THEME: “TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST, TOUGH PEOPLE DO”
Read 2 Samuel 12:7-15
THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
Key Verse: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel before the sun” (2 Samuel 12:11-12 NKJV).
Our personal sins carry with them the consequences of causing troubles and problems for us. That is to say, we may be the cause of our own tough times. This is what we learn from the life of King David. Though David was a man after God’s own heart, yet God did not spare him from punishment when he sinned. There were two sides to David’s life. One was that he loved God; the other side of him was that he did not look back when he wanted to sin. In David, we learn that zealousness in the things of God must not be mistaken for piety. A man could be zealous for God yet be living in sin.
In verses 9 and 10, David’s sins are summarized for us. Nathan accused him of three things, that:
He despised the commandment of God;
He killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword;
He coveted Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife as his own wife.
For these reasons God said, he would raise adversity for him in his own house. In addition, he will take away his wives and give it to his neighbor. Though David sinned in secret, God said, he would punish him in the open.
This story of David teaches us the danger of hypocrisy. If we fail to deal with the secret issues of our lives, they would one day come to the open and expose us. Our sins, if not dealt with, could be the cause of our troubles or the adversity we face. We must take time to examine our lives and deal with the issues that hold us back.
David must be commended though for owning up to his sins before Nathan and for his repentance before God. His repentance spared him from death. His repentance notwithstanding, God still struck the son he had with Bathsheba with ailment and he died.
Other consequences of David’s sins would be seen in subsequent days.
PRAYER: Help me Lord, to avoid sin, help me to deal with the issue of hypocrisy in my life.
