When Tangled in Sin - II Samuel 9 - 12

I pondered a moment as the lesson title stood out before us today, just wondering why the author used the word “when” and not just “Tangled in Sin.” One answer seems clear and appropriate, we all will sin and there is no question about that. The only question about the matter of our sinning is when will it happen? It is not whether you will mess up or not. You will make mistakes. The course of your life after you sin depends entirely on your attitude toward your guilt and your willingness to repent.

The theme for the next three-month study is “Finding Stability in a Turbulent World.” It sounds as if we will be starting our study about the conditions of America on Election Day in November 2008. But for sure the date is slightly prior to that time—how about the days when King David reigned in Israel. During several hundred years of reign under the Judges and Kings it actually appears that each one that came to power tried to out do his predecessor in graft, greed, corruption, war, murder and immorality. Only three or four of these many leaders were considered to be Godly men. Even though David was deeply involved in many of the ungodly procedures, he was one of the few that were considered Godly—not because he was without sin…but because of his repentant spirit.

Our lesson this week is focused on the lowest period of David’s life. The first episode of this story occurred because David had an uncontrolled sexual drive that led him into an extramarital affair with Bathsheba. There is a legion of sad and destructive results of this immoral act that was culminated in the cover-up attempt that led to the murder of an innocent, honest, and dedicated soldier. I hope and pray that the wayward government servants in America today can and will discover from David’s experience that when God’s people confess their sins, God will respond by graciously forgiving their sins and giving them a new beginning.

For a period of about forty-years prior to November 2008, those of us who are older have stood by and watched America become publicly anti-Christ, socially immoral, and spiritually dead. This is not a problem of political parties…it is a personal people problem—Republicans and Democrats are both guilty. I wish my memory was better and I could name the long and much extended list of criminal and otherwise unacceptable public servants. There is a list floating around that I have recently seen, and it is unbelievable.

This notorious list includes people who were/are Representatives, Senators, Judges, Governors, CEO’s and Presidents of large banks and huge cooperation’s, as well as State Officials, County Officials, and at least two United States Presidents. You will remember enough about these scandals to know many of whom I speak. This notorious gang contains liars, thieves, adulterous, homosexuals, extortionist, most of them are actually capable of committing any crime that can be named—and they are unworthy of the office they hold while they render the office entrusted to them to be of absolutely no use to the people it was established to serve.

Each and every violation against their public trust is the result of a personal character defect that is immoral in nature and their uncontrolled love of money and power. The thing that stands out in my memory is that I do not remember a single one that has been arrested and charged that has admitted their guilt and ask for forgiveness.

The lesson today and the materials connected with the problems during the rule of the priest, judges and Kings illustrate how God blessed and rewarded obedience and faith, while judging the righteous and disciplining disobedient. At this time in history, David had successfully united all of the twelve divided tribes into one nation, Israel. The stronger leaders of what had been the Northern Kingdom were never satisfied and for the next seventy years there were numerous conflicts and wars frequently cropping up somewhere in the nation that caused David to need to be constantly aware and prepared.

Note: In my minds eye it is easy for me to compare this period in Israel’s history to the last seventy years of our U. S. History. There are many similarities to be found between the two nations. We have been frequently involved in an actual war, or the settling of some on-going conflict between other countries. As recorded above, many of our officials have failed in one way or another to do their best in pleasing God and man with their decisions, administrations and even their lifestyles. There is one major difference in the final results of major decisions that are made today. In bible days it was customary for the King to personally go to battle. Today, neither the President nor members of congress have to report for active duty in the service. If America had a policy that the President and all congressmen under the age of 62 would be the first ones called to active duty I doubt that we would have gone to war in Vietnam, Korea, Kuwait, Iraqi, and several of the more minor conflicts in which we have been involved.

The eleventh chapter warns us about the power of lust that can control the strongest of men. It was the time of year—and the custom of the day—for Kings to go into battle. Uriah and Bathsheba were King David’s close neighbors; and many times he had seen her less than fully dressed on the veranda, through the windows, and sun-bathing on their roof. David had developed a lustful urge to be with her. Since David longed for her in his heart, he made sure that Uriah was sent into battle, and he stayed in his castle. While Uriah was away serving his country, David used the opportunity to seduce Bathsheba and she was with his child. King David sent special orders to Joab, the commanding officer, directing him to assign Uriah in a harm’s way that would assure his death.

[David intentionally gave this order to kill an innocent man, which was equivalent to First Degree Murder. His intent was to cover all the other sins in which he had been involved which included at least, jealousy, coveting, lying, stealing, deceitfulness, lust, and adultery.]

When Uriah did not return home Bathsheba mourned for him according to Jewish custom. After the mourning was over, David took her into his house as his bride and she bore his son. God was displeased.

I have often wondered what was on David’s mind during this nine month period. We know that he was not unaware of his horrible mistakes and that he had already started his process of repenting, but he must have been very concerned about what the final consequence would be. God had not told him and did not tell him until he sent the prophet Nathan to him in 12: 01.

Can you imagine the difficulty that a Priest would have in confronting the King of his nation to charge him as being the rich man that had just taken advantage of a lonely soldier, robbing him of his wife and then ordering that the husband be killed? It was difficult enough for the Priest to preach God’s word to His people and face them with their daily sins and accusations that would make most men mad. But, just to walk up to the King and say; “Ha! David, I just dropped by to remind you that you are an adulterer, and a murderer.” That would have been bad news.

Now read and study the story of the two men that lived in the same town. One was rich and one poor. One had much wealth and many animals while the poor man had only one animal and it was a household pet. The Priest cleverly put a lot of hair on his story and made it sound so real that David’s wrath was stirred against anyone that would commit such an evil deed. It is obvious that David had not recognized that the story was all about him and his evil deed. In fact, David was angry and demanded that the traveler that did this cruel deed should be killed. David must have been shocked to the toe of his boots when Nathan said, “That man is you!” Or, “You are the man!” According to the title of the lesson, “David was Tangled in Sin.” “When?” Was it at the moment David looked at Bathsheba with lust in his heart? NO! It started there but entanglement occurred when David first failed to seek forgiveness.

“All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” We do not become entangled in sin when we sin—not at the very moment we commit the sin. No. However that is just the beginning of our entanglement. The very moment that a Christian realizes that he has sinned—he/she must repent and seek forgiveness in order to avoid a devastating entanglement in sin that will require that a penalty be paid.

Let us take this incident to establish God’s law regarding sin and forgiveness. David would have to go back to the very first time…the moment that he looked at Bathsheba with lust in his heart. He sinned. He was already a sinner. He could not help it, it just happened. He could not prevent it, it happened before he realized it was happening. However, he was not at this moment entangled in sin…for if he had realized what had just happened, and immediately repented to God, and ordered Satan out of his thoughts and life—God would have immediately forgiven him and there would have been no further payment for or punishment of sin.

David allowed a known sin to grow for at least nine months before he sincerely repented and ask God to forgive him. As a result of his entanglement, two people died, two families were broken, and many lost faith and confidence in David, and he kept paying for his sins for the rest of his life.