When Nathan told David of an injustice that had happened in his kingdom, he became enraged! David analyzed the situation correctly and passed a righteous judgment. But in doing so he condemned himself. And God said to him: “You did it in secret, but I will [hurt you] in broad daylight before all Israel’” (2 Sam 2:22). And so we see something clearly about David that stands as a lesson for us today: He was just enough to judge others justly, but not just enough to judge himself justly. If he would not judge himself correctly, God would.

Why is it so easy to judge everyone around us but so difficult to judge ourselves? And when I say ‘judge’ I do not mean it in the meaningless way that is often used in the church to escape accountability. When I say ‘judge’ I mean it in the biblical sense of justice. Why are we able to judge the injustice in the world so easily but we cannot judge the injustice of our own actions? The reason is that it is hard to be objective about ourselves. It’s easy to admit what someone else’s actions reveal about them. But it is hard to accept what our own actions reveal about us. But if we are not honest with ourselves, God will force us to be honest with ourselves.

Holiness is not a perfect sinless life, but an honest life of repentance. Saints are not perfect people, but people who war against the worst part of themselves. Repentance cannot happen without honesty, and coming to terms with who we really are can be a humbling experience. One that shatters us completely. This is why years later reflecting on this incident, David would write in Psalm 51:17 - “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

What does God want from you? He wants you to be honest with yourself and repent. There is no need to worry about God’s response to your brokenness. For he has already promised not to reject you and revealed that your broken spirit is exactly what he wants.

—Pastor Alex Portillo