13475_a

. . . than it is to take down an oak tree.

 

It was that first look that struck the match. But the second look exploded into flames in his lap and ignited a devastating wildfire that hurt so many people for years to come.

 

David’s fall with Bathsheba . . . the subsequent murder of Uriah and the cover-up that followed . . . it all raises so many questions.

 

How could he?

Why would he?

Could it even be possible this is the same man?

The sweet psalmist of Israel?  The heroic giant slayer? The man after God’s heart?

 

He could. He did. And it is.

 

If you’re thinking, “Why, I could never . . . “  then you need to hit the pause button and take a deeper look into your own heart.

 

The Allies made that mistake during WWII when they dismissed intelligence reports.  News filtered in about what was happening to Jewish people. Roosevelt and Chamberlain initially thought such things could never happen in Germany—not there. How could a culture that produced Bach and Beethoven be capable of such atrocities? They could. They did.

 

Our mistake is failing to remember the doctrine of original sin. The seeds of every sin, even the most horrific ones, lie dormant in each heart. Adultery, murder, lies, cover-up. No amount of education can ultimately rid the human heart of its natural bend. The holocaust proved that.

 

Do you realize that, given the right set of circumstances and the right opportunity, we all are capable of anything?  The scripture warns us, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). 

 

The Puritan preacher John Owen wrote, “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” The worst mistake we could make is to think we are incapable of such sins. And I wonder how many small sins we tolerate in our lives—sins that can destroy us.

 

As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The creation of a thousand forests are in one acorn.”

Take even a quick, honest look into your heart and you will see seeds of jealousy, pride, self-centeredness. Plant these seeds into the right soil, give them sunlight and enough water, and you know what they can become? A forest.

 

David mistakenly thought the enemy was only on the outside; that the war was only on the battlefield and not in his own heart. With his armor safely stowed, or hung as a trophy of bygone days, did he not realize there were still battles to fight? Enemies to be vanquished? This enemy was about to ravage his life.

 

It has been said, “Conversion has made our hearts a battlefield.” So true.

 

David was given several warnings. Obstacles were put there to prevent his sin, but these went unheeded. Afterward, David suffered with unspeakable guilt. The way of the transgressor is hard isn’t it?

 

But though the thing David did displeased the Lord . . . the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. That’s Grace. I read this good quote by F.B. Meyer, “Though God may suffer his people to fall into sin, He will not suffer them to lie still in it.”

 

What would it be like to be Nathan? To have the heartbreak of knowing about David’s sin, so disgusted, so disappointed that he wanted to wash his hands of David. How easy, how convenient it would be to just walk away. But that isn’t what a faithful friend would do. True friends won’t. True friends lovingly confront—not to hurt, but to bring repentance and restoration. You may be hiding a sin, even as you read this. Do you realize it isn’t hidden from God? And it is destroying your life.

 

Do you have a “Nathan” to confront you? If not, would you let me lovingly do so right here, right now? Think about this. Our greatest flaws, the ones that have potential to destroy us, are so often the ones we can’t see. They are deceitful . . . and they harden you. What will you do about them?

 

Say what David said, without making excuses: I have sinned. Every one of us is guilty, but God is faithful to warn us. It is up to us to forsake the sin that will kill us.

 

What can we learn about the deceitfulness and trickery of sin?

 

  • Realize we are all capable.
  • Remember there is no spiritual plateau that we can reach which makes us incapable of falling into unimaginable sin.
  • Recognize that the battle is all around us—and perhaps most unrecognized, in our own heart.
  • Repent, sooner rather than later. God is merciful. He is forgiving. If we cover our sin, He will expose it. But if we uncover our sin, confess and repent, He will cover it.

 

Faithful are the wounds of a friend . . .