King David employed extreme measures to cover up his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. His plan worked. David got away with adultery and murder.

Note: This article is in a series called Two Roads. Previous articles are always available at http://www.webbweekly.com.

What David didn’t take into consideration was the love God had for him and the purposes God had for his life. God could not allow David to live a lie. So God sent Nathan the Prophet to expose David’s sin,

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. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb 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. Now, a traveler 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 traveler 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.

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! II Samuel 12:1-7

At that moment, David’s sin was exposed.

Simon had gotten away with his sin, too. On that fateful night, when he denied knowing Jesus, he was in a dark and obscure location surrounded by strangers. It’s true that he vehemently denied knowing Jesus three times, but it appeared that no one he knew was there to hear it. As far as he was concerned, he had gotten away with it. In the days that followed, he never mentioned it.

After the resurrection, Simon Peter decided to go back to fishing. What choice did he have? He was certain his denials of Jesus had disqualified him from being Peter, the Rock of the Church. A few of the other disciples joined him. They fished all night but caught nothing. As morning dawned, a stranger on shore directed them to throw their net on the other side of the boat. They did, and they hauled in a great number of fish. That’s when they realized the stranger was Jesus.

After eating breakfast, Jesus had a conversation with Simon,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again, Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

In that moment, Simon’s sin of denial was exposed. Like King David, God loved Simon and had a purpose for his life. God could not allow him to live a lie, so Jesus exposed his sin and reinstated him as Peter.

Exposure is defined as the revelation of something concealed for inappropriate purposes. Exposure is an extremely painful form of God’s grace. But make no mistake, exposure lets a fallen man know that God still loves him and has a purpose for his life. As always, grace is painful before it is amazing.

My friend, you really need to hear this: God loves you, and He has a purpose for your life. He will not allow you to live a lie. He will expose your sin. You will be found out. That may sound awful, but it is God’s grace to you. Exposure, as painful as it may be, is the first step toward healing and restoration. When it happens, you will hate it, but it is your best day. It is the day you discover that God still loves you and has a purpose for your life. For a man who has suffered a devastating moral failure, that’s really good news.

Exposure doesn’t have to happen. There is another way to deal with moral failure. It is called confession. Instead of waiting to be exposed, we always have the option of confessing what we have done.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

Try to imagine how the story of King David would have been different had he immediately confessed his sin with Bathsheba. Doing so would have been painful for David and for Uriah, but Uriah’s life would have been spared, Bathsheba would have remained with her husband, and it is likely the child born to Bathsheba would have lived. Confession is always better than coverup and exposure.

Is there something you’re hiding? Do you believe you have gotten away with it? Be warned: if God loves you and has a purpose for your life, your sin will be exposed. Jesus said,

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. Luke 12:2

Confession is the better option. If there’s something you’re hiding, my suggestion is to make an appointment with a pastor or counselor and get it out in the open. They will be able to help guide you through the best way to move forward. Life is too short to live a lie and to carry the burden of shame and hypocrisy. Confession will lead your heart and spirit to healing.

Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16