Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. II Samuel 12:10-14. For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Job 34:21,22. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13. Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Jeremiah 23:23,24.   Do Not Be Deceived Sin, in any form, canNOT be covered or kept secret, no matter how hard we may try to conceal it. We might fool our wife, our husband, our family, the preacher, the whole community, but remember: the wheels of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. Time will uncover that which we do. God is NO respector of persons. He has no favorites or contracts or seniority. Sin is Sin, no matter who commits it--even a preacher--a person whose conduct and influence should be above reproach. If we deliberately disobey God's Word, we have sinned. It is NOT a "shortcoming" or a "fault" or a "character flaw": it is SIN! We cannot trifle with the Word of God and still have His approval upon our life. Any who might think they can are badly deceived! The devil knows he cannot make a saint of God go into open sin, so he works slowly and cunningly to accomplish his purpose. He is always waiting to tempt us and draw us away from the things of God everyday that we must live. We need to keep in mind that he is EVER on our trail, and he is NOT about to let up! The Apostle Paul, that great man of God, realized he could backslide, too, if he was not EVER VIGILANT before the Lord. He said, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. I Corinthians 9:27. Great men (and women) of God in the past (and in the present) have faithfully stood before people and preached the Word of God, but somewhere in their lives, they fell by the wayside. That should be a warning to the rest of us! David's Downfall At one time, David loved and feared God above all else. God had used him in many ways. He was a man after God's own heart. Yet there came a time in his life when he set aside all righteous principles and let a spirit of lust take hold of him. That act caused his reputation, his influence and his character to become disgraced. In II Samuel 11:1, we find: And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. This is where the problem began: David sent Joab to do that which David should have been doing--David stayed behind. That's like so many of us today--we want to relegate and delegate, but we don't want to move our lazy selves to action! When we disobey that which the Lord has told us to do, there may not be an immediate clap of thunder closely followed by a direct hit of lightning (we've got so much paganism incorporated into our lives--we try to define the LIVING God with tales of Thor or Zeus!) but the journey AWAY FROM GOD begins from the first second we disobey! At any second, we can turn and repent, moving back into the Way and Will of God, but how many times do we do that? So there Ole' David was. Now it seems "innocent" enough--verse 2 tells us, And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house... Well, what's wrong with that? Nothing, but see how David's sending another man to do the job he was appointed and anointed by God to do will begin to compound against him. Let's finish II Samuel 11:2: ...and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. Well, that's 2 outta 3 for the used-to-be stinking shepherd boy who God had elevated to the highest position in the land: (1) Pride of life: too proud and full of himself and his own accomplishments, and (2) Lust of the eyes. There's nothing wrong with a woman being beautiful (or a man being handsome). David, LIKE SO MANY OF US, could have turned away after HE SAW A WOMAN WASHING HERSELF, but he didn't. He stayed until AND THE WOMAN WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK UPON. LUST had him in its grip! That initial glimpse and recognition of beauty had extended into a GAZE, and that GAZE quickly morphed into, "Bring me the gritty on that gal!" And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the WIFE of Uriah the Hittite? II Samuel 11:3. How many places for a U-TURN have you already counted for Ole' King David? (1) Should have readied himself and joined his troops; (2) Should have immediately turned away when he saw the woman bathing; (3) Gone no further when he found out she was the wife of another man. Remember, first David felt pride of life, then lust of the eyes: now we're at NUMBER 3: Lust of the flesh. Yep, David just kept digging his own pit: And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. II Samuel 11:4,5. David passed up that fourth opportunity for a U-Turn, didn't he? See, out of that scripture we so eagerly MIS-quote, "God won't put more on us than we can bear" we find the TRUE meaning: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be TEMPTED above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE, that ye may be able to bear it. I Corinthians 10:13. God ALWAYS makes a way for us to escape temptation, but do we take it? Nope! If ever we are faithful to stay our course, it's when we are being tempted--we plunge headlong into it! Jes' like Ole' King David. And jes' like Ole' King David, we keep on compounding the error: Ugh oh--Uriah the Hittite was away in battle under Joab--his wife was now pregant. What to do, what to do? David came up with the "perfect plan"--conniving just like we are: "I'll bring him home, let him spend a day or two with his wife and then WHO will know?" How quickly we STILL forget: For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth... II Chronicles 16:9. David sent for Uriah, and inquired of him, "How are you managing? And the people, they are well? And the war--everything is fine on the front, too?" Then he sent Uriah, along with a gift of meat, home to "rest" and spend time with his wife. EXCEPT it didn't go that way. Uriah was a man of honor. He wasn't of a mind to be all comfy cozy with his wife while his men were at war, eating army rations, sleeping out in the weather. So instead of spending the night with his wife, Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. II Samuel 11:9. Well, of course Ole' David wanted to know why Uriah didn't go spend the night with his lovely wife, Bathsheba. You do understand, don't you, that the ONLY reason David wanted Uriah with Bathsheba was so David's sin would not be found out! For two more days, Uriah stayed in the king's court. For TWO days, David had time to make a U-Turn. But he didn't. Not only did he send Uriah back to the battle, he made sure that Uriah was placed in the front line so he would be killed. Have YOU Displeased the Lord? Joab obeyed King David's orders. He ...assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. II Samuel 11:16,17. So Joab sent a messenger back to King David, and told him, "If the King is displeased with the way we fought, be sure to say to him, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate. And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also." II Samuel 11:23,24. Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him. II Samuel 11:25. Did you see David's deceitfulness in Verse 25: ...for the sword devoureth one as well as another...? David knew ALL the time that he was going to get word of Uriah's death. That was his full intention, yet he was trying to pass it off to Joab as, "Well, it could have been ANYBODY who got killed." And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. BUT THE THING THAT DAVID HAD DONE DISPLEASED THE LORD. II Samuel 11:26,27. Of course, you and I can see that David SHOULD HAVE KNOWN that God knew what he had done. We don't have to wonder where God was when David was sinning. But let's turn that same light upon ourselves, now! Where do WE think God is when WE are sinning? Just as God knew what David was doing, He ALSO knows what we are doing! There is NOT ONE THING we can do that is hidden from God! There is NO PLACE on earth nor in the galaxies above us that we can go to escape the all-seeing eyes of God! He is omnipotent (ALL powerful), omnipresent (present EVERYWHERE), and omnisicient (ALL knowing). He sees and knows the very intents of our heart, before we even form them into thoughts or deeds, right now! Has He asked you to clean up some DIRTY TRICKS that you have done? Do you hear that "small, still voice" dealing with you now? Hearken to it. Make a U-Turn. Repent! Sin, Time, and Your Memory And the Lord sent Nathan unto David... II Samuel 12:1. David thought he had nothing to worry about: "NOBODY" knew what he had done--at least nobody who was going to "tell on him". He didn't have to worry about Uriah showing up and accusing him of stealing his wife. But GOD KNEW IT: And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. "Well hello there, Brother Nathan. Come right on in--make yourself ta home. Can I get you something to eat? How 'bout a coke or here, have some of my lunch. What brings you into this neighborhood?" Nathan wasn't there to exchange pleasantries. He was there to tell the king about a man who had done a great wrong: There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. II Samuel 12:1-4. David was incensed! Who would do such a thing in all his kingdom? He told Nathan, "As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." You see it coming, don't you? David didn't: And Nathan said to David, THOU ART THE MAN. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. HOWBEIT, BECAUSE BY THIS DEED THOU HAS GIVEN GREAT OCCASION TO THE ENEMIES OF THE LORD TO BLASPHEME, THE CHILD ALSO THAT IS BORN UNTO THEE SHALL SURELY DIE. II Samuel 12:7-14. Two things here: (1) "But God wouldn't punish an innocent child!" To go to heaven is NOT punishment for anyone! We refuse to get a grip on the fact that there is a much better place than this old earth. We are so caught up in greed and laciviousness, we can't see beyond life here on this earth. That child wasn't punished--he was taken to heaven. That is NOT punishment!! For anyone! No, what we are really saying when we say, "Well, God wouldn't punish innocent people" is, "God wouldn't cause me grief over my sins." Oh yes He will! YOU CAN BANK ON IT!! And (2) you see, time had passed between David having committed the sin and Nathan's visit to him. There wasn't any of those sudden bolts of lightning that so many of us try to equate with sin: "Well, if God doesn't strike me dead while I'm sinning, it's not sin." Get over it. Get rid of that way of thinking. God is EVERYWHERE: He sees it all, He knows it all. There will come a pay day. Be sure your sin will find you out. If you have a tendency to squawk, "But we live under Grace--Grace--Grace," you'd better remember this: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? GOD FORBID. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:1,2. That KILLS the "we have permission to sin" doctrine! There are things in which any of us can get involved that we will NEVER forget. There are many pleasures in sin, maybe of only a few moments perhaps, but they will forever be seared into our memories! That's a part of the "sowing and reaping process"! There are many false preachers who would have you believe that once you shake their hand, your memory banks are wiped clean. Wrong! Much of the reaping that we do for the wrongs we have done goes on in our minds--otherwise known as "regrets": Why did I do that? The honest way to deal with them is to allow them to be Valued Lessons: "I'm not going THERE (doing that) any more!" We need to be vigilant to guard our experience with God. There is NO pleasure in this entire world worth setting aside God and His Word for. Understand perfectly: the moment we start to engage in sin, we do NOT have the assurance that God is going to help us. He provided all kinds of moments for David to stop committing his sin, but David refused to make those U-Turns. We're like the 8-year old who wanted some cookies, but his mother told him to not eat any before he had supper, which was almost ready. She went back to finish cleaning the living room. Just as she turned the vaccuum cleaner off, she heard a noise in the kitchen. She went in and turned on the light. It startled the 8-year old, who promptly dropped the pitcher of milk, which made the cookie jar fall off the counter top. Both containers broke, sending milk and cookies over the floor and counters. He yelled, "Look what YOU made me do!" Sound like any of us? Parents: Watch How YOU Live! Through the prophet Nathan, God asked David, "Wasn't it ENOUGH that I made you a king, that I preserved your life (how many times??), that I set you up in place of Saul--that I would have continued to pour out my blessings upon you? What could have been of such worth for you to have transgressed this way against me? Then he pronounced the penalty for David's transgression: "Therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before ALL Israel, and before the sun." And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. II Samuel 12:12-14. See, David thought he had "covered his tracks", but God was going to punish him openly; God was going to expose him before the whole nation (and through the written record of the Bible, throughout history). The thirteenth chapter of II Samuel reveals the "sword"--the evil that come upon David's household. One deceitful act will call for another to cover it, then another to cover that one, and so forth. David was trapped in his sin--he knew it. He had to do something, but it was going to tell on him, so he had Uriah killed. Know this: NONE of us are any stronger than whatever it is that can take us down. Read that again--it's vital for each of us to remember: NONE of us are any stronger than whatever it is that can take us down. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Remember how "innocently" this all started with David? He stayed home from the war and took a walk upon his roof. Had he obeyed God and been where God wanted him to be, this series of events would have never taken place. Never underestimate the power of the devil, nor of old SELF, either! The blinding, binding power of sin can take you down. Oh we don't like the message that we are to ABSTAIN FROM ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIL, do we? We strive and connive to justify that which we do: "Well, I'm not responsible for what other people think." That's not what it says. Again, it's plain and simple: Abstain from ALL APPEARANCE of evil. I Thessalonians 5:22. Understand this: just ONE occasion of sin can spoil the entire life of a saint of God in the eyes of others. It does not take a dozen--ONLY one. You do not even have to be actually doing anything wrong for your influence to be ruined, if the appearance of it is wrong! Seriously, just one careless move, one wrong attitude, one harsh cutting statement can undo the work of a lifetime. We've all seen it happen--there cannot be many of us who could not name someone we used to have a lot of confidence in, but they went the way of the world and we lost our confidence in their walk with God. There will be enough people to run you down and hurt your influence when you DO live right. If you throw open the door for them to talk about you, the influence (witness of your life) you had can be completely ruined. Of course, in this day and age, we all have the mind of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" Remember what God said to David: "BY THIS DEED THOU HAS GIVEN GREAT OCCASION TO THE ENEMIES OF THE LORD TO BLASPHEME." The Sins We "Try" to Hide When you are under certain pressures, do you lie? Is exaggeration a "normal" part of your daily conversations? Do you steal? Many steal from their employers, justifying it with, "They won't miss it. They can afford it." Are you honest on your tax return? Don't regard what someone else does and gets away with as the RIGHT thing to do--that's not your measuring stick! Are you unforgiving? Is there hatred and malice in your heart toward someone? No person can "see" any of these things because they can all be COVERED with a fake smile and the slap of a handshake. Is there bitterness or resentment in your heart towards someone, perhaps an "old grudge"? Some folks can remember, with GREAT detail, something that someone did to them 20 years ago, but they couldn't quite Genesis 1:1 today. Stubbornness, the refusal to submit one's own will to God's Will is another "hidden" sin. But these things are only "hidden" from man, NEVER from God. Refusal to obey the Will of God can quickly set up a spirit of rebellion in one's heart. Fornication is an illicit relationship between single people, and it is sin. It doesn't matter who is doing it, it is SIN! Sin is sin, and sin separates from God. Adultery is SIN--the Word of God says we are to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Hypocrisy is another sin which folks try to hide. Are you one person at home, another around your friends, another at work, and still another on vacation a thousand miles from home? Do you gossip? Is there slander in your mouth against another? These are all things that can ruin a person's influence, that can taint their witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfaithfulness, envy, jealousy are right in there with lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, the pride of life. Any of these things can set up in a person's heart and cause them to begin to fall away from God. And any of these things can kill a person's influence (witness) to others! Sin Is No Secret To God Are you living a deceitful life? Proverbs 28:13 tells us, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Are you prospering spiritually? If not, why? It is the Will of God that we PROSPER (do well) in both soul and body. David did not get by. Ananias and Sapphira did not get by. Saul did not get by. Samson did not get by. Mark it down, if there is sin in your life, no matter how well hidden you might think it is, you will NOT get by. I leave with you the words of this old song, long ago abandoned by the "modern" church: There's a God who's standing at Heaven's door, He's looking this universe o'er. And He sees each mortal with a searching eye-- You can't do wrong and get by. Out into the darkness you alone may go And seeds for the wicked one sow; There's an eye that's watching from the throne on high: You can't do wrong and get by. Yes, He knows your secrets, every thing that you do. He knows that your life is untrue; You can ne'er deceive Him, there's no use to try. You can't do wrong and get by.