Consequences | VibbleSpace

7Apr/100

Week 14 Day 3 – The Morning After

Today we are going to look at the aftermath of David’s sin. We are going to look at "the Morning After" a night of unbridled sin.

An interesting way to observe how a sinful human system affects a community is to do a study on specific individuals in the story and observe the effects of David’s actions on each of their lives. The pivotal event in today’s reading is the death of David’s rebellious son, Absalom. Notice how each person is described before the death and after the death of Absalom.

David’s Concubines

before 2 Samuel 15:16 and 2 Samuel 16:22

after 2 Samuel 20:3

Shimei

before 2 Samuel 16:5-14

after 2 Samuel 19:15-23

Ziba and Mephibosheth

before 2 Samuel 16:1-4

after 2 Samuel 19:24-30

Have you ever sat down and looked at your life and the circumstances of the world and thought, "This scene is messed up?" It is very easy to get caught up in that mode of thinking, especially if you are of the personality type that is more prone to introspection and emotion. Why is it easy to get caught up in that mode of thinking? There is one easy answer: because the world is a messed up place. Shakespeare said it well as he wrote, "Oh the tangled webs we weave..." Each one of us is born into a tangled web. We are born into family systems that are suffering from the direct consequences of the past sin of our parents. Our family system is suffering from the consequences of generations of sinful patterns that have been passed down through the ages. The family of humanity has been marked by wars and treachery that has caused us to be bitter and suspicious of each other. We live in guarded fortresses, both literal and figurative, protecting ourselves from the enemy that lies outside and from the enemy that lies inside. Many times it seems that no one can be trusted.

The second half of 2 Samuel can be a discouraging experience to read. While that is true, we can also look at it as a guidbook for how live in the reality of a messed up world. From chapter 12 on we can make some interesting observations about the nature of God, sin, and forgiveness.

First of all, the reason David was God’s man was not because he was perfect in his action, but because he was honest in his heart. When Nathan confronted him about Bathsheba, David was deeply convicted and admitted that what he did was wrong. This is what made him different from Saul. Whereas Saul tried to shift the blame and save face, David fell on his face and took full responsibility for blowing it.

Secondly, we can see that God is a forgiving God. When David truly repented of his sin, God spared him. Now, we need to be careful at this point. Many people in our day misinterpret the idea of a forgiving God. I’ve heard too many people say, "Oh, I know this is a sin, but I just can’t help myself... and I know God will forgive me because he’s a forgiving God." Yikes! That is a dangerous theology. Yes, God is a forgiving God, but forgiveness is only possible when it is preceded by TRUE REPENTANCE. Outward religion, or going through the motions of church, does zilch for the removal of sin. David said in Psalm 51:17 that the sacrifices God desires are a broken and contrite heart.

There is a third thing we can observe about God, sin, and forgiveness. Even though God forgives sin and the relationship with God is restored, the natural consequences of sin are not removed. David’s life was never the same after the Bathsheba incident. The rest of 2 Samuel is the story of the downward spiral of David’s family and the reality of having a heart for God that is groping in the physical fallout of sin. That is the condition of the world today. The effects of sin are all around us. The world is polluted, families are decimated, people are fighting and killing each other over money, power, and property. Each of us has sinned and we live with the scars every day. It is naive to think that following Jesus will take away all the bad circumstances in life. It doesn’t work that way. Following Jesus gives us an inner joy that is anchored in an eternal truth that gives us the hope and strength to persevere through difficult circumstances, not escape them.

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6Apr/100

Week 14 Day 2 – Facing the Music

Here is another recurring theme in our devotionals. Hosea said it best in Hosea 8:7, "they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind."

Our behavior has consequences. When we sow to the Spirit and yield ourselves to God’s will, then the fruit of the Spirit will grow in our heart. (Galatians 6:9) In the same way, when we sow to the flesh, then the wild seeds of weeds will be scattered in the garden of our heart and nasty stuff will pop up overnight and do serious damage.

David’s life was no different. David’s sin brought about intense consequences in his family and in the nation. His children were divided, his nation was divided, and his throne was threatened.

I believe it is important to pause at this moment and make a very important point. The consequences that David suffered in chs. 13-20 were not the result of the one sin with Bathsheba. I’m not saying that that one sin did not deserve harsh consequences, because it did. I’m saying that the consequences are rooted deeper into David’s life and into the entire heritage of the nation. One of the key sins that produced so much pain was the distorted view of women in the culture. Had the men of Israel not treated women like cattle, taking multiple wives and concubines, there would not have been the division and rivalry amongst the half-brothers. Also, had the nation not begged for a king, the inevitable treachery that swirls around every human throne would have not happened. Remember that Samuel warned them that these events would come. Treachery, pain, murder, and warfare are part in parcel with a human monarchy. That’s what power does to any person. The division of Israel was inevitable. David’s sin with Bathsheba just became a catalyst for the crumbling of the shoddy foundation upon which the nation was built. These consequences were the results of generations of disobedience to God.

We have talked a lot about consequences in past devotionals. Simply put, the message is this, if we repent from our sin and are restored in fellowship with God, that does not remove consequences. If you lost brain cells from drugs, they’ll still be gone after salvation. If you’ve had a child out of wedlock, the child will still be there after salvation. If you’ve been divorced and the children are in pain, they’ll still be hurting children of a broken marriage after salvation. Enough said.

The point for today is found in David’s attitude towards these consequences. How do we typically respond when we reap what we sow? We tend to get bent out of shape and start shaking a rebellious fist at God, saying, "How could you do this to me? A loving God wouldn’t do this." Or, we implode in shame and depression, saying, "Yes, I deserve this punishment, I might as well not go on living."

Look what David did. In 2 Samuel 15:25-26, when he was fleeing from Jerusalem for his life, David said, "If God wants me back in Jerusalem, then I’ll go back. If not, then I won’t." Then, when Shimei was hurling stones and insults at him, David said, "Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to."

Here again we see why David was considered a man after God’s own heart. David took the consequences of his sin in the same way that he took the adversity and the victories he had experienced before the sin with Bathsheba. He accepted the consequences with an open spirit, realizing that he was in God’s hands, was God’s servant, and was willing to take whatever God wanted to give him. He didn’t fight back in resentment and he didn’t crumble in shame. He submitted his heart to the will of God and humbly and courageously followed wherever God took him.

Let us never forget two important lessons:

There are always consequences for sin, so think twice before you do something stupid.
The attitude of a godly heart remains the same regardless of circumstances. Our attitude should always be one of humble submission to God’s plan.

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26Mar/100

Week 12 Day 5 – The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

1 Samuel 12:1-25

In this chapter we encounter the third great farewell speech in the Old Testament. The history of Israel and its shifts from era to era seem to be punctuated by these speeches. As the nation shifted from the era of the patriarchs and slavery into the era of conquest in the Promised Land, Moses stood up before them and proclaimed, "I set before you life and death...choose life!" After the dust settled from the conquest of the land and the nation was moving into a system of theocracy, God’s ideal form of government, Joshua stood up before the throngs and said, "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Now, in today’s reading, after a radical societal shift from a theocracy to a monarchy, we see Samuel place before the people a choice of living and walking in the ways of God or persisting in evil. The former will lead to life and the latter will lead to death.

Do you see a common theme here? We need to read between the lines a bit when we listen to Samuel’s speech. Was Samuel happy about the people’s choice to have a King? No. Was God happy about it? No. It seems that Samuel is saying (allow me to paraphrase) "guys, listen. Now that you have a king you think everything will be fine. You’re wrong. Nothing has changed. From the beginning God has wanted one thing...your heart. He wants you to fear Him, to love Him, and to serve Him with all your heart. Nothing less. Had you done this from the beginning we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Yet, you haven’t and now here we stand with a king on our hands. Hear this. The rules haven’t changed. Now you just have two layers of responsibility to deal with. Not only do you have to follow God, but you also have to hope and pray that your king follows God as well. Because if he doesn’t...oh boy...are you in for a world of hurt. Bottom line...if everyone keeps their eyes and hearts on God, then this whole thing will work out great. If you or your king gets distracted by the nonsense that is going on around you, then it will be lights out for the whole party. Enough said."

In our lives the same is true. We have all made really stupid choices and we are stuck with the consequences of those choices. We may have brain damage from taking drugs. We may be in prison because we killed someone. We may have blended families and hurting children because we got divorced. Were these things God’s perfect desire for us? No. Will God take these consequences away? No. Will the pain and ripple effect of these consequences cease? Probably not. Is all hope lost? No. God can and will work through the mess that we have created and bring something redemptive out of it. The only way that will happen, however, is if we get back to the simple game plan. We must fear the Lord, we must love Him with all our heart, and we must run away as fast as we can from the sin that brought about these consequences in the first place. We must surrender our heart to Jesus, every day. Then, God will come in and work with the "king" that you asked Him to place in your life.

He can work with faulty church systems (because 100% of church systems have some level of human corruption within them, be sure of that) and bring blessings through them in spite of the dysfunction. He can take an illegitimate child and use him to transform the world for His kingdom. He can take a damaged drug-addict and make her a shining beacon of God’s grace, forgiveness, and redemption.

Let’s never forget that changing the "what" of our lives without changing the "how" of our lives is not going to make the difference. Changing the "do" without changing the "be" is like rearranging the deck chairs on the sinking Titanic. What difference is it going to make?

Let’s pray for a heart that is surrendered to Jesus and let Him handle the rearranging of our life, our family, our church, and our society.

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17Feb/100

Week 7 Day 3 – Too Little, Too Late

Numbers 14:1-45

What does forgiveness mean? When discussing God’s grace and forgiveness in light of God’s Law and justice, there seem to be two camps in the Christian community that sit on opposite extremes of the continuum. On one side there is the camp that says that God is so loving and so forgiving that He will always forgive you no matter what you do and no matter how many times you do it. On the other side of the camp there are those who say that God cannot tolerate sin and that when you finally cross over the line for the final time, you cannot be forgiven.

Today’s story in Numbers 14 sheds some light on the issue for us. The Israelites were complaining against God and were not willing to trust that God would actually deliver the promise that He had made. They saw the giants in Canaan and could not see how they could possibly defeat this formidable enemy. Their fear drove them to the point of even wanting to kill Moses and elect another leader to take them back to Egypt. This was a major sin of rebellion.

Here are some observations and application points from this story...

Following God is a scary thing and the natural reaction is to run back to the familiar land of slavery and sinful patterns.
God takes obedience to Him and trust in Him very seriously.
There are consequences to sin and to rebelling against the name of God.
God is a forgiving God, and will always forgive the repentant.
Forgiveness does not remove consequences.
When we move on without the blessing of God, we will always fail.

Let’s camp on that phrase, "forgiveness does not remove consequences." God forgave the rebellious generation. He continued to lead them through the wilderness for another 40 years. His presence went before them and He provided the food they needed every single day. They had a relationship with Him, but He did not allow them into the Promised Land.

This is a truth pill that is very hard for us to swallow. There are consequences to our actions that will have a lasting effect on our lives. If you take drugs you will damage your body, permanently. If you drink and drive, you may kill an innocent person and they will never come back. If you get a divorce your children will be emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives. If you lie you will tarnish your trustworthiness and will have to work very hard to build back trust.

Does God forgive drug addicts, drunk drivers, divorcees, and liars? Absolutely. If we truly repent and ask for forgiveness then He has promised that He will remove the guilt of that sin from us as far as the east is from the west. Will He remove the consequences? No. Will a person who has had an affair, divorced their spouse, remarried, and is living in a blended family situation ever be able to experience the wholeness of a united and sanctified family? No. They will not get to enter into the Promised Land of the blessing of family that God intended for them. Does that mean that they cannot know God or follow Him? No. It just means that they cannot pretend that they are "all better" now that they are forgiven. There are deep wounds of relational devastation that will carry on throughout the generations because of those actions. God can heal those wounds and work with those wounds to make strong scar tissue, but the scars will never go away.

Here’s the point. Be careful to not fall into the trap of thinking, "I’m going to commit this sin, even though I know its wrong, because I know that God will forgive me afterward." That is dangerous thinking. When we do that we will be like the Israelites who said, "Oh, Lord, we’re sorry for rebelling, we want to go fight now." Moses said, "I’m sorry, that’s too little, too late. God will not be with you in that endeavor."

This is a heavy devotional, and perhaps a controversial one. Yet, it is important for us, as followers of Jesus, to never take lightly the instructions that we have been given. God loves us so much and has such rich blessings in store for us, that it would be foolish for us to flirt around with sin and miss out on the good stuff. We just don’t have time for that. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Jesus and keep loving each other with God’s kind of love.

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