by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
"All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness." --II Tim. 3:16
There
appears to be a natural hesitation on the part of some Bible teachers
and commentators to deal objectively with the Scriptural record of the
failings of great men of God. Indeed, many Bible expositors lean over
backward to excuse, or explain away, at least in part, the sins of great
saints. Yet the Bible records these sins with factual exactness,
adding no light tones to the black hues of moral and spiritual guilt.
This is for our good, for these sad incidents too were recorded "for our
admonition" (I Cor. 10:11). John Kitto, in his Daily Bible
Illustrations, brings this out in his comments on II Samuel 11 and 12:
"It
was while the army was engaged in these distant operations that David
fell into those deep sins, which have left a dark blot upon his name,
that all his tears have not been able to expunge from the view of man,
nor all his griefs to make man forget. It is indeed profitable that
they should be held in remembrance, in their causes and results, that
the sad fall of so distinguished a saint--a man so near to God--may
teach us not to be high-minded, but fear.
"The facts are so well known to every reader that it will suffice to indicate them very briefly.
"David,
when walking upon the roof of his palace, after having risen from his
afternoon rest, obtained a view of a beautiful woman, of whom he became
most passionately enamoured. Her name was Bath-sheba, and she was the
wife of Uriah the Hittite, who, notwithstanding his Canaanitish origin,
was one of the king's most distinguished officers, and a member of the
illustrious band of 'worthies.'
"After
gratifying his criminal passion, and finding that it would not be
possible much longer to conceal a fact which would expose Bath-sheba to
the death-punishment of an adulteress, David did not shrink from sending
orders to Joab so to expose her valiant husband in battle as to ensure
his destruction by the sword of the Ammonites. Joab obeyed this order
to the letter, and Uriah perished. Bathsheba was then free, and David
barely suffered the days of her mourning to pass (probably a month)
before he added her to the number of his wives.
"Here
is adultery; here is murder. O, David, David, how art thou fallen! To
our minds, there is nothing in all that man has written so terribly
emphatic as the quiet sentence which the historian inserts at the end of
his account of these sad transactions.
"His
high displeasure was made known to David by the prophet Nathan, in a
parable of touching beauty, applied to the case with a degree of force,
which at once brought conviction home to the heart of a man not hardened
in guilt by a course of less heinous and unrepented sin, but who had
plunged headlong into one great and complicated crime. The awful
words--'THOU ART THE MAN,' at once brought David to his knees. He
confessed his guilt. He deplored it with many tears. He was pardoned;
and God hid not his face from him for ever. But seeing that this deed,
in a man so honoured, had 'given great occasion to the enemies of the
Lord to blaspheme,' it became necessary that God should vindicate His
own righteousness, by testifying, in the punishment of His servant, His
abhorrence of that servant's sin.
"The
sentence pronounced upon him--'Behold, I will raise up evil against
thee out of thine own house,' furnishes the key to David's future
history and career, which was as unprosperous and troubled, as the
earlier part of his reign had been happy and successful. There was in
all things a great change--even in the man himself. Broken in spirit by
the consciousness of how deeply he had sinned against God and against
man; humbled in the eyes of his subjects, and his influence with them
weakened by the knowledge of his crimes; and even his authority in his
own household, and his claim to the reverence of his sons, relaxed by
his loss of character--David appears henceforth a much altered man. He
is as one who goes down to the grave mourning. His active history is
past--henceforth he is passive merely. All that was high, and firm, and
noble in his character, goes out of view--and all that is weak, and
low, and wayward, comes out in strong relief.
"Of
the infirmities of his temper and character, there may have been
previous indications, but they were but dimly discernible through the
splendour of his worthier qualities; now that splendour has waxed
pale--the most fine gold has grown dim, and the spots have become broad
and distinct. The balance of his character is broken. Still he is
pious--but even his piety takes an altered aspect. It is no longer
buoyant, exulting, triumphant, glad; it is repressed, humble, patient,
contrite, suffering.
"His
trust in the Lord is not less than it had been, and that trust sustains
him, and still gives dignity to his character and sentiments. But even
that trust is different. He is still a son--but he is no longer a
Joseph, rejoicing in his father's love, and delighting in the coat of
many colours which that love has cast upon him; but rather a Reuben,
pardoned, pitied, and forgiven, yet not unpunished, by the father whose
honor he has defiled. Alas for him! The bird which once rose to
heights unattained before by mortal wing, filling the air with its
joyful songs, now lies with maimed wing upon the ground, pouring forth
its doleful cries to God.
"The
change we have indicated furnishes the key to David's subsequent
career, and unless it be borne in mind, the incidents of that career
will not be thoroughly understood."
In
the above passage Mr. Kitto shows his usual keen insight into the Word
of God. In examining the Scriptural record of David's life, it is
disappointing indeed to see his "sword arm" weakened so that he can no
longer mete out pure justice or discomfit the enemies of righteousness
as before.
We
live in a day when this sad account serves as a much-needed warning
that a moral fall, even when moral falls are so prevalent, enfeebles,
debilitates and embarrasses its victim for the remainder of his life.
SO GREAT SALVATION!{Click}
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
Share This BIBLE STUDY to all your friends
