The thing that David had done displeased the Lord. 2 Samuel 11:27
Who was the man that committed these heinous sins?
1. David was in his mature years. He was 30 years old when he began to reign over all Israel (5:4). He reigned for 40 years, which would mean that he died at the age of 70. David would have been in his 50s at the time of these events, so he was in the last 20 years of his life, not the first 20 years.
2. David was married. He was a father with adult children. This story warns us about the special dangers of our later years. Don’t think that because you are in your later years that you are somehow beyond these temptations.
3. David was a successful man. The great achievements of his life were already behind him. When God gives you success, it is easy to get the idea that you can do nothing wrong.
4. David had walked with God for many years. This was a man who truly loved the Lord. He knew what it was for the Spirit of God to breathe the Word of God through him in the Psalms that he wrote, many of which would have been written before this time. God had given him great success, unusual blessing, and amazing promises.
This is the man who committed these dark and heinous sins. When you hear great sins and crimes reported in the news, don’t look down your nose in self-righteousness; learn to say to yourself, The root of what led to this also lies in me. We are made of the same stuff.
Are you reminding yourself of these kinds of truths when you hear about the sins and crimes of others?
