This story of David is much like the way Christians struggle with sin today, especially when it comes to sins that have to do with sex. Those of us that know the Lord and have been following Him for a while either know right from wrong or at least can make a pretty good guess in situations that might be difficult to discern. So when we commit a sin it is not a matter of not knowing between right and wrong but more about our inability to control ourselves when faced with temptation.
Some sins can be addressed fairly easily through our means of self-control and do not require help from someone else. However, everyone has one or more weaknesses that go beyond our ability to change our self and just seem to get away from us. Without someone to point out to us what we do not see or encourage us to face up to our weakness we will continually damage our lives. Some examples of difficult sins that require help are unhealthy attachments to food, drugs, alcohol, pornography and sex.
I believe that everyone commits the sin of lust at some point in our lives. Due to the amazing influence the internet has had in our culture most people commit the sin of lust on a regular basis opening them up to the possibility of an addiction to pornography, having an affair and even far more destructive behaviors. Just like David’s sin, these sins are usually done in secret with the idea that nobody can see us or knows what we are doing. However, the results of our secret sins affect the lives of our family in a profound way. While the sin is done in secret the results are in plain view for everyone else to see. Others see the guilty look on our faces, the broken relationships that surround us, our children acting out with anger and disregard for authority. Even, people we work with can see the affect it has on our job performance. Those of us that are committing one of these sins often do not see the destruction until we have caused so much that it is beyond repair and far more extensive and far reaching than we ever imagined.
We cannot change the results and consequences of our sins, but we can do what it takes to stop the sin we are committing right now even if it requires some help from key partners in our church family.
Place yourself in the shoes of David as you read 2Samuel 12:1-14 and answer the questions below.
- How long would David have continued in his lifestyle unless Nathan confronted him?
- What might have happened to his children or his kingdom if he was never confronted?
- How did David overcome the sin in his life and make things right again?
- How do we choose the right person to ask for help overcoming our weakness?
