Godly Discipline

So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 2 Samuel 12:13-14

In 2 Samuel 11-12, David fell from grace. The fact that a man as anointed as David could fall should alert all of us. Why did the “Sweet Psalmist of Israel” get into trouble? David committed three sins:

(1) The sin of irresponsibility (11:1). At a time when kings should lead their troops into battle, David was complacent. When you don’t flow with God and His presence, you will always get yourself into serious trouble.

(2) The sin of opulence (11:2). David started to love comfort a little too much. He was resting and pampering his body while his soldiers were dying out in the battlefield.

(3) The sin of not taming his eyes (11:2-3). The eye is the window of the soul. David started lusting for Bathsheba, the wife of one of his mighty men.

The sad drama that followed was one of deception, intrigue, adultery and murder. Thankfully, that was not the end of the story. When Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sins, the latter immediately repented before the Lord. And the beautiful thing is that God extended His grace to him and forgave him of his sins. However, David had to bear the consequences of his evil deeds. Eventually, three of his sons would face violent death. Killing and bloodshed would persist in his family all the days of his life. Many of his own wives would be taken away from him. David reaped whatever he had sown (Gal. 6:7-8).

Let us understand the difference between forgiveness and judgment. Very often, we think that when God forgives, we don’t have to bear the consequences of our actions any longer. That is wrong. Forgiveness has to do with the record. Judgment has to do with the character. God has to deal with your character defects so that you will not sin again in those same areas. And His tool to do that is discipline and judgment. David understood this principle of positive judgment. In Psalm 51:4, David says,”Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.”

As a child of God, you must not become afraid of God’s discipline. Which good earthly father wouldn’t discipline his own children? “For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness” (Heb. 12:10).