Saturday, May 14, 2011

Putting Sin to Death

Today's Sabbath School Lesson was about David, his sin with Bathsheba and his repentance. I have read and heard this story many times. Each time I come away with something different. David was supposed to be at battle, but instead he stayed home (his first mistake). While on his rooftop, he sees a beautiful woman and enquires about her. He is told exactly who the woman is and who her husband is (his way of escape-I Corinthians 10:13). He calls for the woman anyway and sleeps with her. She becomes pregnant so David calls for her husband to come home from war. This is his first attempt to cover up what he has done. He tried, unsuccesfully to get the man to sleep with his wife so he will think the baby is his. After this attempt fails, he resorts to murder. He brings the woman to his home, and marries her. He then goes on about his life as if nothing has happened until...

Nathan the prophet confronts David, but with wisdom and skill that only God could give he uses a parable to tell David of the wrong that he has done. David acknowledges that he has sinned against God and repents. God forgives David and cleanses him, but the baby that was conceived dies.

This time when I read this story, the death of the baby stood out to me. The word conceived stood out in my mind and God brought James 1:15 to my mind: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

This baby symbolized the sin brought forth from David's lust. Even though God forgave David, He had to separate him from the sin that had defiled him. I always found it interesting that David cried and cried until the baby died, but isn't that how it happens? We are caught up in the very thing that God doesn't want from us. He tells us that He is going to take it away and we are sorrowful. Perhaps it's a job we shouldn't have, maybe a relationship. It could be anything that separates us from God. But once that thing is gone and we realize that God has taken it away we can now move forward and walk in God's purpose for our life.

I myself have experience that pain of God putting my sin to death, but O the joy that comes in the morning when God has cleansed me and created my heart anew! What a beautiful lesson in how God separates us from sin, puts that sin to death, gives us a new heart and sets us on a new path, the path that lead to Him.

Stay faithful and I pray that I will see you at the end of the path.


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-yolanda