David’s attempts to hide his sin only lead to more mess.
2 Samuel 11:22-25
22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, ‘The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’
25 David told the messenger, ‘Say this to Joab: “Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.” Say this to encourage Joab.’
How many people need to be implicated and intertwined into the original sin of David’s? Does this strike you? David’s actions have caused much brokenness. Now we hear that, just as David had planned, Uriah is dead; all according to David’s controlling and manipulative plan. An evil plan established by David behind closed doors while he is spending the spring at home not following his ordinary duties of going off to war but making his servants (of which we witness willing obedience) do his dirty work.
And this is dirty work. David has deliberately caused the death of a man, his own faithful solider who refused to experience the spoils of home life when he could because his conscience told him it was not right. On the outside and from what we are given in these verses it appears that Uriah was a good man who fell subject to an evil man’s desire to hide his own sin. The damage of the original sin just got a whole heap worse. Welcome to our world. One sin – messy consequences.
Have you ever tried to hide a sin and concoct a way to cover over it? Did it work? Did you experience freedom from the sin because of your plans? Is there ever real freedom from sin based on our own plans to hide it (them?) Are you still in chains?
The bible shows us that cover up of sin never works. Freedom and light don’t come with pushing our sin into the dark places. At this stage in the passage it looks like evil has won. But later on, we hear how David suffers hurt, pain, and guilt despite his elaborate and costly attempt to shut out the sin. How many more individuals will also have to suffer, and further innocents be sacrificed to hide his guilty secret?
There was an option for David. Far better than he could ever have planned and far more freeing. This option is also always available to those who believe in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. No matter where we have been what we have done or whom we have hurt. The freedom of confessing our sins to God is a constant resource and offering from a risen King who has conquered sin and the grave. But we are warned this constant resource is not to be taken as a reason to keep on sinning (see Romans 6 vs 1).There is so much more we can discover and consider in this theme but please be assured of the freedom that comes from opening our eyes to what he sees as sin in us and the real liberation through confession of sin.
Ultimately though it is important to know and believe these words ‘Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.’ Let the law of the spirit of life test your hidden sins today so you can experience real freedom in him.
Head: Consider verses on confessing our sins and the real freedom that this brings, for example, James 5 verse 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Ponder these words. Are we open to confess our sins? Are we asking God to reveal the sin in us so we can seek his forgiveness?
Heart: In the verse we just pondered did the words ‘so that we may be healed’ strike you? They did me – my confession to him may give healing to me and my wounds that have come from the mess of sin in my life.
Hands: Can you consider making confession a regular part of faithful obedience to him.
Prayer: Oh LORD great healer and deliverer. I pray that you may open my eyes, open my ears so I may see and hear from you the areas in my life where I am disobedient to you or need to confess my sins. I am often so blind to my own faults but ever ready to find those in others. Let it be true that as you forgive my sin I will in turn forgive those who have sinned against me and I will find healing in my relationships through forgiveness I pray. AMEN.
A song to listen to: Mercy Mercy
Emma Jane McNicol
Living Church – Creek Road
