The God of Discipline and Grace Pt. 1

The God of Discipline and Grace: Pt 1.
Read 2 Samuel 11-12
“Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?”

David had been a stalwart of faith and character early in his life. Time and time again, he had been tested by adversity and struggles and proved the resilience of his faith. However, temptation often comes when we least expect it and when life has settled into a pattern of comfort. In 11:1, we find David staying in the Place at Jerusalem while his armies went into battle. Life seemed to be tranquil after the turbulent events that had characterized his life, from his anointment to be the king to the establishment of his throne. The civil war was resolved, and his enemies were retreating. For the first time in many years, David’s life seemed to settle into a daily routine with the struggles and adversity behind him. So often, it is easier to focus on God and be faithful when we are most severely tested. When life becomes calm, and we no longer feel a sense of spiritual vulnerability, we let our guard down, and temptation has an opportunity to strike.

For David, it came in the form of a beautiful woman bathing. How much Bathsheba was a willing participant is unknown. The story focuses on David’s actions and his guilt in the events that transpired. He initiated the affair and sought to cover up his sin by orchestrating the return of her husband for a night of marital pleasure, which would provide a plausible explanation for Bathsheba’s pregnancy. When Uriah refused to spend the night with his wife, David maliciously schemed the death of Uriah in battle. Then, under the guise of ‘caring for the widow,’ David brought Bathsheba to his home. David put it behind him because he had covered his sin by carefully manipulating the events. However, the sins we hide, God sees, and the sins we conceal, God reveals and confronts.   All sin is a  violation of God’s holiness.

In contrast, we trivialize and hide our sins. We fail to recognize that all sin, no matter how insignificant to us, is an insult to God. Stephen Charnock points out that all sin is founded in secret atheism, for in our actions, we affirm that “I would be Lord to myself and would not have a God superior to me.”  Sin is the cursing of God in the heart.  

Consequently, God did not overlook David’s sin but brought his swift judgment upon David. In Hebrews 12:6, we are reminded, “For those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and He scourges every son whom he receives.”  As a result of David’s sin, the child would die, and his household would become plagued by infighting and bloodshed (vs. 10,14).  

In this story, we see two essential truths. First, sin always is destructive. No matter how insignificant we regard it or how we believe we can cover it up, it will always come back to haunt us.

The second lesson is that God never takes sin lightly and will discipline those who do. Even though David was God’s anointed leader through whom he would establish an eternal dynasty, that did not mean David got a “get out of jail free” card. God is holy, and sin is an insult to him, for it is an act of rebellion against him. Therefore, he will bring his discipline, not to punish us, but to correct us so that we remain devoted entirely to him. To affirm the character of God, we must also affirm his holiness and his disdain for all sin so that we separate ourselves from it and devote ourselves to obeying him in all aspects of life. However, while his holiness demands the punishment of sin, as we will see tomorrow, his grace also overcomes our sins when we repent and seek his forgiveness.