PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS
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As we seek to apply the positive calling and meaning associated with the tenth commandment to our lives, we come to another example of how following our base desires and wants can and does lead us into misery and harm. In today’s devotional, we hear about the rebuke that the Lord gave to King David through the Prophet Nathan.
Selfishness
Prior to this message from the Lord, David went through a season of selfishness that brought misery and pain to himself, to his friends, and to the people of God. While Uriah, one of David’s closest and most loyal brothers-in-arms, was out leading a battle on behalf of David, the King allowed himself to set his eyes on Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (whose name means, daughter of an oath or daughter of commitment).
David acted on his lust and brought Uriah’s wife (who lived next door to the King) into his bed, clearly breaking faith with his friend and with the Lord.
As always, the cover-up was worse than the crime. Instead of confessing his breach of trust to one of his 30 Mighty Men, he tried to trick Uriah into covering up David’s sin. When that did not work, David allowed his covetous desire to lead him across another line as he had Uriah murdered.
Nathan
The Lord sent a prophet named Nathan to King David, and this is what happened:
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
(2 Samuel 12:1-10 NIV11)
Assume
It is easy to hear about this situation and assume that you would never experience anything like these extreme circumstances. You are not a King with unlimited power and resources (presumably) and you are therefore not likely to be tempted to act in ways similar to David.
However, it is instructive to note that David’s failure started when he noticed a beautiful woman on her roof and did not look away. Instead, he took small steps toward this forbidden fruit. With each additional step came greater failure and worse consequences.
The Lord confronted David by challenging him to see that what he chose to do was an act of theft and abuse toward a man who had served David as a faithful brother for many years. The Lord challenged David’s heart even more than his actions. His hard heart led him to bring misery and pain into the lives of those closest to him.
Learn
It is good for us to learn from David’s failure and from the consequences of this sin. David’s breach of the tenth commandment (among others) would have long-lasting consequences.
This is true for you and me as well.
Our faithless actions and attitudes do real damage to our reputation, to the name of the Lord, to the relationships of those whom the Lord has placed into our lives, and to our own well-being.
Whatever we think we will gain by allowing our eyes and desires to lead us astray is quickly erased when the Lord shows us the true cost of our failure.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I am in need of your strength. The world around me is constantly calling me to turn away from the person you have called me to be in this life. I cannot fight the battle of lust, greed, and out-of-control desire for what I do not have. I submit my struggles to you today and ask for your hand to hold me as I face down the challenges before me today.
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
PASTOR RYAN LADEN
Works at MTN. CHURCH
Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church
Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at Baylor University
Studied at Texas Tech University
Went to Castle Hills First Baptist
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