When Looking at the story of David, Bathsheba and Uriah our human minds give weight to David's sin. David's actions here are probably in the top 5 most grievous of sins written about in the Bible. He committed adultery and then killed several men to cover up his sin. He out right in cold blood had the man who was the husband of the woman he slept with killed. And that was only after his failed attempt at covering up his sin. Uriah wasn't the only man to die that day in battle other men died also. David was caught in the middle a sin spiral. With each move trying to cover it up making his sin that much greater.
Have you found yourself slowly starting with a "small" sin, looking at another woman lustfully in David's case? Then instead of dealing with the little sin it slowly grows into bigger and more grievous sins, We see David path into adultery, deception, and the murder of multiple men. All which could have been stilted at the thought, right? If he had just stopped then the rest wouldn't have happened? Oh the power of hindsight or of being able to look at the path of others choices. Some times it becomes so easy to see the path and the results of each choice when you get to the end and look back.
One of the questions I have is what was different between David's fall to Sin and Saul's fall. I see a few that challenge my thinking of how I respond to sin in my life. Take a quick read through these two passages of scripture one about Saul and one about David.
1 Samuel 15:3-32
15:24 And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.25 Now, I pray you, pardon my sin and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord.
2 Samuel 11:1 - 2 Samuel 12:23
12:13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Both had sinned against God, both tried to cover it up through deceptive actions(David tried to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba even to the point of getting him drunk then when that failed killed him, Saul tried to blame it on the people of Israel and tried to claim he did it for God.), both men God sent a prophet to identify and point out their sins, and as we see in 1 Samuel 15:24 and 2 Samuel 12:13 they both acknowledged their sins. So why did God react different? God removed His anointing from Saul but not from David. What is the difference? When the lives are compared I see two differences.
One their view of God. We see two completely differing views of God. Think about the story of David and Goliath. If we look over the books of 1 and 2 Samuel we see David's view of God as being personal, he claimed God as his own. Saul never personalized God, God was always distanced. David always faced circumstances and calamities even the ones that where his fault with belief in what God could do and with worship. Saul would walk in disbelief and seek other sources for direction.
The second was their reaction to their Sin. David walked in repentance and sought God through fasting and worship. Saul went home and continued life. David rejoiced and lived a life with a joyous heart. Saul was plagued with depression and a darkness over his life. David corrected his life and refocused on God. Saul looked else where for guidance.
When we find ourselves in a place of disobedience and sin, which we will. How do we respond? How do we view God? The answers to these questions can have a great impact on our lives and our effectiveness in life. Some would argue that if you believe in Jesus your sins are covered and you are forgiven so why does it matter? The impact of our lives and the consequences for our actions are not a matter of salvation. David even in the midst of his repentance had to face consequences that touched him and his family for generations. We need to be aware of our sins not because they can not be forgiven or our relationship with God destroyed, but because the effect on our lives and the lives of those around us. You can be forgiven for murder but the family of the victim still has to face the impact of the choice as well as the murderer facing the punishment.
The challenge I leave for myself and you is this. Can we allow forgiveness of sins to be a fix-it solution for sin? How do we view God in light of our moments of obedience and disobedience? How are we going to choose to respond to our past failures, our future failures, the consequences of our failures and the consequences of those around us?
I know for me I am still working on getting to the David like response.
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