George Speers explores the lessons that can be learnt from this deep and dark experience of King David, an experience that could be all too relevant for any Christian.
The circumstances of David’s temptation
King David had sent his men to war, but did not go himself, despite Kings generally leading their men into battle. He had neglected his duty, and perhaps as a result of his recent successes in battle, he had taken his eyes off the Lord. His zeal for the work, and enthusiasm f...
George Speers explores the lessons that can be learnt from this deep and dark experience of King David, an experience that could be all too relevant for any Christian.
The circumstances of David’s temptation
King David had sent his men to war, but did not go himself, despite Kings generally leading their men into battle. He had neglected his duty, and perhaps as a result of his recent successes in battle, he had taken his eyes off the Lord. His zeal for the work, and enthusiasm for the battle had been dampened. Surely it is under circumstances such as these that we are most susceptible to sin.
The progress of David’s enticement
King David saw, then he sent and then he lay. At each step of the process, he could and should have dealt with his sin. He should have stopped and considered his circumstances, he should have gone into a quiet place with the Lord. But sin doesn’t take time for thought, sin moves quickly and takes over the entire thought-process. King David had, at times, been closer to the Lord than we could even imagine, yet now his entire mind is occupied by sinful thoughts. Every believer is capable of every sin. It is dangerous to assume ‘that’ll never happen to me’. It is simply by God’s mercy that it has not already happened.
The complexity of David’s sin
The sin of King David went much deeper than the adultery itself. Covetousness, deceit, lies, murder, stealing, disobedience, dishonour are all seen in the actions of David before the end of this chapter. Sin is no simple matter. Sin is deceptive, and will subtly draw us into more sin. Once again, the mercy of God is our only hope.
The heart of David’s failure
In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan comes to King David with a heart-wrenching story about a rich man who takes and destroys all that a poor man has. Touched by this story, David asks ‘who is this man?’, to which Nathan replies ‘Thou art the man.’ At the heart of this sin, lies the sad reality that David’s actions not only caused much pain and suffering to those involved, it also displeased the Lord (2 Samuel 11:27). The Lord dealt with David’s sin by bringing him face-to-face with the reality of his actions, drawing him to sorrow and repentance.
This passage is a warning to any believer. Can any Christian fall into the deepest and darkest of sin. Sadly, the answer is, of course, yes. Therefore we must seek God’s help to guard our eyes, our minds and our hearts. We must remain enthusiastic about the battle for God, and keep that close fellowship with the Saviour. The further we are from the Lord, the more likely we are to suffer these temptations. And remember, no matter how far we fall, no matter how deep sin takes us, as the redeemed of God, our heavenly Father waits with open arms to draw us back to Himself.
The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2
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