The Danger of Disobedience - Part 3
by Dr. John Tetsola

Last month we saw that whether through direct disobedience to God’s command or by failure to believe God and carry out His command fully, each of us will receive the penalty for our actions, which could cost us our assignment. This month we’ll observe lessons that can be learned from David’s disobedience. Even though David’s sinful act was in the area of immorality, a sinful entrance to sin can be found and traced in various areas of our lives. These sinful entrances in David’s life eventually produced the manifestation of adultery, but to us, it may never be manifested in adultery, but may be manifested in other areas and spheres of our Christian walk.

And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
2 Samuel 11:1-4, 15

You can be a great Christian and a great leader up to today, and then tomorrow make the wrong choice, let down your guard, and miss your destiny. David should never have been in this place or in this situation at all. It was spring time when kings go out to battle. We are all soldiers in the house of the Lord, whether you are a housewife or a teacher. When you turn away from God’s commission and destiny for your life, you are heading for a fall. If you don’t stay with your face in the wind of the Spirit and in the battle, you are history. You could sit around and become worthless in the Kingdom of God. Despite everything David knew in his spirit, despite the fact that he was a great, anointed man of God, despite his knowing the Lord in deep personal communion and commitment, despite the fact that he had written the prophetic psalms, and had a deep flow in the Holy Spirit—he went to inquire who Bathsheba was. And with deliberate intent, David conspired to sin with her. He sent for her. He took her. He laid with her, and had one of his faithful, mighty men killed. What happened to David, creating this downfall?

Even a person whose will on the whole is entirely surrendered to God can step out of his position of absolute surrender to God, and in a moment of weakness and folly, commit an act so hideous in the sight of God that it will bring upon him the sternest judgment of the Lord. The story of David’s sin abounds in great lessons. The first lesson that it teaches us is that an exceptionally good, yes a man “after God’s own heart,” if he gets his eyes off God and His Word, may easily fall into very gross sin.

Secondly, David’s life teaches that God has no favorites (Romans 2:11) in the sense that He never allows some people’s sins to go unpunished, for He never looks on anyone’s sin with the least degree of approval. God loved David, but when David sinned, God dealt with his sin with the sternest and most relentless judgment. He allowed David’s sin to plague him and to embitter his life to his dying day, for God let David drink amply of the bitter cup he had mixed for himself. One of his sons followed him into adultery, the burden of which came on David’s own daughter. Another son followed him into murder, and as David had rebelled against his heavenly Father, his own son rebelled against him.

A third and very important lesson learned through the life of David is that there is full and free pardon for even the vilest sinner. There are those who think they have sinned too deeply to ever find pardon, but it is not so. It would be hard to find one who had sinned more deeply than David, yet he was called a man after God’s own heart. He committed the greatest wrong one man could commit against another, and he stained his hands with the blood of his victim, yet he still found pardon full and free. The life of David gives hope to all. His sin was inexcusable and appalling, but David’s sins were pardoned. Though your sins may be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

by Dr. John A. Tetsola