READING: 2 Samuel 9-11, Luke 15:11-32
“But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
2 Samuel 11:27
We don’t know all the details, and nor do we need to know them. What we do know is the king, David, should have been fighting with his warriors in battle, but he stayed behind. We do know that he saw a beautiful woman bathing, and he slept with her. We also know that she was the wife of another man, Uriah, who was, in fact, diligently carrying out his duties among the fighting forces. Further, we know that the woman, Bathsheba, became pregnant with David’s child.
And, we know that David went from manipulation to murder to attempt to cover up his sin. We can assume that David’s first act of sin was not a long-lasting one. He saw a woman, coveted her, and took her for himself. His elaborate plan to cover up his sin took longer than the sin itself – and saved him from neither confrontation over his sin nor consequences for his choices. We will learn in tomorrow’s reading that tragedy would be one result: the Lord struck David and Bathsheba’s son, and he soon died.
That’s the way sin often is, actually. We make choices without thinking, somehow assuming that the consequences surely won’t be long-term or severe. The passion of the moment clouds our view of the eternal, and we push toward sin as if the temporary pleasure that results is somehow eternal itself. The forbidden action, whatever it is, becomes more alluring than the conviction is halting; the promise of pleasure becomes more powerful than the warnings of judgment are audible. After all, this sin won’t really hurt us, will it? It hasn’t in the past, has it? Surely we can cover it up like we have before . . . .
So, we buy the lies of the enemy and commit adultery, whether physical or spiritual. We sleep in the bed of our own false gods, ignoring the fact that what we do is wrong. And, were it not for the grace of God, we would be left where today’s reading leaves off: as a follower of God who does “evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27).
The story, though, is not over. Jesus Christ, the holy, forgiving Redeemer has come.
ACTION STEPS:
- Evaluate whether you are currently trying to cover up your sin. If so, confess it to God.
- If you are married, make certain you keep your eyes on your spouse alone.
PRAYER: “God, I confess that I sometimes look in the wrong direction and make wrong choices. Please forgive me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Samuel 12-13, Luke 16