A Healthy Hatred of Sin

As I shared with you previously Charles Spurgeon once said, “God does not allow his children to sin successfully.” I contend an example of unsuccessful sin is found in 2 Samuel 11. From David’s sins presented in that chapter I find there are many lessons for Christ-followers to learn. These lessons can aid us in our efforts to avoid sin and become more like Jesus.

Let me list by way of review the first five observations made about sin from 2 Samuel 11, which were presented previously.
1. The Occasion for the Sin (11:1)
2. The Setting for the sin—temptation. (11:2)
3. The Turn into sin & away from God (11:3)
4. The Willfulness of sin (11:4)
5. The Unmanageable Nature of Sin (11:5-13)

Now let me share another five observations about sin from the remainder of the chapter and what the Lord taught me through these verses.

6. The Escalation of sin. (11:2-4, 13, 15, 17)

Once David’s plan for Uriah to enter into marital relations with Bathsheba as a means of covering up the pregnancy resulting from his adulterous liaison failed, David faced a decision. Should he admit his capital crime and come clean or should he have Uriah killed? Sadly, David chose to send Uriah and other soldiers to their grave through the orders he sent to the military commander Joab. Now David’s sin of adultery has escalated to multiple murders. So also in my life one sin can lead to another. Sin easily can escalate unless I quickly repent and renounce that sin.

7. The Disloyalty of sin (11:15)

It is an striking thing to contrast David and Uriah’s actions in these verses. David tried to deceive and manipulate this trusted member of his own bodyguard (2 Sam. 23:39). Yet Uriah showed unwavering devotion to the Lord and a solidarity with his fellow soldiers by refusing to enjoy the comforts of his own home. The irony is Uriah showed more restraint from his own wife when drunk (made drunk by David), than David did toward Uriah’s wife when sober. How could David be so disloyal? Yet sin will do that. It will lead you and me to manipulate and deceive and betray those we profess to love. Sin breeds disloyalty and destroys relationships.

8. The Desensitization of sin (11:25-27)

When you read these verses you cannot help but be saddened for how philosophical David gets when he hears the news of Uriah’s death. There is no sadness or remorse. Sin has desensitized him to the point where Uriah’s death brings no emotional response. He just quotes some proverb about warfare. His repeated, willful sin has made his heart callous. And surely the same dynamic happens in my life when I sin like that. I become desensitized to my transgressions and the harm they bring others as my heart becomes more and more distant from God as well.

9. The Assessment of sin (11:27)

We get little biblical data of what the people of Israel thought of all these acts by their king. He now took Bathsheba as a wife. Did people see that as compassionate or as unlawful? Well, regardless of what the people thought verse 27 makes it plain what God’s assessment of these actions was. God saw it as “evil” in his sight. It was nothing less than outright as sinfully evil. And that is how God assesses every sin of mine too. David’s evil would have to be judged and so was mine. Christ bore the judgment for my evil sin on the cross. Yet that payment should never make me falsely assess or excuse my sin. Rather, every instance of sin should make me rejoice all the more in Christ’s subsitutionary payment for my sin on the cross.

10. The Consequences of sin (11:17; 12:11, 14, 15)

As we move from Chapter 11 into Chapter 12 the consequences of David’s sin will unfold one after another. The child of the illegitimate union will die. His family will be destroyed by rape, murder, and rebellion. Forgiven sin will still have consequences. Therefore, though we may be forgiven in Christ we should want to avoid all sin simply because we do not want to reap the consequences of that sin. Obviously, there should be higher motives than that. But when we read the chapters that come after Chapter 11 it should be like a slap in the face to us. I certainly don’t want consequences like that for sin in my life.

Indeed, all of these ten lessons I learned about sin from 2 Samuel 11 create within me a healthy hatred of sin. I hope they will for you also. And as God reveals to us our sin may we respond with repentance as we read David did in 2 Samuel 12 remembering as Proverbs 28:13 states: He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever renounces them finds mercy.

Loving Christ & hating sin,
Pastor Scott