Dr. Dan Coflin
Pastor, River of Life Church
In the Book of Psalms, King David wrote about what God desires, “Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts…” (Ps. 51:6). In other words, David was saying that God’s desire for him and for us is that we would be truthful.
David knew what he was talking about because he had just experienced the greatest failure of his life. You see, David was walking around the housetop terrace of his palace when he looked through the window of his neighbor’s house to see a beautiful woman named Bathsheba bathing. David desired her and sent a messenger to bring her to the palace. The result of this adulterous affair was revealed to David by a note Bathsheba sent to the king. She was pregnant and her husband had been with the armies of Israel for months.
King David then put into motion a plan to cover up the affair. He sent word to Joab, the commander of his army, for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to return home immediately. Upon his arrival, David honored Uriah and commended him for his service and sent him home to be with his wife. Instead, Uriah slept in the barracks near the palace. When David’s servants told him that Uriah had not gone home, the king summoned him and asked why he had not gone to his home after such a long journey.
Uriah said to the king, that it would not be right for him to go home when his commander and fellow soldiers were camped in the open field and engaged in battle. When David was convinced that Uriah was not going to go home, he gave him a sealed message for Joab and sent him back to the battle. The message to Joab was to set Uriah in the hottest battle and withdraw from him so he would be killed. Joab obeyed the king, and the next day Bathsheba’s husband was dead.
After a month of mourning for her husband, Bathsheba was taken to the palace and she became David’s wife. David thought his sin was covered, but God sent a prophet to the king who told him a story about a poor man who had a pet lamb that was greatly loved by him and his children. The poor man’s neighbor was very rich and had many flocks. One day a friend visited the rich man. When he prepared a meal for his visitor, he stole the pet lamb from the poor man instead of taking one from his own flock. When king David heard of this injustice, he pronounced a judgment against the rich man, saying, “the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (2 Sam. 12:5). The prophet then said to David, “You are the man.”
David’s lies to conceal his sin were discovered, resulting in the judgment he himself had determined. The prophet said, “The sword shall never depart from your house.” (2 Sam. 12:10). Sadly, four of David’s children died.
In the Book of Proverbs it says, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” (Pr. 28:13) I wonder what might have been if David had gone to God with his sin instead of lying about it. Could he have avoided judgment and found forgiveness and mercy instead?
If we are walking in truth, then there is no place for things to hide in the dark. Give the devil “no place” (Eph. 4:27). Anything we attempt to hide will be the very thing that brings our ruin. Most people confess their wrongs if caught red-handed, but how sincere is their sorrow? If I am grieved for a wrong I’ve done even when no one knows about it and I go to God and ask forgiveness, I have exposed what was in the dark to the light of God’s truth. Then when “I walk in the light as he is in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses me from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). Truth is transformational, and when we walk in the truth, we are aligning ourselves with God and in God is life and life more abundant (Jn. 10:10).
Dr. Dan Coflin and his wife Dianne co-pastor River of Life Church at 410 E. Chapman Rd. in Lutz, FL. 33549, (813) 949-9931, www.roltampa.org. We would love to invite you to visit River of Life Church.
Our lively worship begins at 10:30am on Sunday. We are a non-denominational, spirit-filled ministry. Please honor us with your visit. We would love to have you!