Our Sin Will Find Us Out

When we do not receive immediate consequences to our sinful behavior, do we really get away with it? King David's adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the horrible series of events afterwards answers the preceding question with a resounding "NO!"

First, we need to provide a little back-drop to this scenario. 2 Samuel 11 describes in detail how this tragedy began. While King David was on a little midnight stroll on his castle roof, he spotted a beautiful woman bathing. David inquired about her to his staff. The woman ended up being Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's soldiers. David had Bathsheba brought to him and had an adulterous affair with her. The affair resulted in Bathsheba getting pregnant by David. To cover up the shameful conduct, David called Uriah from the field during war-time in the hopes Uriah would sleep with Bathsheba, so that the pregnancy would be attributed to him instead of David. But Uriah was so faithful to King David, he slept outside of David's house, instead of spending time with his own wife. David then sent Uriah back into battle, and ordered one of his commanders to send Uriah to the front line, but withdraw support so that he would be killed. The plan worked. Uriah was killed in battle. After allowing Bathsheba the customary time to grieve, David took her as his wife. She eventually bore David a son. In short time, God would send His prophet Nathan to rebuke David and announce God's judgment of his sin.

So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 15 Then Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. 2 Samuel 12:13-18 (New King James Bible)

David's first son he fathered with Bathsheba died as an infant, even as he pleaded with God to spare the life of the child. But God's punishment of David's sin did not end there. God's judgment that David's household would be filled with strife would come to fruition. His son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar. David's son Absolom would later kill his brother Amnon. Absolom would also attempt a coup against David, to become king of Israel. As a result of this treasonous activity, Absolom would be killed in battle by members of David's army.

While David is called " a man after my own heart" by God Himself, and is considered by many to be the greatest king in the history of Israel, even he was not immune to the harmful effects of his sinful acts on his own life and on the lives of his loved ones.