2 Sam. 11:14-21
Remember that saying about sin that I mentioned a while back? “Sin will take end up taking you further than you want to go and cost you more than you’re willing to pay.” Let’s go through David’s fall step by step. It started out with mere laziness, preferring to sit around a comfortable castle while others were out in the field of battle. Idle on the roof of his home, he happened to see a beautiful woman bathing, Instead of turning away, he let his glance turn into lust. Lust turned into action: He sent a servant to fetch her to his quarters, so he committed adultery. When she notified him of her pregnancy, he attempted to cover it up by ordering her husband back home from the field. His plan-to make Uriah think the child was his--failed miserably, all because Uriah was a more honorable man than he was.
Finally, in order to hide from the shame and other potential problems, he did the unthinkable—he arranged and ordered the murder of one of his best officers. If you read 1 Chronicles 11, there’s a list of “The Thirty,” the mightiest and most trustworthy of his soldiers, the rough equivalent of the Special Forces in the Army. Notice whose name is listed in verse 41: Uriah. Of course, this isn't too surprising: The same qualities that made Uriah an honorable and trustworthy soldier in 2 Samuel would also tend to qualify him for any group of any elite soldier group. And in a perfect case of adding insult to injury, David had Uriah carry back the orders for his death back to his commanding officer in his own hand!
As I stated before, David is one of my favorite characters in all the Bible, and he had a lot of great qualities. This, however, has got to be the lowest point for him. And it all started with a minor flaw like laziness, something with which I have a constant struggle. I keep telling myself that I would never fall that far, that I would never do what David did, under any circumstances. But if Christ wasn’t holding me up, I could.
I’m very glad that David’s story doesn’t end in shame like Lot’s does, and there's repentance and grace in his future. But right now we need to remind ourselves just how serious sin is. I promise you, God takes it infinitely more seriously than we do, and only he knows how bad it truly is. My sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross, not the soldiers. The thought of taking upon himself the punishment for my sin is what caused Jesus to literally sweat blood. In fact, he still carries the marks of my sin on his body, and will do so for all eternity. That’s how bad sin is, and that’s how much he loves you and me.
Lord Jesus, words are so inadequate to give you the praise and thanks you deserve. Please help me to follow you more closely, to listen more carefully. Without you. . .no, I don’t want to even think about it.
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