The dynamics of discipleship (part 44)

“Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” – II SAMUEL 12:9,10

God rebukes David and tells him that the sword will never depart from his house, not just physical war but spiritual war with the devil, even in his own family. As Nathan delivered God’s word, conviction and Godly sorrow welled up in his heart and he fell down before the Lord confessing his sins in anguish.

The danger of willful sin is the hardening of our heart toward God and the spiritual blindness that brings deceit and deception causing us to walk in darkness as a blind man. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom that also convicts us and warns us not to sin against the Most High. The Bible instructs us to learn from these men’s mistakes and turn from our iniquities and transgressions in order to refrain from the dangers and consequences of disobedience.

As it was for Samson and David, two of the strongest men who ever lived, one experienced a sin unto death and the other a life filled with the horrible consequences of his actions. We would do well to examine their mistakes and learn from them lest we too suffer the same fate as they did.

Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.” – II SAMUEL 12:11,12