Thou art the man!

My father, Rev. Ayyadorai Asirvatham, used to preach from the time I remember him.  But he was ordained as a Presbyter in the CSI Diocese under Bishop Lesslie Newbigin only much later. He served the CSI Diocese as an honorary Presbyter in Redeemers Church and San Thome Tamil Church. My father usually gave catchy captions for his sermons. He captioned his sermon on Naaman as, ‘But, he was a leper.’  Speaking from a text in the book of Jeremiah, he captioned his sermon as, ‘Is there no balm in Gilead?’ He captioned his sermon on David as, ‘Thou art the man!’ Even though I do not remember the points he made or the challenges he gave, the titles have stuck with me!  

I am amazed at Nathan the prophet! His courage to call out a king is incredible! These days, courage has a different meaning! I have no idea why anyone would pitch a tent in a forest teeming with wildlife and call it courage! I have no idea why people would jump out of planes voluntarily and call it courage! In a moment, David broke four out of the Ten Commandments. He coveted his neighbor’s wife, stole her, committed adultery with her, and committed murder to cover it up! David might have thought his sin was well hidden. But nothing is hidden from the eyes of God. When God has a tough job to be done, He does not look for a coward. God looks for a person who dares to do the job. If David had continued to hide his sin, he could not have prospered, for the Bible says, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy” (Prov.28:13). That is why God sent Nathan to confront David and gave David an opportunity to get right with God! David was quick to confess his sin and humble himself at the feet of the Lord. It takes a lot of courage to accept one’s sins publicly! No wonder David received mercy!

My friend, the Lord hates all sin. If there is any unconfessed sin, confess it today and get right with God. Do not wait until the Lord makes it public. Ask God for strength to admit wrong. A person who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. When we confess and forsake those sins, we receive mercy and a fresh start.  “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray” (Prov.10:17.

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