OUR SINFUL LUSTFUL HUMAN NATURE

PROCLAMATION

“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace.  From the roof he saw a woman bathing.  The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.  The man said, ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’  Then David sent messengers to get her.  She came to him, and he slept with her.  (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.)  Then she went back home.”  2 Samuel 11:2-4 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

It was time to go to war, but this time King David did not go with the Israelite army, he chose to remain in Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11:1)  While walking around on the rooftop patio of the palace, David saw a beautiful woman bathing, probably on the roof of her home.  After he found out who she was, David sent for her and slept with her.  He let his lustful human nature take control and he sinned.  Actually, David compounded the first sin, lust, with another sin, adultery, and then yet another sin, murder.  David had her husband killed so that the sin which he had committed with Uriah’s wife, and her subsequent pregnancy, would not be discovered. (2 Samuel 11:14-17)  David’s actions displeased The Lord God and he would pay for his sins. (2 Samuel 11:27)

APPLICATION

David was a man after God’s own heart, (1 Samuel 13:14) but he was human, he was a man, and like all men he was a sinner. (Romans 3:23)  Here he let his lust for Bathsheba get the best of him.  David was not where he was supposed to be, he was idle, he had a wandering eye, he did not suppress his sinful thoughts, he acted on them.  We all have weakness for one sin or another, and a sin is a sin.  We are more likely to fall into temptation when we are not where we are supposed to be.  There is an old saying, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”   Occasionally we have sinful thoughts (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28) and at times we act on those thoughts thereby committing another sin.  That is why we need to pray and ask to be forgiven for our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.  We also need to ask The Lord God to create within us a clean heart and mind, (Psalm 51:10) and for Him to guide and direct us. (Proverbs 3:6) 

IMMORAL AND WICKED PEOPLE BEHAVE AS IF THERE IS NO GOD

Proclamation:

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.”  Psalm 53:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King David under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God.  David states that non-believers feel that there is no God to punish or the exact revenge on the wicked.  They have corrupted their ways like the people had done in the days of Noah before the great flood. (Genesis 6:12)  They have done things which The Lord God hates and that makes them abominable in His sight.  For some unknown reason these words are repeated almost verbatim from the fourteenth psalm.  Most of The Bible scholars believe that “the fool” David is referring to is a group of people who are immoral, wicked and void of spiritual understanding.  Their deeds and conversations are vile and impure and in their hearts they despise the people of God and righteousness in general.  They treat the righteous with cruelty and persecute them. (Psalm 14:4 and 53:4)  But The Lord will come to the aid of His people and He will restore them. (Psalm 14:6-7 and 53:6)

Application:

Human beings are basically sinful by nature.  Before we condemn “the fool” that David is referring to, let us remember that all of us are sinners. (Romans 3:23)  None of us are righteous on our own, (Romans 3:10) it was imputed to us and not earned by us. (Romans 4:24 and James 2:23)  Before we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, we exhibited or thought about some of these same sinful behaviors.  Thinking sinful thoughts is the same as committing the sin. (Proverbs 23:7)  Judge not, least you be judged. (Luke 6:37)  Rather, we should pray for those who don’t know The Lord God, or who don’t believe in Him.  Let us thank God for helping us and rejoice in His presence, protection, and power.  When we think of that foolish person, remember, there but for the grace of God go you and I.

YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION

Proclamation:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me."  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:12-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  James offers statements on wise living and on practical examples of Godly behavior.  Christians are blessed when they exercise Godly behavior when they are confronted with temptation.  They are blessed when they persevere under trials and withstand the tests.  James makes it clear that God is not testing them by tempting them.  Temptation comes from their own sinful nature and desires when in their mind they want to do that which is sinful or which leads to sin.

Application:

We need to understand that the temptation is not a sin, the yielding to the temptation is the sin.  The temptation to sin is a trial, a test that we endure.  God is not tempting us, but through His permissive will, He is allowing the temptation to occur.  The devil does not make us sin, although he is frequently blamed for it.  Our sinful nature causes us to desire to commit sin.  Once we think a sinful thought, we try to rationalize it or justify it before we give in to it.  However, we have a choice and we can choose not to act on our sinful thoughts.  We are blessed when we do not give in to the temptation to sin.  We need to pray regularly and frequently for God's help to withstand temptation and for us not to yield to the temptation to sin.  I truly believe that the more time that we spend reading God’s Holy Word the less time we will spend contemplating and committing sinful behavior.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PUT BEFORE YOUR EYES

Proclamation:

"I will set before my eyes no vile thing.  The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me."  Psalms 101:3 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible for this verse reads “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes …”

Explanation:

The words of this verse of this psalm were written by King David, a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22), as he was teaching the people of God and leading by example.  David said that he was not going to put any vile, wicked, or evil thing before his eyes.  He was not going to intentionally look at, or watch, anything that was vile, wicked, evil, or offensive to God.

Application:
David's action here would be a good example for us today.  We are responsible for what we read, listen to, and watch whether that be personally witnessing it in real life, on TV, in the movies, or over the internet.  Something bad or ungodly may cross our path, but we do not have to continue watching it.  The books that we read, the programs and movies that we watch, and all of our choices for entertainment reflect who we are, and we are supposed to be Christ-like.  Our choices also affect those around us who are aware of them.  We may cause others to fall into sinful behaviors as they imitate us.  Remember, we are the only "Bible" that some people will ever read.  We should also be aware of the fact that the eyes of The Good Lord God are always upon us and He sees all that we do. (Proverbs 5:21)  So, not only are we to avoid doing and saying anything that is ungodly, we should avoid watching anything that is ungodly.  We will have to answer to God for the things that we put before our eyes which were not Christ-like.

"He Did Evil In The Eyes Of The Lord"

"He did evil in the eyes of The LORD, but not as his father and mother had done.  He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made.  Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them."  2 Kings 3:2-3 (NIV)

The unknown author of the book of second Kings recorded that the king of Israel did not follow The Word of God, in fact "he did evil in the eyes of The Lord".  That phrase is repeated twenty-four times in the books of first and second Kings, and it is repeated an additional nine times in the book of second Chronicles.  Each time that it is repeated it refers to the behavior of the king.

It is difficult for the people to do right when they are following a leader who is doing wrong.  God gave each of us the free will to choose between right and wrong.  We can also choose who we will follow and who we won't follow.  We need to compare what our leaders say that we should do with what The Bible says that we should do.  In order to do that, we must read and study The Bible.  The Word of God will give guidance and direction to those who believe.  (Psalms 25:9 & 48:14, Proverbs 3:6 & 11:5)  If the leader is not following The Word of God, then we should not be following them.  Do not let it be said that we "did evil in the eyes of The LORD" because we were following someone down a sinful path.  We need to turn away from our sinful, evil, wicked ways and seek God.  (2 Chronicles 7:14)