God hates sin no matter how we quantify it as big or small. It is important for believers to grasp this: living for God is a lifestyle that involves shunning sin and anything that brings impurities. In 2 Samuel 11, king David and Bathsheba got involved in adultery and this sin led to pregnancy. Bathesheba was married but her husband was on the battlefield while king David had different wives who could have satisfied his craving. David’s plan to cover up his sin failed because Bathesheba’s husband was more righteous than David. How will David’s secret sin be covered? What will David and Bathesheba do to prevent the shame? David’s approach to his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba was to kill Uriah, Bathesheba’s husband.
After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. (2 Samuel 11:27)
Bathesheba mourns her husband’s death and after the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. (2 Samuel 11:27). God is a just God and David and Bathsheba’s actions greatly displeased Him. David, the man with power and authority abused this and had an innocent man killed. Instead of accepting their sin of adultery and asking for forgiveness, David added to his sin murder. God rebuked David through prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12) and because David showed utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to him by Bathsheba died. How do we deal with sin?
Accept that you have sinned: The first step in dealing with sin is the acceptance of our sinfulness. God sees everything and so there is no need for us to garnish our sins and make them look less sinful. David’s prayer in Psalms 51, a prayer in response to his sinful deeds makes this profound statement: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:3). David accepted his fault and he confirmed that this sin, although it took the life of Uriah, was done against God. In Psalms 51:4, David says that, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”
Ask for mercy: When you identify with the sin, you ask for mercy. God’s mercy is defined in the Bible as His pity, compassion, and goodwill toward people. His mercy first appears in the life of a believer at redemption, and then God continues to show mercy through forgiveness. Mercy wins against judgement, but turning away from God’s mercy is fatal. David prayed in Psalms 51:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” When we ask for mercy, we identify that only God can forgive us for what we have done. Asking for mercy doesn’t cease after our salvation. It should be part of our prayer life. On a daily basis, we tend to err by our actions and inaction. Therefore, the mercy of the Lord is an everyday need.
Ask to be cleansed: When we get dirty, our first resolution is to get cleaned. Sin brings spiritual dirt and it is important that we ask for God’s cleansing. David in Psalms 51:2 prayed for God to “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” In Ezekiel 36:25, God Himself told Israel that “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.” The purpose of cleaning is restoration to our sinless state. David says in Psalms 51:12 that “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” When we are cleansed, we are restored. Sin separates man from God and it is important that we are restored back as stainless vessels every time we fall into sin.
A clean heart: Jesus teaching on that which defiles in Matthew 15:18-20 made these profound statements: “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Thus the issue of sin is linked to the heart. To deal with the root of sin means to deal with the heart. David, knowing this, prayed in Psalms 51:10 that “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Other versions say that “create in me a clean heart”. This should be our daily prayer. We need to have a clean heart to be able to withstand the different temptations the enemy brings our way. David understood that the last of the eye that led to the lust of the flesh and the ultimate sin with Bathsheba was because his heart wasn’t pure. As soon as he saw the woman bathing, impure thoughts entered the heart of David and he could not resist the urge to commit adultery with another person’s wife although he himself had many other wives.
If we desire to deal with sin, it must be handled from the root. Until we identify our own weaknesses and susceptibility towards sin without the work of God, we will always lose the battle to sin. As much as it depends on us, let’s make a conscious effort to “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
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