Day #4: "It's Personal"

Genesis 39:9 says, "There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
II Samuel 12:13 says, "And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD."

In Genesis 39, we come across Joseph in the middle of a decisive point in his life. If you recall, Joseph was the favored child and his older brothers sold him into slavery as a result. Potiphar, an official in Pharaoh of Egypt's court, buys Joseph as a slave. Joseph so proves to be a trustworthy, hard worker that Potiphar allows Jospeh to rule his house. "There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee," (Gen. 39:9). Joseph was talking to Potiphar's wife, who was continually trying to get Joseph to sleep with her. Genesis 39:9 is Joseph's response to her advances.

In II Samuel 12, King David of Israel is being confronted by Nathan the prophet. David has just committed adultery with Bathsheba, another man's wife. The recourse for the adultery is Bathsheba's pregnancy. In order to cover up the pregnancy, David has Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) to come back from battle for a weekend at home. Uriah refuses to sleep in the same house as his wife since his men are in battle. After finding out this doesn't work, David has Uriah sent to the front lines and Uriah is killed subsequently. David has committed adultery, conceived a child in that adultery, and now has Uriah killed to cover up the adultery. After all of this transpires, Nathan the prophet confronts David with an ironic story about a rich man who steals a sheep from a poor man. David, with righteous indignation (or so he thought), pronounces judgement upon the rich man to restore the poor man back fourfold. Nathan looks at David and tells him that he is that man that has done this great wickedness and that God was angered by David's actions. II Samuel 12:13 is David's response to the confrontation from Nathan.

These two responses to different situations are especially interesting. They both note that the sin in their particular situation is a sin against God. The other interesting aspect of these two accounts is timing of their acknowledgment: Joseph acknowledged this before the sin took place and David acknowledged this after the sin took place. Perhaps David's situation might have had a different outcome if he, like Joseph, understood that the sin was against God. 

This issue becomes a very convicting issue. It is easy for us to see our sin as a "mistake" or it might be tempting to think of our sin as a "sick condition." We want to minimize or justify our sin, but we cannot do so. Each and every sin that occurs is a direct attack against God's character. Yes, sin does offends others, but it primarily offends God. How often would it stop us if we were reminded that the sin we are participating in or about to engage in is directly offending God. 

GOD’S MAN CHALLENGE
"Stop and view each sin as a direct offense to almighty God."
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GOD’S MAN PRAYER
Lord, open my eyes so that I may see my sin as an offense against you. Forgive me of offending you. AMEN.