Jim George said, “it’s not how you start that’s important, but how well you finish!” The beginning is often times the easy part, but the middle and the end are where life gets difficult. Have you ever started something with zeal and excitement, only to quit when things started getting difficult? A 500-piece puzzle, a new job, a sports team, the Browns season, or whatever it was, the fun disappeared and it became drudgery. We all do it, that’s part of the human experience.
Not everything started is worth finishing. Not every book needs to be read to the end. There are stewardship principles in the Bible that can help us manage our time or make decisions to change directions. I started a new job selling Kirby vacuum cleaners and quit after two weeks. Why? Well I missed the subtle ways they deceived me into the job and I bought into promises that were never actualized. I tried to do my best, but couldn’t buy into the cultish environment set up. I began to realize that staying with that job would have been bad for me.
However, I also learned perseverance by sticking with commitments I made even when things didn’t turn out the way I expected them to. I played baseball my senior year of High School, I guess I should say I “played” baseball. I made the team, I went to practice and I stuck around for the whole season. At tryouts and practice, my new coach was praising my efforts and encouraging me, and said to me, “I’m happy to be a place where I don’t have to coach on politics, and can just enjoy the game.” However, he shifted and made decisions that adversely affected me and my playtime. Yet I stuck it out for my team, in part because I wanted to grow in my resilience and work through things that were difficult.
King David’s story started out better he could have scripted it. God anointed him to be the future king. He defeated a lion, a bear, and a giant! He won the daughter of the king. He was best friends with the king’s son. He was the king’s personal musician. He gained many followers and won many battles. He was a man of prayer, Scripture, and songs.
When he was officially anointed as King of Israel, he won the heart of the nation and led them to victories over the enemies. His reign is considered the “Golden Age” of Israel. But somewhere David began to take his eyes off the Lord.
Read 2 Samuel 11:1-12:14
We are familiar with David’s story and his sin with Bathsheba. Yet, every time we come to this story we are encountered with the truth that even godly people have fatal flaws when they take their eyes off the Lord.
A Slow Fade
I can guarantee you that David didn’t just wake up one morning and say, “I’m going to commit adultery.” David was aware of sin and righteousness. He stood for righteousness and honored God over and over in his life. However, major sins don’t just pop up one day, they are the results of a slow fade. One small decision after another conditions the heart, mind, and environment to set up an occasion to sin.
I was very intentional to say “set up the occasion to sin” and not say “cause us to sin.” Anywhere along the line, if we wake up and repent, God will prevent us from moral collapse. 1 Cor. 10:13 reminds us that God is with us in temptation and will provide a means to overcome if we look for it.
David was neglecting his duties to be with his men at war (2 Sam. 11:1). Israel was at war with the Ammonites, and David was resting in his palace, which was set at the top of Mount Zion. That fact alone should have caused him some embarrassment in honor and shame culture. He should have been there with his men who were risking their lives for him. We see at the end of chapter 12 that Joab calls David to join him for the final part of the battle so David could get credit for the victory as king. Shameful.
We don’t have time to recount all of or speculate other bad decisions that led him to the place where he “happened” to look upon Bathsheba and pursue his adultery. Have you every had the “what if I wasn’t even there” moments? If David had been in battle, he wouldn’t have committed adultery and wouldn’t of had his friend killed to cover up his sin. Yet he was there and suppressed the truth so he could “gain.”
That’s the promise of sin, that you will gain from giving in. Yet it is such an empty promise and will only leave you wanting. As it’s been said, “sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.”
An Abrupt Encounter
When David was confronted by Nathan, he wasn’t expecting to have his sins called out. He was king, after all, who would tell him he was wrong? Lord Acton said, “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Even the “man after God’s own heart” gave into his fatal flaw and put his own desires above God’s will.
Nathan boldly confronted David. Rather than a king dismissing, killing or waving off the messenger, David demonstrates why he was considered “a man after God’s own heart,” by recognizing and confessing that he has sinned against God (2 Sam 12:13). God forgave David of his sin, but there were still earthly consequences to his sin: his baby died.
We fool ourselves when we think that our sin won’t affect anyone else. Sin is costly and it will hurt those around us. Yet, God promises to forgive and cleanse us when we confess our sins and repent (1 John 1:9).
A Savior Redeems
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God is always working for the good of those that love him. Even when we fail and sin, God is still working. God didn’t give up on David, or remove his covenant with him. That slow fade and sinful moment impacted the rest of David’s life, but God also used David despite his sin.
Ultimately, God still chose to honor David and bring about the lineage of Jesus Christ. Jesus did what David could not do, and he lived a perfect life. Jesus fulfilled the law and provided the perfect sacrifice for sin. His resurrection brought redemption to all who believe.
The grace of God is not an excuse to sin, it is the power we have over sin. When we fixed our eyes on Jesus he will guide us in the way, the truth, and the life.
No matter how you started, or where you find yourself at today, that’s not the most important. What’s important is what you do next and how you finish. Although David sinned, he never gave up his faith in the person and promises of God. We have a beautiful song from him in Psalm 51 as a prayer and guide when we sin. Keep doing what you know you should do, keep your focus on Christ, and allow his grace to empower you to consistent perseverance.
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