Guarding Against Compromise: Lessons from David's Fall

now of course there is a backstory to the sin of David with Bathsheba and all the tragedy that followed from it and it is the case that when you hear of a mortal calamity there is always a backstory things of this sort don't just happen as it were out of the blue and the backstory of what was going on in David's life is quite clear I think from second samuel chapter 5 and verse 13 [00:00:03]

where we're told that David this is about 20 years earlier David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron now of course that was what Kings commonly did in those days they had a Hyrum they had multiple wives concubines and so forth it was what Kings commonly did in the various cultures of the world but it was a direct contradiction and violation of the clear command of God that was given in Deuteronomy chapter 17 and verse 17 [00:37:32]

where God lays out specifically through the mouth of Moses his direct commands for the one who in the future would become the king among God's people and one of the explicit commands Deuteronomy 17 and verse 17 is he must not acquire many wives he's to hold to the pattern that was there at the beginning in Genesis in the creation not to be like the other cultures [00:74:52]

now that could hardly be clearer in the scripture and what that means is that David who had that scripture over time in his life carved out an area of his life that was never submitted to the Lord and it was that area of compromise that he'd carved out here's a man who lives for God serves the Lord as all these things but there's one area of his life and he's carved it out and it has never been submitted to the Lord [00:99:96]

it's never been placed under the clear authority of the word of God and the fact that David pursued this line that was common amongst Kings and the various cultures of the day I think quite clearly indicates the problem that he had with lust and the more he gave way to it the more it controlled him that's how it is the sin that he accommodated in his life over a period of years gradually grew in its power until one day its power simply overwhelmed him [00:132:93]

and that's exactly how dramatic falls into sin happen you have that in James chapter 1 in verse 15 desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death in other words there's a there's a process here there's a history there's a backstory as to what had been going on that led to the awful disaster that took place on that day [00:176:34]

now here's a very important principle for us as we seek to pursue godly lives in this new year the more room that you give to any sinful desire the more its power will grow in your life WG Blakey an old Scots writer says this when an evil desire has scope for its exercise as it certainly did in david with these multiple wives instead of being satisfied it becomes more greedy and more lawless [00:208:40]

see the logic is always insane we'll put this into your mind if you just cut a little bit of slack for yourself give this a little bit of room you'll be able to contain it but you see what happens is that you give it a little bit of room and it takes more room and as it takes more room then it's powering and so forth and so on instead of being satisfied it becomes more greedy and more lawless [00:248:60]

so guard your heart as we move into this new year because if you allow sin to grip your imagination it will not be long before it masters your life now God has preserved this story for us his people in the Bible and so let's be very clear about applying it to ourselves we're learning here that the roots of every kind of sin lie in the flesh of the most godly believer [00:275:88]

and that means that we have to ask ourselves honestly brothers and sisters in Christ am i being realistic about what I'm up against do you really think that you would be able to stand against temptation this year if you were not walking with the Lord in his word and in prayer do you really think you could do that do you really think that you're stronger than Dave Ahdoot if we did Goliath and sawed off a lion and a bear with his own hands [00:307:35]

do you really think that if you carve out an area of compromise in your own life and you you're walking with the Lord and you're serving the Lord but you've cut out this little area of compromise do you really think that it will not grow in its power do you really think that it will not get you in the end let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall [00:343:50]