The fall of god’s anointed
Have you ever wondered how King David, a man after God’s own heart, might be able to fall so far from grace that he would commit adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his most loyal warriors, Uriah the Hittite, and have Uriah killed in order to cover up the infidelity? Have you witnessed any men or women of God today who seemingly walk under a heavy anointing of the Holy Spirit but fall from grace and enter into some heinous sin? What causes someone who walks so closely with God to choose sin over His anointing? What happens to their anointing when they sin? Can we avoid stepping on the enemy’s landmines if we know where they are located? It all depends on our willingness to choose humility and forgiveness over pride and arrogance. In other words, it all depends on our willingness to love.
I was asking the Lord about the plight of King David one day during prayer, and He answered me in His word. The story of David’s fall starts before the actual act of adultery that we read about in 2 Samuel 11. Like most sin, a door must be opened to allow the enemy to bring the temptation in the first place. James 1:14-15 says, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death.” If sin is a process, when did David’s sin first begin? I believe it might be the same sin we see in many of God’s anointed children today who fall far from His grace. It is difficult to identify even by those who are in the grips of it because sometimes it can be nearly invisible. The Lord showed me how David allowed the enemy to enter into his heart and brought him to one of the lowest points of his life. If this message reaches even one of His anointed and keeps them from opening this door, it is worth the effort of sharing this truth with you.
I will save us the time of going over the details of King David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, one of his closest friends and a mighty man of valor, but you might find it helpful to read about it in 2 Samuel 11-12. If we rewind the story to just before the heinous act, we can read about a moment David had with the Ammonites that opened him up to the cloaked sin of unforgiveness. The king of the Ammonites, one of Israel’s enemies, had died. David had been shown kindness in the past by the king, so he wanted to show kindness back to the king’s son and heir, Hanun. David “sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father,” and Hanun responded by greatly humiliating the servants of David and sending them away. This is the moment where David made a grave error.
2 Samuel 10:6 says, “Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become repulsive to David, the sons of Ammon sent messengers and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah.” They hired mercenaries to prepare for a war with Israel. Why would they need to do that? They saw that they had “become repulsive to David.” King David had been humiliated along with his servants by the new king of the Ammonites. He had been offended and the offense had been unjust and unwarranted. King David was simply trying to be kind and loving to one of his enemies. His enemy acted as any enemy might, and they humiliated David in front of his people. Instead of being loving and forgiving, David was “carried away and enticed by his own lust” as it says in James. His pride was hurt, and when he allowed the pain of his flesh and the lust for revenge to be “conceived,” it became the sin of unforgiveness. This sin eventually led to the death of Uriah the Hittite as well as David and Bathsheba’s firstborn son. David also died spiritually that day because of the unforgiveness. He lost his desire to know the heart of God. That spiritual death is what allowed darkness to enter into his heart paving the way for the adulterous and murderous acts.
How does it appear that David held unforgiveness in his heart towards his enemies for the humiliation he suffered? When David stood before Goliath, he stood for the honor and righteousness of God. He was not killing because of a personal offense against his own flesh. When David led his armies into battle, he always sought the Lord’s will and plans. He did not kill indiscriminately or for personal vengeance or gain. He even restrained himself from killing King Saul when he had a chance to do that very thing because he knew it was not God’s will even though Saul tried numerous times to take David’s life.
In 1 Samuel 13:14, David was described by the Lord through the prophet Samuel as being a “man after God’s own heart.” When the Ammonite king humiliated David and his servants, David did not ask God what He wanted him to do about it. Instead, he caused the Ammonites to believe they had “become repulsive” to him. Why would they believe that? Is it possible that David might have made comments about the offense to others? Maybe, he had conversations detailing how he would like to claim his vengeance by killing them or physically harming them. He might have even addressed his people and assured them he would make things right. He definitely said something or did something that would cause the Ammonites to understand that they had become repulsive, or as some scriptural interpretations write, they had become “odious” to him. Those are some very strong words that border more on the side of hate rather than love. David was a man of war, and they no doubt could sense his rage and desire for revenge even from a distance. He was not showing humility or forgiveness. He was no longer trying to be kind or loving towards them.
In David’s defense, he had not heard the words of Jesus yet telling him to love his enemies, but since he was a “man after God’s own heart,“ he should have at least asked God what He wanted him to do. If he had shown humility and been forgiving, the Ammonites would have no reason to hire mercenary forces to protect themselves. The unforgiveness in David’s heart allowed darkness to enter him, and an adulterous and murderous spirit began to influence his decisions. David sent his mighty men, including Uriah, to defeat the mercenaries, and then he sent all of Israel to destroy the Ammonites while he stayed home from the fight. The unforgiveness and bitterness that now overwhelmed David, opened the door for the adulterous and murderous spirit to make a way for David’s great fall from grace. It all started with the lustful pride of life, and when David allowed it to be conceived, it became unforgiveness which led to the heinous and evil acts performed by this man who was once called by the Lord as a “man after God’s own heart.”
Because David’s heart had become so hardened at this point, it was difficult for him to hear the correction from the prophet Nathan. Nathan gave David a word of correction from the Lord in the form of a parable. Had David heard the truth in the parable and confessed his sin, maybe God would have handled his punishment differently. We will never know for sure. When Nathan came straight out and condemned David of the sins, he told him he was going to suffer the consequences of his sin for the rest of his life. In 2 Samuel 12, God explained to David the reasons for his severe punishment. One reason was because he used the Ammonites, the enemy of God, to kill one of His own children, Uriah the Hittite. David helped the enemy of God to harm the heart of God. God would punish him severely for that reason, and because David sinned in secret and tried to hide it, God would make his punishment public.
There are many in the world today who have been hurt or offended by their enemies, friends, or even families. They are harboring unforgiveness and bitterness in their heart even if they do not see it themselves. Many are prodigals or have left the Church in search of love through fleshly or worldly means just as David did. Like David, they have hardened their hearts to the truth, and might even find themselves judging others for sins they themselves are guilty of committing. Read again how David responded to Nathan’s correction in the form of a parable. Many times, their downward spiral, like David, begins with the secretive sin of unforgiveness, but if left unchecked, it can lead to much more costly and damaging sin that requires immediate attention lest it become deadly and very public.
We can learn a few valuable lessons from King David’s mistakes. The first important lesson is the lesson of humility and forgiveness. Even if the offense is unjust and unwarranted, we must be humble and forgive. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.” The second lesson is that we must not allow the lust of the flesh to be conceived in our hearts lest we open the door of our heart to the enemy and produce the fruits of sin in our lives. Those fruits will lead to death. The third lesson we should contemplate is again humility but this time with repentance. If we have found ourselves past the sinful stage of conception, we should not try to hide our sin. Luke 12:3 says, “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Lastly, we should make sure that we never allow ourselves to use the enemy to attack another brother or sister in Christ. God hates this one and might even consider it an abomination. Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who declares lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” If you are doing any of these things and if it is against a brother or sister in Christ, consider this a warning. God will not stand for division in His family. He is bringing an end to it very soon. He will act even more severely on those who walk under a heavy anointing as King David did. With great authority comes greater responsibility. I pray this message does not fall upon deaf ears as Nathan’s parable fell upon David’s.
You can read more about this and other truths by obtaining a copy of “Prodigal to Prince” by Beau Walsh at BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com.
