David's Third Loss
DAVID'S THIRD LOSS (2 Samuel 11)
DAVID recovered all. Now let us, each one, put down our own names in that fragment, claiming the truth of those words by faith, and praying that the Holy Spirit may engrave them upon our hearts. Even though you may be extremely stupid and cannot remember anything else, try to remember those few words: David recovered all,
Put your own name in the fragment as you repeat the words aloud, and pray that they may truly represent your own experience. I¢ does not matter how great your loss may have been or however shameful its cause, yet it can be recovered. Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world that every loss incurred by any sinner, in any country, and to any degree, might be recovered.
All of us have lost many things from the days of our childhood. We have lost books, pencils, rubbers and fountain pens in our school days. Some have lost their chappals, and others their keys; others again their fountain pens and watches. Can you imagine how many things you have lost down the years? Try to prepare a fist and then imagine all those things being brought back to you one day! What a great joy it would be!
In the same way, many have lost the health, some their friends, others their children, and yet others their joy. Just imagine what it would be like to get back all these things, lo recover whatever has been lost. Bat what an even greater joy would be ours if we could recover all that we have lost spiritually. We are so foolish, we do not know how much we are losing spiritually. We require the help of God to help us to estimate rightly our spiritual loss,
The story of David's third loss in 2 Samuel 11 has a message for both believers and unbelievers. First of all, we are made to see the wickedness and deception of man's heart. Whoever we may be, however good and nice we may look outwardly, we are inwardly all equally defiled, filthy and dirty. There is no truth in our lives. We do not want to know our true condition, When we are told about it, our pride is hurt, That is why many people are offended and hurt when reading Gods Word,
They are like the ugly man who had never seen a mirror. One day while walking on a footpath somewhere, he found a mirror. He looked at it and for the first time saw his black face: it was blacker than
4c coal with thick hanging lips and ears. When he saw his ugly face in the mirror he got so angry that he took a piece of stone and broke the glass. He said to the mirror, ‘What do you mean? You are insulting me. I ant not as black as that. You are a liar.’ He broke the murder, but that did not change his face.
; None of us wants to see our true condition. We want to look somewhat better than we are. There are some who in their homes wear very dirty clothes. Their Vashti's look as if they had not been washed for six months. Their pillowcases are so filthy and thick with dirt that they look as if they have not been washed for three years.
: Yet, when these people goa out, they look so nice and sweet, so clean and smart.
There are other people who in their drawing-rooms ) have everything so clean and nice with costly furniture. But when you go into their bathroom, you require a cloth to cover your nose. When you go to the kitchen: everything is black and filthy. Why is this? Because the lady of the house is working, she takes hours to wash her hair and dress nicely, but has no time to care for her: house. In the same way, spiritually some people outwardly are one thing and inwardly are another. The: Lord knows the true heart condition of each one, and He will tell us exactly what is our real) inward condition.
7 Even though it may be very humbling, it is good to know I what the Lord has to say about our true condition.
When you go to a doctor for treatment, unless your trouble is properly diagnosed you cannot be treated.
I There is a disease called tuberculosis. In the early days I +1 they did not know its cause and many thought that they were possessed with demons, if they had that disease. The patient was left in some corner to die, sometimes for many years. When, however, men found the cause of the disease, they also discovered a cure.
When I went to Denmark, there were many sanitoriums all standing empty. In the early days when they did not know the cause of the disease, there were many patients; but when they found the cause and the remedy, that disease has been eradicated from the country. In the same way it is good to know the real condition of our hearts. Do not be angry when the Lord, through His servants, and through His Word, shows you your true heart condition. The Bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked and who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).
Now let us look at the story of David in 2 Sam. 11. When we first met him in 1 Samuel 16:18, nobody could have been more cultured and good than he was. Everybody admitted this. From his youth he had been a God-fearing, wise, honest and good man. Also he was chosen of God. Now a man of any caste or country may be highly educated and cultured, but that does not mean that his inward heart is changed. People do not know their inward nature. David was not born to live a life of sin.
There are some children who are born with evil inclinations and as they grow up they show signs of evil habits, judging by their words and manners. That was not true of David. He was a good man, living a good life for many years. He hated evil and kept away from it. But unknown to David there was a hidden evil nature somewhere, and unless God fully changed him, he could not be used in any great measure.
The incident in 2 Sam. 11, happened in David's life so that David might see himself as God saw him. In a. very cunning and subtle way he was tempted by the devil. In the first verse of the chapter, we realize how the devil had been watching and waiting for an; opportunity to bring before David this temptation.
The time had come, we are told, for the kings to go to war; and David was a man of war, a mighty man, but, rather than go to war as he ought to have done, he sat at home in Jerusalem. Outwardly this was only a very small failure, but in the sight of God it was a very great failure. He was a man of war, and should have gone to war himself. Instead, he stayed behind: in Jerusalem.
The second verse tells us it was eventide and though: David was a mighty man he had been sleeping until the evening. There are so many people like this who are sleeping when they should be awake. They can sleep anywhere and at any time, even in meetings! Then if somebody wakes them up and tells them not to go to sleep, they say, 'l was not sleeping, I was just praying!’
In this subtle way the mighty man became a lazy man, Can you not see how step by step the devil was tempting David? Remember the devil is a very cunning and wicked foe. Ina very cunning way he tried to bring about the downfall of David, and while walking leisurely on the roof of the palace, he was brought face to face with temptation.
Later, to cover this sin, David had to think of many ways and means and devices. He had to think of more ways to commit sin in order to cover the sin he had committed and so became a hypocrite. When he discovered his sin was going to be found out, he sent for Uriah, the husband of the woman. When Uriah came, David began to question him about the war, as if he were concerned about Joab and the soldiers and the army. 'Please tell me how Joab is? How are my soldiers? How is the war going?’ He made himself appear so innocent, by asking these questions. What hypocrisy! -- just to cover his sin! He did not honour Uriah tor Uriah's sake, but merely in order to cover his sin. Then he said to him, 'Uriah, you are very tired. You have to go on a long journey. I am so sorry for you. You must go home and have a hot bath and then go to bed. You require rest.
How good and kind the king was that day. He was only a common soldier, but the king was making so much of him! Uriah had hardly left the palace, when a man took to him many dishes of rich food from the king's table such as biryani and chicken, and other nice things that he would never have seen in his life. How kind king David was that day to Uriah! One sin leads to a second sin and then to a third, and then to a fourth! A great and wise king became a adulterer, then a deceiver, and then a hypocrite, and then a liar, all to cover one sin.
Uriah, however, did not go home but slept at the door of the king's palace. Again David pressed him: ‘Uriah, you are still very tired, you can take a few days' leave.’ Now, generally, when a soldier applies for leave, it takes six months before it is sanctioned. Even though he may say, My wife is sick,' the authorities will say: ‘You cannot go.' But here David is saying, ‘Without application your leave has been extended for so many days. Nobody understood why.
But still Uriah did not go his house, While the army was on the battle field he would not seek his own comfort. So David's trick did not work! Finally, he had to cause the death of Uriah through Joab, How sad! A wise king finally became a murderer. He never intended to murder him. He had no thought of becoming an adulterer. He never knew that hidden part of his nature. It is only when temptation came that he knew how evil his heart was.
There are some diseases that are not evident when they are first contracted, even though we may carry the germs in our bodies. It is only after many years that we discover the fact. We do not know it because we are well, and sleeping well and also have hunger for food. When people hear we are ill, they say, We did not know that you were not keeping well! After many years we may begin to feel dl and may even 7 become very seriously ill, but we never knew that disease had been in us all those years.
: Why was this story about David recorded in the Bible? I tis for our admonition, that we may not be also deceived by the devil. It is good to know how the devil can deceive us. All of us are born with sinful natures, but that lesson was learned by David only after he had sinned, as he says in Psalm 51, ‘Behold, I was shapen in iniquity.' We saw in 1 Samuel 16 haw the people were all saying what a fine young man David was —a fine God-fearing man, a man of strong faith, loving and good to all. None of these human qualifications can last forever. No man can be always good, and no education of any kind can change our inward nature. We are all born with a sinful nature and one day that sinful nature will manifest itself and make us do shameful things, perhaps after many years.
You cannot hide your true condition before God. God uncovers our sinful nature in order to forgive and change us. Before God could use David as his chosen vessel, He had to change and transform him, and cleanse and purge and wash him. Now see what David says in Psalm 51. He had realized what he was and the true condition of his heart (verses 7, 9 and 10), The very same David who was so highly admired by I everybody in the whole country is making this confession. He was making it with a broken hear.t. 'O God, give me a clean heart. Give me a new heart. Give me a pure heart and purge me and cleanse me, and 4 wash me thoroughly, and blot out all my iniquity.’
You must be willing to know your true condition as 1 God sees it. A man may say to you, 'You are a sinner.’ And you reply, ‘What right do you have to call mean I sinner? You ask my neighbours and my friends.’ But ' what does God think about you? Please allow God to I examine you. Call sin, sin! There are some people who are blind, but if you say ‘O blind man,’ they get very angry. But when you say: ‘Sur Das! how are you?,, then they are very happy. In Northern India‘they never call a blind man, a blind man; they cali him Sur Das, after a very famous blind Hindu poet. The Bible calls sin, sin. Whoever you may be, whether a lawyer, a doctor, a cultured man, a rich man, a poor man, or a wise I man, before God you are a sinner, a terrible ruined sinner under condemnation, and a filthy man, a dried leaf and a faded flower only, a worm and mere clay.
The Bible says we are born that way. Praise God all these things can be changed. A sinner can become a saint. A filthy man can be cleansed. A sinful and defiled man can be clothed with heavenly garments, and freed from all his sins. Confess to God exactly what you are. Do not try to make any changes in your condition. Say, ‘Yes, Lord, I am a sinner,’ but do not say: 'l am much better than my neighbour.’ Do not say: ‘lam a graduate sinner, ora cultured sinner.’ lf you say such things you will remain as you are. Because God loves you, tell Him your true condition and say before Him: ‘Lord, wash mv. lam filthy and defiled. O God, create in me a clean heart. Take away my old nature.
In this way you will recover every loss. Your perishing life will become abundantly fruitful. Every word you speak and everything you do will bring forth abiding fruit and the very memory of your sinful life will be gone. When God forgives, 1[e forgives forever.
, Man will not do that. They cannot forget. But when God forgives, He forgets forever and covers your sins.
I 4?
Your sins will be gone forever. They will be blotted out, because the Lord Jesus Christ died in your stead and paid the full price of your debt of sin. Ask Him to cleanse your heart, for without your request He can do nothing. Will you say, 'O Lord, create in me a pure and a clean heart. Wash me and purge me and cleanse me thoroughly.' He will hear and answer provided you are sincere and humble before Him.
Chapter 6