2 Samuel 11
Sin has long arms.
Upon seeing Bathsheba bathing, the first sin David committed in 2 Samuel 11 was coveting his neighbor’s wife, a violation of the tenth commandment in the law of Moses. But coveting his neighbor’s wife was not the end.
David then sent messengers to inquire about her and then again to bring her to him. Then he committed fornication with her. But fornication was not the last sin.
Because Bathsheba was now with child, David conspired to deceive her husband Uriah to think he was the father of that child. But his plan did not work. David’s deceitful workings were still not the end.
So David gave Uriah intoxicants in order to get him drunk. But that still was not the end of his sinning spree.
So David had Uriah put into battle position to guarantee his death – in essence, pre-meditated murder on David’s part.
David’s sins had costly consequences – murders within his family, his own son committing fornication with David’s wives, and the death of his child. But greater still was this result: “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Sam 12:10-14).
Do we see the progression of sin? Do we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin?
“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5:8)!
“Flee fornication” (1 Cor 6:18)!
“Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Tim 2:22)!
“Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink arouses brawling, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov 20:1)!
“Lie not one to another” (Col 3:9)!
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt 5:21-22)!
When David sinned by coveting Uriah’s wife, he could have never supposed what other sins he would go into.
We learn from David’s experience that sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, it will keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and it will cost you more than you intended to pay.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23a).
Let us not compound sin upon sin. The only right thing to do with a sin is to acknowledge it, repent of it, and to pray God, confessing it and asking His forgiveness!
-Larry Jones