Isolate Your Sins
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. (Heb. 12:15)
A root is the base or foundation of a plant that absorbs nutrients from the soil to supply nourishment to the plant. When your soul is rooted in “bitterness,” a devastating chain of sins—mental, verbal, and overt—springs up. Bitterness ripens into anger, hatred, or vindictiveness, the natural foundation for gossip, maligning, violence, or even murder. However, the memory of a past grievance or a forgiven sin must not be allowed to generate further sins. Past sins must be isolated from the present to break this chain reaction.
Forget Your Sins And Keep Moving
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward [moving on] to what lies ahead. (Phil. 3:13)
Before his salvation on the Damascus road the Apostle Paul was infamous for his self-righteous crusade to exterminate Christians (Phil. 3:6). Although God had forgiven these heinous sins, the guilty memory could have crippled Paul’s spiritual life, but he isolated and forgot past sins and focused on the present goal of spiritual maturity.
Once sin is confessed you must forget as God has forgotten (Ps. 103:12; Isa. 43:25). Someone may have offended you. You reacted with bitterness and anger which you then confessed. God forgave and forgot that sin. But your failure to forget the sin can lead to smoldering hatred and a thirst for revenge. These mental sins may quickly ignite into verbal and overt sins unless you rebound, isolate the sin, and put the sin in the past where it belongs. Only then are you free to keep moving toward maturity in the Christian life.
I press on [keep moving] toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:14; italics added)
SELF-JUDGMENT OR DIVINE DISCIPLINE
Whenever we sin we are liable for discipline.
“FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”
(Heb. 12:6)
Our choice is between self-judgment and divine discipline. Neglecting rebound plunges the believer into divine discipline.
The Apostle Paul specifically warns the Corinthians of this principle in a passage about the communion table (1 Cor. 11:28-32). Before partaking of the communion elements, a believer should “examine” or “judge” himself, synonyms for rebound.
But let a man examine himself [rebound], and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (1 Cor. 11:28)
Every believer has the right to partake of the communion elements, but each believer is warned never to eat or drink them with unconfessed sin in the life.
For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself [divine discipline], if he does not judge the body rightly. (1 Cor. 11:29)
For this reason many among you are weak [warning discipline] and sick [intensive discipline], and a number sleep [dying discipline]. (1 Cor. 11:30)
But if we judged ourselves rightly [rebound], we should not be judged [divine discipline]. (1 Cor. 11:31)
But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Cor. 11:32)
The “if” in verse 31, a second class condition, indicates the Corinthian believers should have been judging themselves, but were not. The resulting divine discipline devastated the congregation. Three categories of discipline caused by spiritual maladies afflicted the carnal Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:30):
“Weak”—illnesses which are basically not organic in nature. These may include loss of energy and strength, motivation, even depression. This is warning discipline to encourage the believer to rebound.
“Sick”—includes definite organic (physical) illnesses, even to the point of becoming an invalid. This intensive discipline is designed to shock the rebellious believer out of carnality.
“Sleep”—the Greek word κοιμάω (koimao), used figuratively for the physical death of believers only (1 Thess. 4:14). If a believer stubbornly remains carnal the Lord may prematurely terminate his life through dying discipline or the “sin unto death” (1 John 5:16a, KJV).
The alternative to God’s discipline is self-judgment. After rebound and restoration to fellowship, God exercises one of three options on our behalf. First, He may remove all disciplinary suffering (1 Cor. 11:31). Second, disciplinary suffering may be diminished and transformed into blessing. Third, disciplinary suffering may continue at the same intensity, but is designed for greater blessing.17
The longer a believer remains out of fellowship, the more intense the discipline becomes. Prolonged carnality may result in discipline so severe that some become convinced they were never saved. This believer becomes useless in relation to God’s plan for his life. The only solution is to exploit the grace of God through 1 John 1:9 and keep moving.
REBOUND FOR SPIRITUAL ADVANCE
What can be expected when a believer lives without using rebound for an extended period of time? The prodigal son! Just like the prodigal son in the New Testament, the pattern of sin, discipline, rebound, restoration, and blessing can be observed in the lives of Old Testament believers.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Heb. 12:1)
The great “cloud of witnesses” are the outstanding spiritual heroes of the Old Testament, the hall of fame list of Hebrews chapter 11. They were not perfect; they were not ‘holier than thou’; they were not sinless. When they failed they used God’s grace in rebound. We, too, must “lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us.” The Old Testament heroes exemplify for us the necessity of rebound in order to advance spiritually.
DAVID: FAILURE AND RECOVERY
David, the Spiritual Giant
A vivid Old Testament illustration of sin, discipline, rebound, restoration, and blessing occurs in 2 Samuel 11. The hero is David, the king of Israel, one of the most highly respected believers in history. The Scripture lauds him as “a man after His [the Lord’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). Yet, like every other believer, David miserably failed the Lord.
The episode begins with David in fellowship. This quickly changes. The results are tragic.
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. (2 Sam. 11:1)
In the ancient Near East armies traditionally stood down in the fall and winter, then reassembled to conduct their campaigns in the good weather of spring and summer. The previous year Israel had defeated the Ammonites, but by summer’s end failed to capture Rabbah, the Ammonite capital. With the arrival of spring the army of Israel mobilized and deployed to renew the siege of Rabbah.
As monarch, David was responsible for leading his troops in the field. The Holy Spirit carefully makes this point: “At the time when kings go out to battle.” God’s will was for David to lead his troops at Rabbah. Instead, David sent Joab, his Chief of Staff, and his servants.
David had previously led every military campaign, but now he “stayed at Jerusalem.” Failure to fulfill his responsibilities put David out of God’s geographical will and in carnality. David was now a spiritually mature believer out of fellowship.
By being in the wrong place David encountered temptation where he was most vulnerable. David had many impressive strengths: He exhibited phenomenal courage in battle with Goliath, brilliant leadership of the nation, and true humility toward God. But his strengths were neutralized by carnality. His weakness for women became his downfall.
Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. (2 Sam. 11:2)
David had little to do around Jerusalem, since his responsibility was to be with his army at Rabbah. Apparently he was sleeping most of the day. When he awoke in the evening he was bored. So he took a walk in the palace garden. In the ancient world, gardens were not on the ground level, but on the roof. During the course of David’s stroll, he saw an extremely beautiful woman bathing. Suddenly David was no longer bored. He found this view more exciting than his garden.
If David had been in fellowship when he saw this gorgeous woman, he may have resisted the temptation. After all, he had three wives and at least ten concubines. Seeing such a breathtaking woman was not an unusual event in his life.
But David was out of fellowship. Any believer out of fellowship finds temptation overwhelming, especially in areas where he is weak.
If your weakness is jealousy, bitterness, envy, gossiping, or maligning others, it will be more difficult to resist the temptation to sin in these areas. This lovely woman appealed to David’s weakness. Being tempted in your area of weakness when you are in fellowship is one thing; being tempted in your area of weakness when you are out of fellowship may be something else entirely.
So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (2 Sam. 11:3)
David ordered his aides to find out the identity of this woman. They discovered she was the wife of one of David’s commanders. Uriah, unlike David, was where he should be—at Rabbah with the army of Israel.
And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, “I am pregnant.” (2 Sam. 11:4-5)
David found a way to cure his boredom—adultery. If David had been a Christian today, some of his friends might have said David was never really a Christian. They would be wrong. David was saved and is in heaven today. He was another believer who willingly walked into the trap of carnality. His mental attitude sins turned overt.
A believer out of fellowship is capable of committing sins as despicable as an unbeliever. This does not imply that David was worse than unbelievers. The Scriptures do not classify adultery as more depraved than other sins. Sins of the tongue—character assassination—also destroy many people, just as adultery always damages more than the two individuals involved. All sin removes a believer from fellowship with God, and may initiate a disastrous series of sins. David was about to initiate a series of sins that would impact his entire kingdom.
Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. (2 Sam. 11:6-7)
When he questioned Uriah, David feigned concern for the battlefield situation. David was not at all interested in the siege of Rabbah. Instead, he schemed to conceal his seduction of Bathsheba. David concocted a clever ploy to lure Uriah home to be with his wife because he hoped to escape blame for her pregnancy. David’s appearance of virtue when he inquired about the army was nothing more than hypocrisy and subterfuge.
Hypocrisy is a common characteristic of carnality. A believer out of fellowship often attempts to conceal or deny his sin. With each progressive sin David was transformed from a spiritual giant into a carnal hypocrite.
Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. (2 Sam. 11:8)
“Wash your feet” is a Hebrew idiom for “enter the house.” In the time of David, the streets of Jerusalem were so dusty that every household had a footbath at the door. Before entering his house, a man would remove his sandals and wash his feet. When a guest knocked on the door, instead of saying, come in, the response was, wash your feet.
But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. (2 Sam. 11:9)
Uriah failed to comply with David’s wishes, frustrating his plan. Instead he “slept at the door of the king’s house.” The door of the king’s house refers not to David’s palace, but to the guardhouse near the king’s gate. Located there were special barracks to billet the royal guards. Rather than going home to spend the night with his wife, Uriah moved into the barracks of the guardhouse with the palace guard. Uriah was a responsible solider who would not enjoy the pleasures of home while the army was in the field.
Now when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” (2 Sam. 11:10-11)
David must have winced as he heard this reply. All his life David had displayed a tremendous sense of responsibility, so Uriah’s loyalty and concern for his troops should have awakened David’s conscience. While the entire general staff was enduring hardships in the field, David was enjoying the pleasures in the palace. If David had been in fellowship he and Uriah would have left for Rabbah at once. But what did he do? David made another attempt to entice Uriah home.
Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house. (2 Sam. 11:12-13)
David made Uriah drunk.18 David hoped that once Uriah’s inhibitions broke down, he would go to his wife’s bed. David exhibited all the manipulative skills characteristic of the carnal hypocrite, frantic to escape the consequences of his own bad decisions. David’s cruel cunning reached a new low. Some of the most conniving people are believers out of fellowship.
Did his manipulations succeed? Under David’s insistence Uriah did get drunk, but in spite of the temptation, Uriah maintained his military standards of integrity.
Now it came about in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. (2 Sam. 11:14)
David was desperate. The only solution to his dilemma seemed to be the death of Uriah. To accomplish his wicked deed David wrote a letter to Joab. Not only would David be guilty of murder, but he would make Joab an accessory. David knew an officer of Uriah’s integrity would never examine a letter he carried.
And he had written in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.” (2 Sam. 11:15)
Joab understood the wishes of his commander in chief. The order was clear: Advance on Rabbah with Uriah leading, then retreat, leaving Uriah isolated and unprotected from the enemy.
So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. (2 Sam. 11:16-17)
Uriah’s unit sortied just below the city walls. How tragic that such a valiant soldier was sacrificed for David’s lust.
Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. And he charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ ” (2 Sam. 11:18-21)
Why would Joab expect David to become angry? Because Joab made a tactical blunder which cost the lives of several men. He left a unit exposed and unprotected so its commander would be killed. When David heard this report he would probably become furious with Joab for committing such a deadly error. So Joab said if David becomes angry, just say to him, “Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” Joab was protecting himself by reminding David of his previous order.
So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. And the messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” (2 Sam. 11:22-24)
Then David played the hypocrite.
Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it’; and so encourage him.” (2 Sam. 11:25)
David’s encouragement of Joab was sheer pretense. Joab lost the battle because he obeyed David’s orders to have Uriah killed. David never before had treated the loss of his men so casually. This was not his normal practice. No great captain of history would be so philosophical in defeat as to say “the sword devours one as well as another.”
Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. (2 Sam. 11:26)
David’s carnality brought sorrow and grief to Bathsheba who apparently loved her husband and mourned for him. The sins of one believer often involve and hurt others.
When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD. (2 Sam. 11:27)
No believer can be a winner when out of fellowship or outside the plan of God. David was no exception. Not once during ‘Operation Bathsheba’ did David confess his sins. He deserved what he gave Uriah, but after the entire incident David was still alive. God still had a plan for his life. But only after undergoing the severe physical and emotional agony of divine discipline did he finally rebound. Then he could continue to mature as a believer.
O LORD, rebuke me not in Thy wrath;
And chasten me not in Thy burning anger.
For Thine arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Thy hand has pressed down on me. (Ps. 38:1-2)
Here is a picture of self-induced misery and piercing pain. David agonizes under the ordeal he experiences from divine discipline for his sins. These “arrows” were God’s arrows of discipline which penetrated to the depths of David’s soul. “Thy hand has pressed down on me” is a figure of speech dramatizing the gravity of David’s plight. He was being justly punished by the Lord.
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
For my iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
My wounds grow foul and fester.
Because of my folly,
I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I go mourning all day long. (Ps. 38:3-6)
Verses 3 through 6 describe the traumatic emotional and physical consequences of David’s sin. “No soundness in my flesh” is a Hebrew idiom for loss of health. David’s sins affected his physical and mental health. His festering guilt became an emotional burden that left him severely depressed which was reflected in his physical demeanor.
The severity of this discipline must be attributed to his failure to rebound (Ps. 32:3). When we fail to rebound and isolate our sin a chain reaction develops. The original sin becomes compounded by guilt reaction coupled with various mental attitude sins, including hypocrisy, fear, worry, anxiety, depression, envy, bitterness, hatred, anger. Together these sins produce stress and anguish in the soul, which in turn destroy physical health (Ps. 32:3-4).
For my loins are filled with burning;
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am benumbed and badly crushed;
I groan because of the agitation of my heart. (Ps. 38:7-8)
The “loins” refer to the nervous system, which was affected by David’s mental attitude sins. As a result of worry and anxiety his physical misery became so intense that he wandered about groaning.
Lord, all my desire is before Thee;
And my sighing is not hidden from Thee.
My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.
(Ps. 38:9-10)
David’s problem was overt sin driven by mental attitude sins, including guilt. The ever-increasing stress these sins placed on David’s soul threatened his sanity. He lost motivation, energy, the capacity for enjoying life.
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen stand afar off. (Ps. 38:11)
Not only did David’s sins destroy his temporal fellowship with God and his health, they devastated his human relationships. No one enjoys being around someone who is always miserable. No one desires to become embroiled in God’s discipline of another believer. David’s friends began to avoid him. Even his family gave him a wide berth.
Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction,
And they devise treachery all day long.
But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a dumb man who does not open his mouth.
Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments. (Ps. 38:12-14)
Divine discipline may also include attacks from your enemies. David’s numerous enemies relished the opportunity these calamitous circumstances offered. Though they may not have understood the cause, they realized he had become weak and vulnerable. Taking advantage of David’s weakness they devised cruel and devious attacks against him.
In this numbed condition David had little to say. Defenseless and brooding, he was unmotivated to fight back. All the issues that make life worthwhile became irrelevant to him.
Having lost hope and hit bottom, he finally realized his only hope was in the Lord. Only after intensive divine discipline does David consider rebound.
For I hope in Thee, O LORD;
Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God.
For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.”
For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me. (Ps. 38:15-17)
David’s pain and misery became so unbearable that he longed to end his suffering.
For I confess my iniquity;
I am full of anxiety because of my sin. (Ps. 38:18)
The first half of this verse, the confession, illustrates how to recover fellowship. “For I confess my iniquity” was David’s prayer of rebound. Naming sins to God the Father is all that is required. The second half of the verse reveals David’s emotions at the time. Emotions may be present and are perfectly normal, but are not the basis for divine forgiveness. Feeling sorry for his sins was a legitimate reaction, but it is dependence upon God’s provision, not human emotion, that restores the believer to fellowship.
What finally brought David to his senses? God ordered Nathan the prophet to confront the king, a fearful prospect since the unstable king was the final authority in the land. Yet Nathan as a prophet had the responsibility to be critical of the political leadership of Israel.
Nathan chose to confront David by using a parable. In this narrative the events illustrate David’s sins. But David had so rationalized and justified his sins that he was blind to the application of the parable. He never would have reacted with such indignation if he had understood its true meaning.
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said,
“There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.
The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.
But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb
Which he bought and nourished;
And it grew up together with him and his children.
It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,
And was like a daughter to him.
Now a traveler came to the rich man,
And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,
To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him;
Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” (2 Sam. 12:1-4)
If David had not sunk so deeply into carnality he would have perceived the meaning of the parable: He was the rich man. The poor man was Uriah the Hittite, now dead. His only possession had been “one little ewe lamb”—Bathsheba.
In ancient Israel the custom was to kill the fatted calf or lamb to welcome a visitor. Rather than taking from his own abundant flocks, the rich man stole the one lamb of the poor man. By application, David had several beautiful wives, yet he took Bathsheba from Uriah.
Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.” (2 Sam. 12:5-6)
Why was David so outraged? His sense of justice was offended, yet he failed to make the personal application. Unwittingly, he pronounced his own judgment. Only God’s grace commuted the death sentence (Ex. 21:14; Lev. 20:10). Instead of the death penalty the Lord used a fourfold restitution as the basis for David’s discipline. God chastened David beyond what has been recorded in Psalm 38. The longer you remain out of fellowship, the higher the price you pay.
Nathan then said to David, “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7a)
The truth struck David like a thunderbolt. But before he could react Nathan continued:
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!’ ” (2 Sam. 12:7b-8)
David was appointed king over Israel by the grace of God, not because of his magnificent abilities. God brought it to pass, not David. Everything David had was courtesy of God’s grace. The same is true for all of us. Everything we have, any blessing in life, is courtesy of the grace of God.
“Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” (2 Sam. 12:9-10)
By his sinful actions David “despised” the will of God. God pronounced David’s discipline: Violence would plague his family for years to come.
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’ ” (2 Sam. 12:11-12)
David’s sins had been committed in private, but his discipline would be administered in public. All Israel would be witness. David himself proclaimed his discipline in verse 6. God would punish him fourfold from his “own household.”
Second Samuel 12:13 begins where David left off in Psalm 38:18. Did David say, I am sorry for what I have done and regret every sin; will You forgive me? Not at all! Notice how specific David’s rebound is.
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Sam. 12:13)
God instantly forgave and forgot David’s sins. Those past sins no longer kept David from fellowship with God. David need never again feel the oppressive guilt and overwhelming anxiety he expressed in Psalm 38. On the authority of God’s Word those sins were blotted out. To feel guilty for those sins again would have been another sin—the rejection of God’s wonderful grace provision of rebound.
Divine forgiveness never depends on our feelings, our degree of guilt, or even our faith. Forgiveness depends on God’s promise to cancel the sins when we name them to Him. To experience the blessing of renewed fellowship and to avoid the guilt trap, we must have confidence that God has forgiven and forgotten our sins and that we are cleansed “from all unrighteousness.” Then we, too, can share in David’s praise of God:
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Ps. 32:1-2)
David’s sins were completely forgiven. The remainder of David’s discipline was accomplished through members of his own family. David paid fourfold for his sins:
The child born of adultery died (2 Sam. 12:14-15).
Amnon, David’s son, raped David’s daughter Tamar (2 Sam. 13:1-14).
Absalom murdered Amnon to revenge Tamar (2 Sam. 13:22-29).
Absalom, the son David loved the most, led a national revolt against his father (2 Sam. 15—18).
His discipline finally terminated in 2 Samuel 18:33 when David heard of the death of Absalom.
And thus he said as he walked, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I have died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Sam. 18:33b)
When David heard the news of Absalom’s death, he staggered under the pain of his loss. The discipline for his sins had come to an end. The four installments extended over a period of about fifteen years. If his discipline had been meted out at one time he may not have survived.
Though David’s discipline was severe, because he had rebounded his suffering was for blessing. David advanced spiritually throughout these years. He learned to depend on the Lord in the most adverse circumstances. Many of the lessons David learned are preserved in the Psalms he authored during the Absalom revolution when he lost everything and became a fugitive. By staying in fellowship David was able to accelerate his spiritual advance exemplifying the principle of cursing turned to blessing.
THE DIVINE TRAINING PROGRAM
The tragic example of David in the Bathsheba incident illustrates the trauma of divine discipline. The twelfth chapter of Hebrews warns us not to forget the reality and repercussions of God’s discipline.
And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE [corrective] DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD,
NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES [warning discipline],
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES [intensive discipline].” (Heb. 12:5-6)
To be a winner, the basketball player must perform within set boundaries. Just as the referee blows a whistle when the player steps out of bounds, God blows the whistle by administering discipline when the believer steps out of bounds through sin.
God begins with warning discipline to alert the believer to his carnality and motivate him to rebound. If the believer continues in carnality, “REGARD[S] LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD,” God intensifies the punishment. Unless rebound is used this intensive discipline becomes dying discipline, the sin unto death (1 John 5:16).
God’s punitive action is never arbitrary or abusive. God is always just and fair. Divine discipline is an integral part of God’s training program for the believer in the royal family. God’s discipline is both an evidence of our sonship (John 1:12) and a manifestation of God’s love for us even when we are carnal.
DO NOT FAIL THE GRACE OF GOD
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness [integrity]. (Heb. 12:7-10)
Wise, loving parents discipline their children to train them for proper orientation to life as adults. Through discipline children learn humility, respect for authority, teachability, and objectivity—indispensable qualities for maturity. Just as parental discipline prepares children for human maturity, God’s discipline prepares believers for spiritual maturity. With spiritual maturity the believer can handle the vicissitudes of life.
“And live” means that when we rebound we can continue to advance in the Christian life. The more time we spend in fellowship, the more we can learn and apply Bible doctrine. As we grow spiritually our capacity for life and blessing increases and our life is enriched.
To “share His holiness” encompasses the entire spectrum of the advance to spiritual maturity in the Christian life. God disciplines us to get our attention and to bring us back to reality. Once focused we rebound, recover, and move on.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Heb. 12:11)
Punishment is painful, never pleasant. Discipline is designed for correction and training. The child that is never corrected grows up to be a rebellious, miserable, self-absorbed adult who is maladjusted to life. However, the child that has been well trained has a greater opportunity to be stable and adjusted to life. Believers who respond to divine discipline by rebound are filled with the Spirit, and have the potential for spiritual maturity and the “greater grace” blessings of the spiritual life (James 4:6).
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble [rebound], and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb. 12:12-14)
Strengthening weak hands and feeble knees and making straight paths are synonyms for rebound resulting in the filling of the Holy Spirit, the source of spiritual strength. Rebound transforms you from the weakness of carnality to the strength of a restored spiritual life. The spiritual life is healed because the cursing has turned to blessing. The weakness of cursing under discipline becomes the strength of suffering for blessing.
One final warning concerning discipline is in verse 15.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. (Heb. 12:15)
Some people respond to discipline from the Lord with bitterness and continue in bitterness. They become obstructionists, miserable people who are obstacles to their own spiritual growth and to the spiritual lives of others. They will never recover and become oriented to grace again, unless they understand the true purpose of discipline.
God has provided the believer with the perfect solution for sin. Since the moment we were saved God has always dealt with us in grace. He disciplines in grace; He forgives in grace; He blesses in grace. Rebound is the epitome of grace.
Rebound is the simplest yet most incredible concept in the spiritual life. The ease with which we name our sins and are forgiven by God memorialize His matchless grace. Rebound defeats sin and accesses the power of God. At our fingertips is the key that unlocks the Christian way of life. To grasp rebound is to open the door to the wonderful spiritual freedom that God’s grace offers to every believer in Jesus Christ. Do not fail the grace of God; the grace of God never fails you. Rebound and keep moving!
