I was 15 years old, sitting alone in that cell at juvenile hall. My choices had finally caught up with me. There was no avoiding the inevitable. I had no one to blame for my choices. Those were dark, lonely hours and I’d like to tell you that everything turned out okay, but I’d be lying if I left out the consequences to my choices that followed me for years. It’s never fun to look at the raw ugliness of our sin. But we all have to, there’s no avoiding it. But it is in that place that we see the unmistakable invitation of God to enter into His grace. The gospel, after all, is God’s invitation to come to Jesus Christ in the midst of our ugly, stupid and twisted sin.
The most dangerous aspect of sin is the trail of destruction it leaves as we are blinded to it’s damaging consequences. David’s story is no different. We can ask ourselves, “How does a heart that was so sensitive to the things of God, so open and alive become so calloused, hardened and dead?” That’s what happened to David. This same man that was conquering Giants and keeping his faith through his years as a fugitive and eventually celebrating with a wild dance before the Lord, disengages and seeks his shelter in the arms of another man’s wife.
If this can happen to David, who sought with so much passion the heart of God, than it can certainly happen to us. We lose our sense of purpose, we become inward focused and we disengage from God. Once we do that we are an open target for sin and temptation.
2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army…But David remained in Jerusalem.
David had spent so much time as a warrior, fighting battles and running as a fugitive, he probably figured he deserved this break. He disengaged. Who could argue with that? David had spent so much time in battle that he desired a time of peace and rest. The problem is that he disengaged from God as well, not once in this chapter do you see David engaging God. He is silent before God. Apparently as he disengages his role as “Warrior King” he also disengages his role as “Priestly King”. Without God, who has been his constant companion, David feels alone. In that moment, he walks onto the balcony and what does he see?
2 Samuel 11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,
David sees this beautiful woman and he wants this beautiful woman. That is the temptation but the sin occurs when David takes the woman and then tries to hide his sin. In the hiding of his sin, the circumstances quickly spiral out of control and David is nearly destroyed by his choices. Where did it all begin? It began as he disengaged from God and sought a replacement for the void left.
In this story David faces what we all do at one point or another. He faces a double invitation. First, he has the invitation to come clean about his sin. Let’s face it we all fall short so why not come clean with it before God. Secondly, he has the invitation to come alive. Bury your sin with Jesus Christ and be raised again to New Life. That is good news! David’s sin was bad, probably worse than most of us but God’s forgiveness is greater. May his mercy, grace and forgiveness drive us into his arms.
Have a great week!
Pastor Stan and Polly
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