Introduction
As we began this series looking at David we saw how God had anointed him at a young age to accomplish great things for His kingdom. God took an obscure boy from an obscure land, anointed him and raised him up to be king.
He taught us a great principles of humanity that says, 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
From this God send Him into his defining moment. David defeats Goliath. As you read past this story it is amazing what fame and popularity this brought to David. David defeated the giant and brought new hope to a nation.
To me I learn that God could use one man to bring hope to a nation, to a state and to a city. It is no different today where God has called our church in the midst of many churches to bring hope to this city. I truly believe this.
From here David became the “darling child of the nation”. He became a national hero. People from all over heard of him.
It would seem that this would be the moment that God would raise him up to not only be the anointed king but also the crowned king.
Yet it was not so. It would be another 20 years before he was crown king. Why? I believe that there are some lessons that the Lord wanted to teach David. Some lessons of leadership and some lessons of dependence on Him.
One of my favorite parts is found scatted throughout 1, 2 Samuel and the Chronicles. After David’s anointing and defeat of Goliath he did become a national hero but also an enemy of the reigning king, King Saul. This sent David into hiding.
1 Samuel 22 tells us that David built his home in a cave of Adullam. Here he attracted a variety of people. From his family to the many who
1 Samuel 22:2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
These became known as the mighty men of David. Here the Lord not only taught David to be a warrior but also to become a leader of warriors. It is so important that we understand that it is good to be great for the Lord but it is even better when we can pass that on to another. When we can become that spiritual mentor to others.
David also learned lessons of respect and authority. As twice we are told he had a chance to murder King Saul but he did not. Why? Maybe because if you murder to get in position then you will be murdered to get your position. Great lesson in Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
David finally becomes king and leads the nation to its greatest times. God had blessed him. He was not a perfect king he made some mistakes but he brought Israel to the pinnacle of the natural world.
Through its defeat of the surrounding nations. To the ushering in of the ark of the covenant. David was on top of the nation as a King and as a prophet. Then we come to 2 Samuel 11.
By the time get to chapter.
2 Samuel 11:1-4 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. (2) Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. (3) So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" (4) Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
David’s place was with his armies, but something was amiss. Perhaps he had become weary with battle; maybe he had grown a little “soft” surrounded by the wealth and comforts of the palace.
Maybe he felt like he deserved a break.
We don’t know for certain, but what we do know is that David was at a place of low spiritual vitality. His heart had lost its edge; he was drifting from God.
It is a scary thing we lose our cutting edge with the Lord. This is when we let our guard down. Either we get too comfortable with His anointing or we get weary from the work. What ever happens we lose our edge. We lose our joy. We lose our vitality.
Here is the thing we don’t have to be a minister to lose our cutting edge. Anyone of us is susceptible to this.
Lust will cause a person to be so driven to a thing that it will cloud their judgment. It will cause them to not see or take advice from others.
Lust for sex, Lust for power, lust for money, lust
Nathan the Prophet
2 Samuel 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 "The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 "But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 "And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! (6) "And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ’I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
There were two men who lived in the same city, one was rich and the other was poor. The rich man was in the car dealership business, he owned many car dealerships. The poor man had one car. It was a 1966 Corvette Sting Ray. He had bought it brand new over 40 years ago.
Well the rich man had a friend come into town. This friend needed a ride. So instead of taking out of his vast stock he found a loop hole in the law and took the care from the poor man.
David’s Repentance
In Psalm 32:3, David records how he felt while he was trying to cover his sin: “When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long.” For several months, he tried to live with a guilty conscience.
Psalms 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight; That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise. 18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)
Application
Avoid Lust
Job said in 31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”
Several years ago a family in Northern California had kept as a pet a mountain lion. They got it as a cub. It had lived with their family for years, and they treated it as a pet. They walked into their room from another part of the house one day to discover this mountain lion had attacked, killed and partially devoured their child. Why would they have allowed such a thing to happen? Because they thought the lion was domesticated. They refused to believe it was still a wild animal. Lust is just like that cub, it may seem cute and innocent but friends it will grow and it will not be domesticated and it will end up devouring you.
Action steps
Friends, while the biblical warning with regard to lust can be summarized by the word “run” there is still a whole sermon’s worth of application with regard to what running from lust looks like. Allow me to quickly list a few others that you will want to put in practice.
Accountability – enter into an accountable relationship with someone to whom you can be honest and who loves you enough to ask hard, awkward and embarrassing questions. Besides my wife, I have a buddy I phone once a week and no question is out of bounds are lives are open books to be scrutinized because we both recognize that no one is above falling.
Cut off sources – if you have magazines you need to destroy, destroy them. If you have a fantasy you keep replaying de-mythologize it. If your computer is a source of temptation, confess it to another who will hold you accountable, put on software that will make access more difficult or consider canceling your internet service.
Identify your triggers – know what sets you up, identify the “triple threats” of you life and plan for those time where you know you’ll face temptation.
Keep your walk with God deep – friends God’s power is at work in us, but we can quench His Spirit. Make sure that your Christianity is not simply going through the motions.
Phil. 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
