The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 13:14 that David was “a man after God’s own heart”, yet he sinned against God; he broke The Law. Recorded history reveals that King David broke “Thou Shalt Not Kill” and “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” out of selfishness, out of the lust of his flesh.  Perhaps most of us would agree that those are the two worst sins? In fact, most scholars list adultery’ as “the greatest sin” and it was punishable by death during the Old Testament times. 

Our modern dictionaries define ‘adultery’ as “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse” and ‘murder’ as the “unlawful, premeditated killing of one human being by another”.  Killing is sometimes justified, but not adultery. Adultery is and has always been grounds for divorce because the marriage vows contain promises of honoring the spouse and forsaking all others “until death doeth part”. Simply put, adultery is traitorous, betrayal of a trust. Does the adulterer not expose their spouse to danger by treacherously giving personal information to an enemy? The person becomes like a double agent, deceitfully divulging secrets and then lying about it to the trusting side because they have given away something that isn’t theirs to freely give. One similar description of adultery is “they lay bare; revealing and uncovering private information for someone that shouldn’t have it” (unknown).

Yes, history records King David as the greatest king of ancient Israel and described him as “a man after God’s own heart” because of his extraordinary devotion to the Lord. Even so, he is also remembered as one of history’s greatest sinners, committing the “greatest” of sins, the two awful acts of adultery and murder. Let’s expound on these two sins to show the seriousness of David’s behaviors. How did the king’s sins impact his kingdom? How did David’s sins affect his family and friends? How did David’s sins affect David, himself? Most importantly, how did God respond?

Unmistakably, sin has consequences and leads to death (Ro.6:23). That is the cause-effect principle that follows the pattern laid down at the creation. Everything created has a seed from which it reproduces itself after its own kind (Gen.1:11, 21, 25). In other words, we cannot plant a field of wheat and expect to harvest anything else but wheat. We cannot “plant” seeds of sin privately and still not expect to reap a harvest of its consequences. And those consequences have a way of spreading over everyone and anyone that encounters us because of another principle called association. 

It is said, “No one sins in a vacuum”. Indeed, sin always affects those within the sinner’s realm of influence. The Bible teaches us that our behaviors and our associations matter. Scripture characterizes leavening as a representative example of sin (Gal.5). As leaven (yeast) is added to the making of bread and spreads throughout the dough, sin will spread throughout a congregation. The Living Bible paraphrases Galatians 5:9 this way: “But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others––a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough!” The principle indicates that those around us can be blessed or hurt by mere association with us. Our choices and actions, both privately and publicly, will affect those around us. Paul quotes an old proverb while instructing the Corinthians: “Do not be so deceived {and} misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt {and} deprave good manners {and} morals {and} character.” (1 Cor.15:33, AMP).

Sin may be hidden initially, but then almost always someone else finds out about it. Sometimes, it may seem that people sin without visible consequences, but what is secret will one day be made manifest. “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17). Can we ever honestly say that there is anyone in our lives who wouldn’t be affected by a secret sin if it should become known? The Bible tells us to “be sure your sin will find you out” (Num.32:23). Once a sin is discovered, your witness as well as people “associated” with your life will be harmed. This may include your family, friends, congregations, and perhaps even business associates? It may even affect those you don’t know personally in your community. After all, David didn’t KNOW every person in his kingdom, but they were definitely affected as well.  In fact, the entire Christian community will be harmed just because it damages the cause of Christ as unbelievers mock our failures, by accusing The Church of being hypocritical. We blaspheme His name, “take it in vain” when we misrepresent Him to the world.

At times, even though a fellow Christian has begun going down the wrong path, we are reluctant to sever ties. Paul had to address this kind of situation problem in Corinth when a brother congregant was committing fornication (I Corinthians 5:1-2). The Corinthians continued to welcome the man into their gatherings. I can imagine them saying, “At least he is still coming to church; he might get convicted by coming” so forth. But, tolerance of sin never convicts; it encourages. The Bible clearly states that it’s our obligation to confront and admonish such behaviors. When we become comfortable with sin, even just comfortable being around sin it is a troubling sign. Many people seek advice and counsel from those they are comfortable with and who typically will tell them what they want to hear instead of seeking wise counsel from those with a voice of experience and reality.

“How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers!
 Instead, he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands.
He meditates on his commands day and night.” –Psalm 1: 1,2

 When we focus on the life that centers around the Word of God, it produces blessedness. Psalm 1 is a prescription for living a blessed life. Someone once told me that ‘ungodly’ simply means not considering God at all, in anything in any way; do not take ungodly advice.  Think about how, oftentimes, an animal will chew its own leg off to get out of a trap. Once you recognize that you are caught in the snare of sin and have become comfortable living there, you need to do whatever is necessary to get out. No matter what, you must cut it off. Paul told Timothy to correct “with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it], And that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God’s] will” (2 Tim.2:25-26, AMP).

It’s pertinent to mention that at the time of David’s sin of adultery, Uriah (the man whom David had killed) was fighting for the kingdom, where he was supposed to be, while David, as king, was not. Let’s consider this fact and ask ourselves where we are meant to be the next time that we come upon a temptation to sin. According to Pastor Dennis Stewart, there’s a basic pattern of all sin:

1. We SEE something that looks good to the eyes, and then, take a second look.
2. We SEND our thought life after it, meditating mindlessly on the forbidden thought.
3. We TAKE that thought into our hearts as our own.
4. We ACT on that sinful thought.
5. Result? Our sin GIVES BIRTH TO DEATH (separation from fellowship with God).

The pastor also expresses, “DON’T TAKE THE SECOND LOOK!”  The verse that comes to mind is about “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”, written to the Corinth Church by Paul (2Cor.10:5).

We can be certain that if King David could, he would make a different decision beginning by not taking a second look at Bathsheba. Then, he would have gone to battle instead of staying home. We can be certain because the price of David’s sin of adultery and murder was high, and he spent the rest of his life regretting it. The words from The LORD given by the prophet haunted him, “The sword shall never depart from thine house because thou hast despised me [the Lord]” (2 Sam.12:10). In one psalm, he expresses his mental torment and pleads for forgiveness.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me…Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”
(Ps.51:1–3, 10–11.)

As a result of one wrong decision, David’s earthly kingdom began to fall apart through inner contention and strife. Eventually, David received the assurance that his soul would be “delivered … from the lowest hell” (Ps.86:12–13). However, this assurance could not restore the consequences of his actions. He lost the blessings of a peaceful kingdom and a peaceful household which were interrelated because of the royal order of ascension to the throne. I urge this audience to re-read 2 Samuel for comprehension of the complete domino effects of David’s sin of adultery.

Bottomline, the truth remains that “the wages of sin is death” (Ro.6:23). God expects His born-again children to grow up in the faith, learning about His standards of living. Holy Spirit is our teacher in these ways as we read His Word which literally spells them out for us.  “… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor.10:31). When a born-again child of God begins to lose the zeal of salvation, it’s a warning sign because we, as children, should want to please our Father, to glorify Him on this Earth. Even though there are times when fail, God has made provision for us to be in fellowship with Him. God will forgive anyone who repents, even the worst of sinners. It’s our promise found in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When unrepentant people flagrantly defy the standards of God’s Word, it must be dealt with quickly. But today the swing has swung so far to the side of “understanding and forgiveness” that we almost never exercise Biblical discipline. Sexual sin is rampant in America, and it doesn’t seem that The Church addresses it much, neither in the Pulpit nor in the voting booth. Did you know that a well-known atheist, Penn Jillette, said that he does not respect any Christian who does not attempt to convert people to their faith? Here is how Jillette stated it:

“… If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward, and atheists who think that people shouldn’t proselytize — ‘Just leave me alone, keep your religion to yourself.’ “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? …How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

What do you think about tolerance of a brethren’s flagrant sin now? The wages will surely be paid unless a person receives God’s gift of life in Christ. For those who have not entered a saving relationship with Jesus, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). The consequences of sin are undeniable, and Hell is a dreadful reality. How do these realities affect your desire to share the Gospel and save the lost? If anything gives us a burden for the lost or a backslidden believer, the knowledge of the consequences of sin should.  Those who have accepted Jesus, who has paid the “wages” for sin, have hope and surety of Heaven. God does forgive anyone who repents, even the worst of sinners like King David.