HAVE YOU ever sinned and had a gut feeling that you have done something wrong or continued to live your life as if nothing happened?
John Newton, the writer of the Amazing Grace hymn, was a slave ship captain when he ran into a severe storm along the coast of Ireland. He cried out to God, but he did not fully accept his sin.
He later made amends when he spoke against slavery in the British Parliament.
There was something about his conscience that wouldn't let go.
The Narrative
IT WAS SPRINGTIME when most soldiers go to war, and David stayed back in Jerusalem.
Early one evening, he saw a woman bathing on a roof —and she was stunning.
The king sent someone to find out who she was, and a word came that she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite, one of David's officers who had gone to war.
And the king couldn't get her off his mind. He sent for Bathsheba and laid with her. (2 Samuel 11:1-26)
David sinned before God.
How do you handle filthy thoughts?
YOU MAY NOT be able to stop a thought from passing through your mind, but you can prevent it from staying there.
You demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break down every arrogant attitude that rises in defiance of God's real knowledge. You capture every thought and insist that it bows in obedience to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
When you become a believer, you put to death the immoral thoughts that come through you, and you do not feast on them. (Colossians 3:5)
The struggle can be intense, but you have all you need to win.
Watch your desire
DAVID SENT for Uriah and told him to go home, but he spent the night at the king's palace entrance.
And when he couldn't get him to go home, he wrote a letter to Joab, the head of his army and sent it through Uriah.
He told Joab to put Uriah where the battle was fiercest and pull back so the enemy will strike him.
One wonders what Joab thought when he read the letter. He knew that the king was committed to killing Uriah.
These acts were some of the lowest points in David's life. A man who loved God went against his values.
When Uriah died, his wife mourned his death. When the mourning was over, David sent men to bring her to his palace.
Did Bathsheba know about her husband's death? She seems complicit in the plot because she told David that she was pregnant.
When desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin grows, it brings forth death. (James 1:15)
Obedience unlocks understanding
Have this Understanding
GOD KNOWS your heart, and he knows all things. (1 John 3:19-24)
He sent Nathan, the prophet to David, and the Man of God told him the story of two men who lived in a city—one was quite rich, and the other was poor.
While the rich man had many flocks, the poor man had a lamb raised as a pet.
A traveller came to visit the wealthy man, and he took the poor man's ewe, killed it and prepared it for his guest.
Since David's moral duty was to protect the poor and give them justice, he had to pronounce a verdict. (2 Samuel 12:1-12)
“The man who did this deserves to die,” he said. David couldn't see himself in the story.
If you are going to make progress in your walk with God, you must see yourself in the Bible's stories.
Like David, we have the 'sense of oughtness.' We see the sins of others and not ourselves.
We are not to focus on the flaws in someone else's eye and not notice our glaring flaws. (Matthew 7:3-5)
"David, you are the man," said Nathan.
Nathan reminded him that God chose him, took the throne from Saul and gave it to him. And he will bring trouble to the house of David. (2 Samuel 12:7-12)
David's conscience pricked him.
Take Ownership
IN HIS RESPONSE, he made no excuses—and he fully acknowledged his sin. (Psalm 51)
Obedience unlocks understanding - Rick Warren.
We must understand that there can be no reconciliation until we acknowledge our sins—if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
DAVID FAILED GOD and asked for forgiveness.
When you embrace sin, you bring disgrace to God's name and give his enemies an occasion to say something terrible.
However, when you walk in obedience to His Word, you bring glory to His name.