The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-05-08

prophet Nathan M
brought David to
his senses; he
made him face 49,
his own sin. The Or. Foreman
whole story is there in II Samuel.
and has often been told. We can
learn much from it; for it shows
one way in which we can do what
we all hate to do and some people
never can do: face our own sins and
admit that they are sins and that
we committed them.
To Know
you can't carve rotten wood"
says an old Chinese proverb. And
no prophet or preacher is going to
get far making any one face his
sins if the person involved has no
notion Of any difference between
right and wrong A conscience can
be educated; but who can educate
what isn't there? Now David had
a conscience: that is, he knew that
some things are right and some are
wrong. When Nathan told him that
made-up story about the rich man
and the poor man and the lamb,
David was hot. The rich man was
wrong. David saw; very wrong,
wrong enough to be executed IN
the spot. If David had reacted
calmly to Nathan's story-if his
response had been something like,
We'll, that's rich man for you"
or After all, that poor man was
relieved Of an expensive luxury"
Nathan would have got nowhere
with him. The first thing I need
in order to face my sin. when that
time comes, is to know, down in
my bones, that sin is real, that
some things are right and Others
are wrong. If I think right and
wrong" are just emotional words
meaning no more than II like it"
and II don't like it," then I shall
never face my own sin, shall
never even know what is eating
away my soul.
To Imagine
Another thing Is needed before
l can face my sin. 1 must be able
to imagine what it is like to be
sinned-against. When David got so
angry about that story Nathan told
him, he wasn't angry about what
happened to the rich man, though
that would be q tragedy too. He
was angry about the incident, be
cause in his minds eye he could
see exactly how the poor man felt
WAS this because David's own
father had been sheep-herder ,
Now no one up to that time had
ever stolen wife from David He
had done some wife-stealing even
before the time of Bathsheba, but
he had never seen the wrong in it.
Wife-stealing was a recognized
privilege Of kings in those days
BY a brilliant, inspired single
thrust when David's guard was
down. that prophet made David see
as it were in one fash what he had
done to Uriah and to Bathsheba
To Confess
There is a step beyond seeing
that l have sinned. This is admit
ting that / see it, But there are
two ways of admitting ones sin,
whatever it may be- One is the $50
WHAT" approach. Eyes, I did it,
but it isn't very bad Yes, I
admit it, but l couldn't help it :.
/ did It, but am / so much worse
than hundred other people? !.
Yes. I did It. but why not forget the
whole thing. shall we ?" This is not
facing my sin at all. 1t is'only ad-
hitting an act without seeing what
a sin it is. The other way Of ad-
hitting sin is to feel a deep sense
Of shame before God and man too
1t is to stop excusing and defend
ing myself, it is to take sides $50
to speak) with the prosecution, it
is to see myself no longer fit to be
a companion for God or men. If
what can feel about my sin can
be expressed in the language Of the
51st Psalm, then there can be some
hope for me. If do not despise my
sin. II I do not somehow share
Gods feeling about it, then / shall
go on down and down. It Is only
when see the pit into which I am
falling. and see that it is a bottom
less pit. that I am ready to be res
cued.
BASED on outlines copyrighted by
the Division Of Christian Education,
National Council Of the Churches OF
Christ In the e. S. A. Released BY
Community Press Service.)
An argument raised against auto
seat belts is that it's hard for q
person to get out Of wrecked cal
L.