Last time we witnessed the very
first misstep of David. His life has been one massive example to us
all. Unfortunately at the pinnacle of his life, when God had given
him everything that he could ever desire, he committed adultery and
murder. This displeased God greatly, as David was a man after His
own heart. David thought he had gotten away with his actions, but
God knew and David couldn't escape the consequences.
God sent Nathan the prophet to
confront David.
"Thus says the Lord God of
Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from
the hand of Saul. I 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! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do
evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the
sword." 2 Samuel 12:7-9
God was very angry and through
Nathan the prophet God spoke that adversity will arise within
David's own house and the child born out of wedlock will die.
Nathan confronted David in his own
home. And once again it was amazing to me to see how David reacted.
He could have denied it, he could have pretended that it wasn't
true, he could have kicked Nathan out, but instead he humbled
himself again before the Lord and repented. He confessed that he
had sinned and that he was sorry about it.
The child got very sick. David
fasted and pleaded with God to save the child's life. He lay on the
ground and pleaded. The elders tried to lift him off from the
ground and wanted him to eat, but he would not. On the seventh day
David heard that the child had died. His reaction again was
commendable to me:
"So David arose from the
ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and
he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped." 2 Samuel
12:20
Wow, even though he didn't get what
he had pleaded from God, he still went to God and worshipped Him.
That is truly admirable. He could have been angry with God, he
could have decided to stop following God, but no, he decided to go
and praise God and worship Him.
When David was confronted with his
sin, he repented and then he tried to convince God to take the
consequences away. But when God wouldn't, he still praised Him. We
can certainly learn from his reactions.
We should also be open to other
people pointing out our sin to us. We might be blind to it and even
try to justify it, but when it is pointed out; we should listen to
it and repent of it. Now today God doesn't punish us for our sins
anymore, as Jesus bore our punishment, but the consequences of our
sins might remain. If we committed adultery and is divorced because
of it, we must bear all the consequences that comes from a divorced
life. If we lost a dear friend due to our gossip, it is a
consequence of our sin. If we are punished at work due to unethical
behavior, it is a consequence of our sin. And so I can go on. We
need to understand that it is not God punishing us, but it is
simply what happens if we allow sin to run rampant. And we should
accept those consequences and continue to praise God and honor Him.
We shouldn't turn our backs on Him. It is not His fault. Though God
doesn't condone our behavior, He forgives us and will help us
through it. Trust Him, hold on to Him and never let go. David did
just that and we will see next week how God blessed him.
Father, we are sorry for the sins
that we commit. We are so grateful that You have forgiven all our
sins at the cross; we praise Your mighty Name. Please help us to
bear the consequences of our sins. Please help us that the load is
not too heavy for us. We praise You now and forevermore! Amen