2 Samuel 12:9-14
WHEN YOUR CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST
Intro: When I was growing up they always went to the roost when evening came.
There is a verse in the Old Testament that says, “…and be sure your sin will find you out,” Num. 32:23. That is not a threat. It is not even a promise. It is just a statement of the facts. Just like those chickens that could be depended on to head back to the roost at night, you can be sure of the fact that your sins will come home to you too.
We have looked at David’s sin with Bathsheba. We have watched that sin evolve from the moment it was conceived until it was committed, and then we have watched as that sin was confronted and confessed. We spend a little time last week talking about the consequences of David’s sin. I want to dig into that area a little deeper today.
I. THE PRINCIPLE DAVID ENCOUNTERED
A. In this dark episode David discovered a spiritual principle that holds true in every person’s life. Here is the principle: “God always instantly and completely forgives sin when there is confession and genuine repentance; but He does not remove the consequences of our sins.”
· God forgave David’s sin – 2 Sam. 12:13 – That is grace!
· David still had to face the consequences of his actions – 2 Sam. 12:10-11, 14 – That is reality!
· (Ill. Contrast “the Lord hath put away thy sin”, v. 13, and “the sword shall never depart from thine house”, v. 10.
B. The principle I mentioned a few minutes ago is clearly demonstrated in the lives of the characters of the Bible. (Ill. Adam, Gen. 3:9-21; Moses, Num. 20:10-12; Abraham – He brought Hagar out of Egypt and paid a price, Gen. 12:10-20; Gen. 16; Jacob – He tricked his brother and his father and then he met Laban, who tricked him, Gen. chapters 27-31; Achan – He stole money and a garment, and paid a high price, Josh. 7; David – We know what he did and something of the price he paid.)
C. This principle is also clearly declared in the pages of the Bible, Gal. 6:7-8. These verses teach us the following two truths: 1.) You always reap exactly what you sow. 2.) You always reap more than you sow. 3.) You will reap what you sow in this life.
These are grace verses! It was not written to Old Testament peoples; it was written to New Testament believers. Here is the idea they express: Confession and repentance do not stop the harvest! If you sow it, you will reap it!
Somehow or another we have come to believe that if we confess our sins, it will be as if they never happened. This is just not so! Yes, God gives grace, but His grace means that we do not die for our sins, 2 Sam. 12:13. Grace means that we will have God’s help to face the consequences. Grace means that we are free to come into line with God’s plan for our lives. But, grace never means that we are off the hook! Where sin is sown, a bitter harvest is always reaped.
D. One of our problems in dealing with sin is the fact that we learn 1 John 1:9 long before we encounter Romans 6:11-13 (dead to sin). We learn that God will forgive us for our sins before we ever learn that we do not have to commit the sin in the first place, 1 Cor. 10:13 (way to escape). As a result, we are trained and programmed to sin! We think we can do it, confess it and walk away from it. Well, we are dead wrong! Remember this principle: “God always instantly and completely forgives sin when there is confession and genuine repentance; but He does not remove the consequences of our sins.” My advice is that we all learn it, memorize it, remember it and live by it from this moment forward!
I. THE PRINCIPLE DAVID ENCOUNTERED
II. THE PAIN DAVID ENDURED
A. When David sinned with Bathsheba and attempted to cover that sin by having Uriah murdered, he unleashed a firestorm of tragedy in his own life and in his family. Things would never be the same in David’s life or home as a result of the things he did.
B. Let me give you a brief overview of the pain David endured for the moment of pleasure he enjoyed.
1. David suffered the death of an infant son – 2 Sam. 12:15, 18
2. David’s eldest son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar – 2 Sam. 13:1-2
3. David’s son Absalom grew to hate Amnon – 2 Sam. 13:22
This is a tragic description of the horrible effects sin can have in our lives! David’s sin affected his family more than it did anyone else. After all the smoke had cleared, he had four dead sons, a kingdom in shambles, disgraced wives, a tarnished reputation, a disgraced daughter, and a trusted counselor dead by suicide, among other things. Even though it was David who sinned, his sin still impacted people who were totally innocent. That infant child and Tamar were both innocent victims of David’s wickedness! But, it also affected David! It tarnished his name, Psa. 41:8. It caused him constant grief and heartache, Psa. 55:4.
C. Have you thought about what could happen in your life? Have you thought what the fallout would be if you fell into sin? Have you considered what might happen and what lives might be ruined if you took that fatal step and went away from the Lord into sin? Are you willing to pay that high a price? You never know who might be destroyed because of an indiscretion in your life! Don’t think for a moment that your sins won’t affect the innocent people around you.
I. THE PRINCIPLE DAVID ENCOUNTERED
II. THE PAIN DAVID ENDURED
III. THE POWER DAVID EXPERIENCED
A. Even as this time unfolds in David’s life, we can see in his life the evidence of God’s hand at work. Even though David had to face the consequences for his sins, he was still God’s man. And, God was at work in his heart. This is seen in two specific incidents as David fled from Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom.
The first incident occurs in 2 Sam. 15:24-26. Here, Abiathar the priest was leaving with David. He and the Levites were taking the Ark from Jerusalem. David sends them back declaring his dependence upon the will of the Lord.
The second occurs in 2 Sam. 16:5-14 when a man named Shimei follows David, cursing him as he does. Abishai, David’s nephew, wants to decapitate Shimei, but again, David places his fate in the hands of the Lord.
B. From these and other incident, it would seem that David is rediscovering some of the humility that had marked him as a younger man. Yes, David paid a high price, but he also came out of these dark days with a changed heart; restoration and humility. He faced his sin like a man and God gave him grace to make it through the consequences!
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. I wish I could tell you that when you got saved you would never fail God again. We all know that it would be a lie if Is did tell you something like that. However, I can promise you this: when you do fail, God will help you through the processes of confession, repentance restoration. He will even keep you through the dreadful consequences sin brings into your life. That is the promise of grace. That is the promise of the heavenly Potter, Jer. 18:1-6.
I would add that it does not take much sin to leave an eternal mark on a life, a family, a community or a nation. David learned this harsh lesson. Some of you have learned it as well. Some are in the process of seeing their chickens come home to roost.
While sin always carries a great price tag, it does not have to be as bad as it could be. If there is unconfessed sin in your life, I challenge you to bring it to Jesus, confess it, repent of it, and pray for grace to face the consequences. If you are reaping a bitter harvest today, why not come before the Lord and submit to what He is doing in your life. If things are right between you and the Lord I would encourage you to come before Him to ask for His help in avoiding the horrors of sin. If you see someone skating close to the edge, I invite you to bring them to the Lord and pray that they will be delivered from their sins before they incur a price higher than they want to pay. If you are lost, I invite you to come to Jesus Christ for salvation.