II Samuel chapter 12.
After David committed sin before God, there came consequences. But afterwards, God forgave him and ended up using the woman he committed adultery with to bring a son in the world who would be used mightily for the Lord. A great reminder of how great God's forgiveness truly is. Any sin is forgiveable and God's love is so real that He is still willing to use us for His kingdom.
Thank you Lord for your forgiveness and for your love and your willingness to use me For Your Glory! Amen
Sin does have consequences and many times our sins may cause others to suffer or even die. We see this happen in chapter 12 with David and Bathsheba’s first child.
I was thinking about what we read back in Exodus 34:6-7.
“The Lord passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Why some people suffer or die as a direct result of the sin of someone else is something that we just may not be able to fully understand in our lifetime. A child dies in a fire caused by an arsonist, a pedestrian is struck and killed by a drunk driver, an unborn baby’s body is torn apart by an abortion doctor, a police officer is shot and killed by an armed robber… The list of seemingly senseless deaths could go on and on. There are so many victims of crimes that take place in our world everyday. Life may not always seem fair, but God is always good. We have to trust that the Lord knows and does what is best in every situation. We may not understand it at the time or like certain outcomes, but He is God and we are not.
One day the disciples were trying to figure out more specifically about the consequences of sin and who was responsible for a certain man’s blindness. Jesus showed them that they were looking at it all wrong and set them straight in this account that took place in John 9:1-7.
“As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, He spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then He anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.”
Just like you both shared, this chapter is a reminder of how our sins can have horrible consequences on others. We often don’t think of how our choices affect others, in the moments of sin. David wanted to pray and fast to show God he was sorry, but also so that his son would recover and not die. Sometimes when we sin and it has negative consequences on others, we do the same type of pleading and bargaining with God. His plan is already laid out though, and just like Jim said with the story of the blind man, we need to find the blessings that can come from difficult circumstances.