2 Cents

Last Sunday I preached on 2 Samuel 11:1-18... David's sin with Bathsheba and subsequent cover-up.
The message was titled "The Slippery Slope of Sexual Sin" and I gave 7 steps that together make up that slippery slope. Here they are.

Step #1: Idleness

In 2 Sam. 11:1 we read that David didn't go out to war, even though it was the time when kings go out to war. David stayed at home. He was alone and probably bored. Is this a sin in and of itself? No. But it brings us closer to sin than if we had something to invest our mind and our hands in. Down time is good and can be God-glorifying. But down time without a plan is dangerous and Satan wants to use that angst and itch you feel to satisfy your boredom against you.

Step #2: Lingering Glances

Did David sin in 2 Sam. 11:2? I don't think so. I think he just happened upon something he should have never seen. Happens to all of us from time to time. But the question is, What do we do immediately after we see what we shouldn't have seen? The implication in our passage is David didn't turn his eyes away. He continued to look.

Step #3: Lingering Thoughts

Lingering glances lead to lingering thoughts. Not only did David fail to turn his eyes away... he failed to turn his thoughts away.

Step #4: Fantasy

There's a difference between steps 3 and 4. In step #3 your thoughts are bombarding you, but you are still struggling against them. You still want to fight. Here in step #4, there's no fighting. Instead you let your thoughts run wild. You give in to them. David began to think to himself... What would it be like if...

Step #5: "Innocently" Stepping Toward the Fantasy

In 2 Sam. 11:3 David "innocently" sends someone to inquire about the woman. But the intentions of his heart were anything but innocent. It's no longer just in his head. He's made a move toward making the fantasy a reality. This is extremely dangerous territory. We can do this as well by doing something in real life that seems innocent to everyone else, but deep down we know what we're doing. We're testing the waters of sexual sin.

Step #6: Acting Out the Fantasy

You can't undo the damage of this one. Steps 2-5 are just as much sin as this one, but the damage here is permanent. Think of the damage David caused Bathsheba here... emotionally, spiritually. Not to mention she later tells him she's pregnant... with a baby not her husband's. Think of the damage this did to Uriah. He never finds out what happened, but David's sexual sin cost him his life.

Step #7: Cover Up

David tried everything he could to get Uriah to come home and sleep with his wife so everyone would think the baby was his. But it didn't work. So David had him killed. Then he took Bathsheba to be his own wife.

David could have confessed his initial sin, thrown himself on the mercy and grace of God, and dealt with the consequences. But he didn't. He tried to cover it up.

We have that choice too after our own sexual sins. And the lie of Satan is that covering it up will produce less pain and suffering than confession. But that's not true. Covering it up always produces more pain that coming clean.

If you're anywhere on this slippery slope... reach out for someone's hand before you fall farther down.