11:1ff In the episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin. (1) David abandoned his purpose by staying home from war (2 Samuel 11:1). (2) He focused on his own desires (2 Samuel 11:3). (3) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning away from it (2 Samuel 11:4). (4) He sinned deliberately (2 Samuel 11:4). (5) He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (2 Samuel 11:6-15). (6) He committed murder to continue the cover-up (2 Samuel 11:15, 17). Eventually David’s sin was exposed (2 Samuel 12:9) and punished (2 Samuel 12:10-14). (7) The consequences of David’s sin were far-reaching, affecting many others (2 Samuel 11:17; 2 Samuel 12:11, 14-15).
David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop (James 1:14-15). The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It’s much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are halfway down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts.
No comments:
Post a Comment