One Sin Leads to Another

When in ease and self-security he let go his hold upon God, David yielded to Satan and brought upon his soul the stain of guilt. He, the Heaven-appointed leader of the nation, chosen by God to execute His law, himself trampled upon its precepts. He who should have been a terror to evildoers, by his own act strengthened their hands.

Amid the perils of his earlier life David in conscious integrity could trust his case with God. The Lord’s hand had guided him safely past the unnumbered snares that had been laid for his feet. But now, guilty and unrepentant, he did not ask help and guidance from Heaven, but sought to extricate himself from the dangers in which sin had involved him. Bathsheba, whose fatal beauty had proved a snare to the king, was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s bravest and most faithful officers. None could foresee what would be the result should the crime become known….

Every effort which David made to conceal his guilt proved unavailing…. In his desperation he was hurried on to add murder to adultery. He who had compassed the destruction of Saul was seeking to lead David also to ruin. Though the temptations were different, they were alike in leading to transgression of God’s law….

Uriah was made the bearer of his own death warrant. A letter sent by his hand to Joab from the king commanded, “Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.” Joab, already stained with the guilt of one wanton murder, did not hesitate to obey the king’s instructions, and Uriah fell by the sword of the children of Ammon….

He whose tender conscience and high sense of honor would not permit him, even when in peril of his life, to put forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, had so fallen that he could wrong and murder one of his most faithful and most valiant soldiers, and hope to enjoy undisturbed the reward of his sin. Alas! how had the fine gold become dim! how had the most fine gold changed!
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Prayer Requests
——Today Chelsea and Josue lay their tiny babe to rest. Please pray for them during this heartbreaking time. Rose
——B is in need of a good paying job. Please pray that the Lord will supply that need quickly. L
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Dear Friends,

When I was a little girl, I spent nearly every evening with my grandfather, Edwin Harmon. He told me the most wonderful stories of when he was a boy. I’d ask for them over and over. One time, I asked him why he had a little bluish mark on his lip. Thus began a story I had not heard before.

When he was still in grade school, he and his little brother, Harold, were playing with a group of boys from the neighborhood one day. Having free time was a rare thing back in the late 1800’s, so the boys wanted some exciting adventure. They decided to go to the town’s gravel pit and play on the piles of gravel. They knew that this was strictly forbidden because of the danger of being buried alive, and that the owner of the gravel pit had posted a guard at the entrance to keep everyone out.

That is what made it all the more appealing to these boys, who were wanting fun and excitement. Somehow they sneaked in and started climbing on the mounds. At first they were quiet, but as their little “king of the mountain” game progressed, all thoughts of the guard vanished and they began to laugh and shout. Before long, the guard heard them and grabbed his gun. Firing toward the boys, but not meaning to hit any of them, he shouted for the boys to get out.

It did not take a second shot for those boys to be convinced that they should leave. Away they ran like scared rabbits! My grandfather had felt a little sting on his lip when the man shot at them, but it was only after he was far away from the pit, that he tasted the salty taste of blood. The bullet had grazed his lip. Ever after, he would have a little blue mark where some of the gunpowder “tattooed” him.

How often it is the same in our life. We think that we can “get by” with some forbidden pleasure, but the results forever change our life. Sin scars. Sin leaves its mark. The Great Redeemer has given many such examples in His Holy Word. One such example is Lot. He had lived with his uncle Abraham until he was so prosperous that the two men had to dwell a little distance from each other. Abraham, although in a position to choose the best for himself, let Lot choose the area where he wished to dwell. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” Gen 13:10,11 That choice resulted in a loss of all that was dear to him. He lost his wife, his family, his possessions, everything.

Another example is King David. His one moment of indiscretion, changed his life forever. From that moment, his kingdom began to decline. The guilt that he felt kept him from rebuking his children as he should and this changed the way they viewed sin. The course of their lives spiraled downward to the point that it cost some of them their lives. The baby which was born out of his affair with Bathsheba died shortly after birth. His firstborn went beyond his father’s lust and it cost him his life. His well-beloved son coveted the throne and began plotting against him. <2 Sam 13-19>

How easy It is to make a wrong choice. One unguarded moment can change the whole course of our lives. One wrong decision can lead us down the wrong path. How much we need God’s wisdom and care. Only then can we keep from ruining our lives. We do not possess this wisdom naturally. It is a gift from our Great Creator.

James tells us” If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” James 1:5 Our Loving Guide has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Ps 32:8 What a wonderful God we serve! He promises to guide us and to instruct us in every aspect of our life. Our part is to cooperate with him. We must not stubbornly refuse His leading. If we turn from His instruction, we will suffer a great loss, a loss that He does not want us to experience. If we refuse to listen to His voice, our life will take a downward course.

May we close our ears from the first suggestion of the enemy. May we turn from the momentary pleasures this world has to offer. May we walk in the path that leads to everlasting joy is my prayer.
Rose