David, the man after God's own heart, committed adultery and then murdered a man to cover his sin. For at least 9 months, David refused to confess his sins, but God spoke (through Nathan). Spurgeon said, "God does not allow his children to sin successfully."
God prepares us for what He has prepared for us! The evil things we do are paid for on the installment plan; and bitter is the sorrow brought by the consequences of forgiven sin. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" Col. 10:12
AFTER THE VICTORY WE FORGET TO STAY ALERT FOR THE NEXT BATTLE! And that is what David did. He was idle !! Sam 11:1-3 David was about 50 years old...did not go to battle with his army...he could have been busy developing the strategy to his troops and given moral leadership even tho' he had been advised not to engage actively in warfare (21:15-17).
?WHEN YOU ARE NOT BUSY, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT? David laid aside his armor - do you lay aside your armor? Eph.6:10-18. David would have been safer on the battlefield than on the battlement of his house!!!
David went toward temptation by entertaining the 1st look...Joseph fled from a similar situation (Gen.19). - Matthew 26:41 should have been David's prayer: 1. lingering and looking, his temptation 2. sending the messengers,tempted Bathsheba 3. yielding to the flesh, tempted the Lord. WHEN WE KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS SIN (as David knew) we should not research for further infomation. Romans 16:19
David knew the law: We must KNOW, REMEMBER, APPLY!
We do not know to what extent Bathesheba was guilty of the encounter - she did not have to obey a king who himself was disobeying God's law. David and Bathsheba sinned against God...He is the One Who established tha marriage laws and He takes seriously the vows of the bride and groom whether they do or not!
David deviced a plan to cover his sin...it failed! He broke the ten commandments one by one...four! Proiv. 28:13.
Nathan had the task of confronting the king. His was a spiritual surgery assignment...he spoke for the Lord. Nathan told the king a story in a familiar to David setting...shepherd, sheep. The "traveler" in the story represents the temptation and lust that visited David on the roof and then controlled him. IF WE OPEN THE DOOR, SIN COMES IN AS A GUEST BUT SOON BECOMES THE MASTER!
Of all blindness, the worst kind is that which makes us blind to ourselves. YOU are the man! David had 1. forgotten the goodness of the Lord, 2. He thought he could get away with it! David PAID with horrendous consequences! What a price to pay for a few minutes of passion with his neighbor's wife.
David experienced God's forgiveness, but still experienced the consequences. V. 13-14, Psa. 130:3-4, Psa. 103:3-4, Psa. 32, 51, PSA. 32:5-6, Isa. 55:6
Chastening is an expression of God's love. Prov. 3:11-12 In the CHRISTIAN LIFE, CHASTENING isn't always God's response to our disobedience, sometimes He is preparing us for challenges yet to come...or training for obedience.
David looked back and saw this painful experience as God's goodness and mercy (Psa 23). In spite of his many sins, David was still a tender shepherd and a man after God's own heart. When he washed himself after the child's death, he symbolically was making a new beginning.
David's story is one we should dwell heavily on considering as life application for our lives. NEVER are we to use God's forgiveness as a license to sin. NEVER are we to consider that we are above God's displeasure when we commit sin. (Romans 6) Even with the wonderful gift of His forgiveness, the consequences are much to bear...a loss we cannot describe. Praise the Lord for the knowledge of knowing that He gave it all - it is done - at Calvary and our forgiveness is in His eternal bank...I John 1:9
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