a child of god
this is the way, run in it
I'm in 2 Samuel Chapter 11 today and it's all about sin. Lust, adultery, murder and blackmail. Yes, it is the story of how King David got into trouble, sinned, and then tried to cover it up. What struck me this morning is how easy it is to fall into the trap of scheming. David was scheming, trying to find a way to cover up his sin. Here's a definition of scheming. Another word for scheming is manipulation. When we try to get our way by manipulation, trying to make something go our way, we can all too easily fall into the error of not acting with integrity, of not doing the right thing with the right motives. In this story in Chapter 11, there is a stellar example of integrity, which we'll get to in a bit.
What also struck me about this story today is how many times David could have stopped and chosen not to sin. Those decision points where we can change the direction we are going in, David plowed right through on the wrong course. The chapter opens with this, "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle..." David didn't go! He sent his commander and his army and the ark of the covenant, but he didn't go himself. He stayed behind in comfort, with nothing to do, in Jerusalem. We start to think something bad is going to happen when we read that, because it is a departure from what one would expect and a departure from David's nature and previous actions. David could have gone to war as most kings do, but for some reason he chose not to. While he is in Jerusalem, he accidentally sees a woman, a very beautiful woman, taking a bath up on her rooftop. There's nothing wrong with that. He could have chosen to turn his eyes away and not think about her anymore. But he chooses to act on the lust that rose up in him when he saw her. He asks his servants who she is. He then finds out she is married to Uriah the Hittite, one of his soldiers. He could have said, oh well, she's married and not available, and walked away from sin there. But he didn't. He chooses again to sin. He sends for her, they sleep together, and she becomes pregnant. All this while her husband is away fighting for Israel and his King. David could have stopped his path of sin destruction there by confessing what he had done, admitting that he is responsible for the pregnancy. That would have been the path of integrity, if with shame. But he didn't. He went on to make matters worse. He sent for Uriah from the battle front and he asked for reports from the battle. But what he really wanted (so we see he is scheming here, trying to cover up his true motivation) was for Uriah to sleep the night at his own home, with his own wife, so David and Bathsheba could hide their sin and say the baby was Uriah's. But Uriah does not do that. He chooses the way that seems right to him, a path of integrity, and sleeps at the door of the king's palace with the other servants of the king. When David asks him the next day, "Why didn't you go home last night?!" Here is what Uriah says, "The ark (God's presence Himself with His people) and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab (the commander of the army) and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul (ironic that he swears by King David's soul at this point), I will not do this thing" (v.11). Uriah did what he thought was right. David tries again. The next night he gets Uriah drunk and hopes that Uriah will then go down to his house and sleep with his wife. He doesn't. Even though he did get drunk, he still slept outside the king's house. That is how strong that vein of integrity was within Uriah. David could have stopped there and faced the music, but he doesn't. We read that he goes on to ask Joab the commander of the army to set Uriah up so he gets killed - David arranges a murder, which also leaves David open to blackmail from Joab later on. I always wonder why Joab did this and what would have happened if he had questioned it or chosen not to do this, but he doesn't either. Makes me wonder about his motivation. After Uriah dies, and after a period of mourning, David takes Bathsheba into his own household and makes her his wife. And the story continues in Chapter 12. The point today is sin can not be covered up. It will be exposed at some point. God's word says that. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Luke 12:2). Temptation and the sin that follows acting on temptation is a slippery slope. One step in the wrong direction can lead to more and more. And there will always be consequences. It is never too late to stop and turn our back on sin and say, no, far be it from me to sin against God and others by doing this. As for me, I will choose not to sin. I will choose the path of integrity. It is much better to stop, regardless of where you are on the path of sin, and not go any further. If David had stopped at any point before the murder of Uriah, the lives of several people would have been saved and the consequences would have been less. There were 7 places where David could have chosen to not pursue his sin or the covering of it up. 7 times when he could have repented and stopped. It isn't my intention to say that David is the worst sinner ever. God's word says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). I have sinned, too, and looking back, I can see where I could have stopped and made the right choice, and it would have gone better for me and others. The point I see in this today is I need to examine my heart on a daily basis and make sure that I'm not scheming after something myself. I want a pure heart with pure motives before my God who sees my heart and knows everything. He can help us with that! My heart is God's garden. I ask Him to tend it daily, to weed out anything that shouldn't be there and to plant the seeds of love and peace and kindness and righteousness - all the aspects of character and heart that please Him. He tends my heart. And I'm so thankful. Not scheming is having pure motives. If my motive is to love and serve God and others, not seeking after anything for myself but trusting God to take care of me, then I should act and speak like that. Dear Father God, please help me live this out today before You, by Your Holy Spirit's power working within me, and the example of Your Son Jesus to follow, in His name, Amen.
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