Bible Chapter: II Samuel 11 & 12

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    The Bible tells us the whole story.  Sadly, King David didn’t continue along his path of seeking
God and following after God’s heart.  All of David’s success brought him wealth, position and the life of luxury.  This brought him to a place where he didn’t lead the army and the nation in the same way.  He should have been out with the soldiers, but instead he stayed home and enjoyed the sumptuousness of the palace.
    We see David’s weakness regarding beautiful women and his abuse of power.  When he saw Bathsheba he used his position and authority to demand she come to be with him.  When his sin was about to be exposed he used his power again to try to manipulate and cover things up.  When that didn’t succeed he plotted a murder.  These events brought judgement and negatively impacted the rest of his life.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    It is easy to think that no one will ever know what I do.  That is a lie of the enemy.  It is easy to use position or experience to think that these rules don’t apply to me.  That happens often in every generation.  God’s rules are the best rules to follow.  They keep a person out of trouble.  David learned the hard way that being the king didn’t exempt him from accountability to a higher authority, God.
    The good news is that God offers forgiveness to those who repent.  David received that.  The sad news is that the consequences of sin will remain.  Today there are many people who are believers in Jesus who have sinned and then received God’s mercy and grace to forgive.  Yet, they still live with the effects of their sins that impact not only themselves but their family and friends as well.  We must never listen to the enemy who tried to deceive us to play around with sin.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Understanding the issue of temptation and the consequences of sin is foundational to a growing and maturing life.  Get close to Jesus and stay away from the place where it will be easy to yield to sin.  These simple steps will take a person a long ways towards victory in life.