Sin Has Consequences

2 Samuel 12:9-11

“Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own. 11 This is what the LORD says: Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you…”

King David, honored God, and God honored him. From reading the Psalms, there can be little question that David loved God with all his heart. Yet, he fell into some significant sins through a series of very weak, poor choices.

At a time when he should have been off fighting with his men, he stayed behind in Jerusalem. Could it have been his conscience that left him sleepless and out on his roof at night? He did not avert his eyes when he spotted Bathsheba bathing; and worse, he gave into temptation to send for her and slept with her. When she discovered she was pregnant, David had his very loyal friend, Uriah, killed because he was her husband.

Psalm 51 records David’s repentance, and God extended forgiveness. But, sin has consequences. For the rest of David’s life his family and his throne was beleaguered with every kind of imaginable trouble. The second half of 2 Samuel records these many tragic consequences.

When tempting thoughts come, we must take them captive, reject them, and make the right decision. The consequences of sin are not worth it.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn how to say “no” to temptation quickly.

Dive Deeper: Study 2 Samuel 12; Galatians 6:7-8.