March 22nd
7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 2 Samuel 12:7-10 NKJV
If you are not familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba, please read it in 2 Samuel 11. This occurred at the height of David’s reign as King of Israel. Nathan the prophet visited David a year after David sinned and confronted him about the sin of adultery and murder he had committed. David confessed his sin and God forgave him (2 Samuel 12:13). However, the consequences of his sin were not removed and had lasting effects on David’s family. These were the consequences of David’s sin:
- The sword would not depart from David’s family. God would raise up adversity against David from within his family.
- God would allow a neighbor (David’s son, Absalom) to have sex with David’s wives in public, since he had taken Uriah’s wife Bathsheba secretly (2 Samuel 12:11-12).
- The child that Bathsheba bore by David would die (2 Samuel 12:14).
This story illustrated how devastating the consequences of sexual sin can be for its participants and their families. When we are tempted to partake of sexual sin either by acting it out, or just by looking, we can recall the consequences David experienced. The devil will probably tell us, “It doesn’t hurt to take a peek,” or “You’re not hurting anybody with this,” but we should not believe his lies.
This story also showed God’s merciful nature. God was merciful to David when he confessed and repented from his sin. God helped David in dealing with the consequences of his sin in the years that followed. Those of us who are struggling under the burden of sin can take this opportunity to confess and repent, knowing that God will forgive them on account of their faith in Jesus Christ. (more on forgiveness)
Questions for further thought:
What were the things that God had done for David? (7-8)
How does lust work against our satisfaction with what we have?
If you have committed sexual sin, what are some of the consequences that you’ve experienced from that sin?
Prayer:
“Father in Heaven, Thank you for the honesty of the scriptures. Thank you for the story of David and Bathsheba and the warning it gives concerning sexual sin. I confess any sexual sin in my life right now and repent from it. Through my faith in Jesus, I ask for your forgiveness from my sin. Lord, please help all the people that have been affected by my sin. Please strengthen me to walk in purity and in truth. Please help me deal with any consequences I have incurred from my sin. Thank you, Father! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”