December 23 -- "Consequences of Sin"

 Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 13

"Consequences of Sin"

Here, we read of Amnon, son of King David and-heir apparent to the throne, who rapes his half-sister Tamar and later is murdered by his own brother for his sin. What a sad story illustrating the depths of human depravity.

Many people wonder why this disturbing story is in the Bible. After all, it doesn’t seem to have any mention of God’s grace or His redeeming love. It is a sad and tragic story about the dark side of human nature. But there is a reason this story is here – to teach us about the consequences of sin.  God has laid down the rules. If you follow the rules, you're going to find fulfillment and satisfaction, and a meaningful relationship with Him. But if you violate the rules, you're going to get hurt. You're going to get burned. This is the story of David getting hurt as a result of his sin and the sins of others.

Let me suggest some ways this passage may be instructive for us. First, and most obviously, we need to see that there are consequences for sin. Remember that David had committed the terrible sins of lust, adultery, deception, and murder in his incident with Bathsheba. After those sins, David repented and received forgiveness from God. He was genuinely forgiven but was informed that there would still be consequences for his sin. We must remember that God’s forgiveness doesn’t necessarily eliminate the after-effects of our sin. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) If we sow to our flesh, we will reap emptiness and heartbreak.

Secondly, we see that sin often starts small and privately, but if left unchecked, it can rapidly escalate into great sin that becomes public. It has been said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go; keep you longer than you want to stay; and cost you more than you want to pay.”  An example of this is the sin of adultery. You let a small, private attraction for another person develop into acts of sin which lead to the after-effects of destroying marriages and families. Amnon’s lust for Tamar was hidden in his heart. Only God knew about it. Until that day when he let the power of sin and his selfish desire take over. He acted on his “innocent” attraction and the results were heartbreaking. This passage encourages us to stay out of sin, no matter how “small” or “innocent” it may seem. “Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)

Finally, this story teaches us the importance of discerning true love. Amnon claimed that he “loved” Tamar, but he was disastrously confusing “love” with “lust.”  True love is expressed by acts of selflessness and service.  You will know it is love when someone is willing to deny their own desires in order to serve and care for others. True love focuses on the well-being and happiness of the other person, selfish-lust prioritizes personal desires, needs, and gratification.

Our Creator is the grand example of true love: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)