“...I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.”

~Psalm 51:13

At this point in David’s life, his sexual sin becomes a public disgrace and the problems in his family escalate into outright wickedness and violence. So that David’s prayer in Psalm 51:13 might be made true in our own lives, let’s look more closely at the path that led to David’s failures.

David’s sin with Bathsheba was hardly the beginning. In 2 Samuel 3:2-5 and 5:13, David took multiple wives and concubines, a direct violation of the instructions given for kings in Deuteronomy 17:17. In 2 Samuel 6, David fails to follow the Lord’s instructions for moving the ark in Exodus 25, which brought the Lord’s anger and the death of Uzzah. Although David frequently sought the Lord in His decisions, he was also making compromises in his obedience to the Lord. Factions and violence erupted in his family and David was repeatedly unable to lead with wisdom and justice in these matters. Psalm 32:3-4 reveals the burden David carried as the result of his sin. Seemingly small compromises often lead to unforeseen consequences and outright disobedience for all of us, as they did for David.

By the time David found himself at home rather than out with his men at war in 2 Samuel 11, the stage had already been set for a fall. His decision to stay behind when other kings were at war created an opportunity for sin. Because he failed to lead and serve in the role God had given him, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and as it so often does, sin found him there. This illustrates for us the importance of paying attention to the places in which we find ourselves. Are we intentionally out serving the Lord, walking in the purposes He has set for us? Or are we choosing our own comfort and ease, setting ourselves up for temptation?

Verses 2-4 show another series of decisions that brought about David’s fall. He might not have been able to avoid seeing Bathsheba in the first place, but after seeing her, he paused to notice her beauty, he inquired about her, and he sent someone to get her. This progression suggests that David failed first by giving himself permission to look at what he wanted, then by acting to satisfy his curiosity, and finally by opening the door for sin. If we are serious about walking in the ways God has set for us, we need to pay attention to this pattern.

Where are you setting your eyes? Where are you letting curiosity lead you to places you have no business going? In what ways are you inviting sin into your life?

The final step in David’s fall was his effort to cover his sin. As it always does, deception leads to more sin and creates additional problems.

Do you have areas in your life where you are concealing past or present sin?

Let David be your example. Only after acknowledging his sin in 2 Samuel 12:13 was he able to receive grace and forgiveness.

What do you need to confess today?