When Nathan spoke to David, he told him of a poor man who had but one little ewe lamb, and a rich man who had “exceedingly many flocks and herds,” but when this rich man had a visitor, he refused to take of his own flock for food for this traveler, instead taking the poor man's lamb (2 Sam. 12:1-4). When David heard this, he was furious, and told 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” (2 Sam. 12:5, 6). It was then that Nathan revealed to David, “You are the man!…You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon” (2 Sam. 12:7-9).
David, to his credit, admitted immediately, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). But this might cause us to ask, "Did David not know this before Nathan pointed out his sin?" I, for one, do not believe David was completely oblivious to his sin. The fact that he tried to do it secretly (cf. 2 Sam. 12:11, 12), and the fact he tried to cover it up by making it look like Uriah was the father and, when that failed, then sending Uriah to his death as the ultimate cover-up tells us David did know his actions were wrong. But David was in denial.
How hard it is for us to sometimes admit to even ourselves what we know to be true, and harder still to admit to others! Sometimes, we find it quite easy to note the faults of others but, at the same time, nearly impossible to acknowledge our own faults (cf. Matt. 7:1-4). Let us not forget that when we do that, we are identified by Jesus as a hypocrite (Matt. 7:5) — not a pleasant or desirable designation!
So, what can we do to ensure we are not overlooking our own faults and sins? How can we see that our behavior is sinful before we act, or acknowledge our failures afterwards?
Know Yourself. James reminds us, “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (Jas. 1:14); we also know our spiritual enemy “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). If you are unaware or oblivious to your weaknesses and desires, don't assume your spiritual adversary is likewise unaware or oblivious to them; in fact, I would say he is going to exploit them all the more as long as you remain unaware!
To know yourself demands complete honesty and regular, thorough self-examinations. Self-examination is a must (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5), but these self-examinations must be thorough, leaving no aspect of self without examination and consideration lest we leave ourselves vulnerable to him and his attacks. When we know our desires and weaknesses, it is then we must be honest with self that they are truly our desires. Change, not denial, is the solution. As long as sinful desires exist, our spiritual adversary has a means of reaching us and possibly destroying us. Don't give him that opportunity!
If you find, in your self-examination, that you have a weakness for sexual desires, then acknowledge that weakness, avoid situations where you will be tempted, and then work on eliminating that desire or putting it in its proper place. If you find you have a desire for alcohol or drugs, acknowledge that desire, avoid situations where it might be offered, and then work on eliminating that desire; if you have a problem with anger, then acknowledge the problem, avoid situations where it will likely appear, and then work on eliminating the problem.
Did you notice the pattern? It is the same for every weakness and every fleshly desire, with no exception. If we truly want to be strong in the faith and not be constantly falling to temptations and into sinful behavior, we cannot continue putting ourselves in situations where we know we will be tempted; we cannot blame others for the temptation or loss of self-control; we cannot simply keep the desire or weakness hidden from those around us. We must acknowledge these weaknesses are because of our own desires, avoid situations where we will be susceptible to the temptations or sinful behavior, and then diligently work to eliminate the desires, put the desires in their proper place, or exercise greater self control.
Know Scriptures. Some of the saddest words in the Bible have to do with the ignorance of God's people. For example, God said of the Israelites, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6), and, “my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge” (Isa. 5:13). He said of them, “The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider” (Isa. 1:3), and said they were a “people of no understanding” (Isa. 27:11). Brethren, none of those words are complimentary! This lack of knowledge, sadly, was intentional; they did not want to know God's will, and had rejected it. Their lack of knowledge and their captivity were unequivocally linked! Do we think we are any less susceptible to captivity [for us, to our spiritual adversary] if we are likewise ignorant of God's will?
Necessary to a beneficial self-examination is a knowledge of the standard to which we must achieve and by which we should live, as disciples of Jesus Christ. To know where we truly stand in God's sight requires knowing where we should be standing, and how we should be living. It is shameful that the world does not know God's will, but at least that is expected; even more shameful is the ignorance of those who claim to be His disciples, for they should know His will! How can one make a proper evaluation of where he or she stands if there is no knowledge of the standard?
Application and Action. Once we know ourselves and once we have a good knowledge of God's will, we must then act on what we now know. If, in our self-examination, we find we are not honestly living up to God's standard, we must then be willing to make the necessary changes; this is what God calls true repentance. Knowledge of a failure to meet God's standard will result in either worldly sorrow [that produces no positive, actual change] or godly sorrow [that “produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted” (2 Cor. 7:10)]. Outward, superficial sorrow lasts only until we face the temptation again, whereas true, godly sorrow leads to a change in direction and in life.
The hardest thing to see is self — honestly. Don't let the enemy fool you and don't give him the opportunity to take you captive. Take an honest look at self, brethren. What do you see? —— Steven Harper
