A Wayfaring Man

The Wayfaring Man

2 Samuel 12:1-6 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

l. THE PARABLE OF THE LITTLE LAMB

A. The Comparisons

-What an incredible story that the prophet Nathan tells to David the king. What a drama that is played out in the king’s court on that fateful day. It had the makings of a blockbuster. It probably would have won an award, but this whole tale was not fiction, it was real. A year had now passed since this story had been accomplished.

• Two Men in One City.

• A Rich Man.

• A Poor Man.

• The Rich Man had exceeding flocks and herds.

• The Poor Man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb.

• The Rich Man took the poor man’s lamb and spared his own flock.

-There is no other parable in the Old Testament that can be compared with this one. None equals the story of the little single lamb. Nathan uses such mastery and such skill in telling the story that all who hear it are cast under the spell of this tale.

-These two men in the parable, because of the geographical considerations, were in equality. Two men in one city bound by the citizenship of a nation that God had his hand on. But the comparisons pretty much stop there.

B. The Contrasts of This Parable

-The rich man had enough wealth to cover any need that he had. There was no desire that could be left unattended. There was no purpose that he could not carry out. Whatever he desired in this life, he generally either bought it or took it, whatever suited the situation.

-The poor man was confined by his limitations. He found himself at the mercy of those above him socially and materially.

-The rich man’s position made it possible for him to indulge in his lawlessness without any hindrance at all. The poor man found his own happiness and his life at the disposal of the rich man’s desires. Once the crime was accomplished, this inequality aggravated and exacerbated the crime of the rich man.

-That is the whole jest of the story. But behind each of these characters lies a vast territory of discovery. This parable not only tells us of men then and how they operate, but it tells us of the here and now and how men operate. Even more importantly it tells us of and brings discovery to our own lives.

-The rich man was obviously King David. His flocks and herds were his many wives.

-The poor man is Uriah. The noble and very loyal follower of King David.

-The lamb in the parable is Bathsheba. She is the single wife of Uriah. Uriah loved her with all of his heart. But the story tells that rich man took the poor man’s lamb.

-This story is primarily about two men. These two men are the stars, they are the focus, they get the major rolls.

ll. THE WAYFARING MAN

A. A Nameless and Faceless Third Party

-But you must look at this Scripture slowly. Do not pass over it too quickly and you will notice behind the bushes, in the shadows, that there appears a nameless, faceless character, another man. His role is being played out almost anonymously. He is very seldom recognized, but he is still there. He stands in the crowd anonymously, in the city lanes, in the country pastures, he is there as the walk-on.

-Enter stage right–the wayfaring man. He is a traveler.

-The man that came to him was full of wickedness. This traveler, this imposter, this contaminant, played into his life.

• David did not take this lamb for himself. This was the man after God’s own heart.