text:_ 2 Samuel 11:1-26 Reflections

2 SAMUEL 11:1-26 (TNIV)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

I am really struck by the tragedy of this narrative as well as by two fundamental truths.

The tragedy is that David's sin brings untold suffering and destruction into his life and the lives of those he cares about--and when you read on, you realize that the consequences of this sin carry on for multiple generations. Sin is always tragedy.

In that, I am reminded of two fundamental truths:

1. God CAN STILL USE moral failures.

2. God ONLY USES moral failures --- since we are all moral failures.

David is a moral failure.

There is no getting around that fact. He has committed adultery and ultimately murder to cover it up.

But God can and does still use him. We should never forget that!

And before we get to high-and-mighty, holier-than-though, it is worth remembering WE ARE ALL MORAL FAILURES.

I recently had a discussion with one of our teams about an upcoming sermon series I am working on. In that series, I will be looking at some more contemporary models of what it means to follow Jesus. One of the people I am considering looking at as a model is Martin Luther King, Jr.

While all of us at the table agreed that MLK is one of the great heroes of our faith, someone brought up that many don't like him because of his (well-documented) moral failings in his marriage and with his family.

Yes, Martin was broken and a sinner. But God also used him mightily in the fight for justice and in the preaching of his word. It would be crazy to dismiss him as an example we can learn from, just as it would be crazy to dismiss David and the Psalms he wrote.

Because...

1. God CAN STILL USE moral failures.

2. God ONLY USES moral failures --- since we are all moral failures.

That said, we are called to flee from sin and to seek holiness and righteousness. We are not slaves to sin and the excuse "I am just human" does not let us off the hook in terms of our moral culpability.

So what do we learn from today's passage? From studying David?

Two things leaped out at me:

1. What you flirt with you will fall to.

2. What you feed will flourish.

What you flirt with you will fall to. That is why the idea of "how far can I go without it being sin" is a crazy and dangerous way to live. Sin entices, sin flirts, sin courts -- and sin hunts us like a lion waiting to attack!

You don't flirt with what can kill you and destroy your life. You flee from it!

What you flirt with you will fall to!

Likewise, what you feed will flourish.

Whether it is your appetite for power or possessions or money or security or sex... when you feed it, you make it hungrier. It will never be satisfied. Misplaced and unhealthy desire will make you a slave.

This why porn, for example, can become so addictive.

By feeding that part of your mind, you actually create the appetite.

What you feed will flourish.

So what do we do?

1. Stop flirting... flee from the things that tempt you.

2. Confess to God and to a friend.

3. Get some friends to help you... hold you accountable.

4. Saturate your mind with God's word; distract yourself with goodness instead of flirting with danger.

5. Pray for God's help.

6. Extend grace to those who fail; accept grace in your own failures.

What would you add to this list? What has been helpful to you?