Asleep in the Light
Albert Bogle
August 05, 2018
Add to Favourites
2 Samuel 12: 1-7
1 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, ‘There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 ‘Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveller who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’
7 Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
When we’re sleeping in the light ignoring our dark side it’s not easy facing up to the truth about ourselves. Especially when we are confronted with actions that have had dire consequences.
In today’s reading, King David is confronted by the Prophet Nathan regarding his actions of deception and murder. King David had grown too self assured. He had reached the pinnacle of his power. He no longer felt the need to lead from the front. He decided it was his time to take things easy and let others do the fighting. It has often been pointed out in sermons over the years that the devil always finds work for idle hands. David fell into temptation because he thought he was invincible. The old adage, pride cometh before a fall is relevant for all of us.
Keith Green was an amazing young Christian songwriter. He died in a tragic plane crash on 28 July 1982. Last week saw the 36th anniversary of his death. Green was a hard hitting songwriter, prophetic in his lyrics. One of his most famous songs entitled “Asleep in the Light” challenges the church to wake up from complacency and see the needs facing the world. Often when I listen to Keith Green singing I think he’s talking to me. Like Nathan the prophet, he points and says “You are the man!”
Lord,
Keep me occupied
But never too busy
Keep me sane
But never too clever
Keep me enthusiastic
But never a manic
Keep me in the Light
But never asleep
Login to comment.